How to Find a Job in Football
Welcome to the latest issue of The Football Scientist.
In this week's issue, I'm going to provide tips and discussion for those looking to gain employment within the football industry.
I hope you enjoy!
The Realities of Finding a Job in Football
Recent data from Sportsmith revealed that the majority of sports science related jobs in football are obtained through non-formal avenues. This was mainly via word of mouth or internal promotions.
The minority were actually obtained through formal job advertisements and processes.
When you couple this with the fact every year 1000's of students graduate with a sport-related degree, it's no wonder people are struggling to find jobs.
But how can you overcome some of these barriers to gain employment?
The Formal Way
Although as mentioned most jobs are filled either internally or by recommendation, there is still the chance to apply and gain employment the formal way.
Applying for jobs is straightforward enough. Submit a good CV and cover letter, hopefully get an interview and then stand out on the day.
However, many still get each stage of the process wrong.
I have developed a Sports Performance Careers System (see link) that helps practitioners get a step ahead of the competition when it comes to the beforementioned steps in the process.
Below are a list of useful websites to look for football related jobs:
https://jobsinfootball.com/
https://thevideoanalyst.com/
https://www.uksport.gov.uk/jobs-in-sport/search-all-vacancies (filter by role and key words)
https://www.bases.org.uk/vacancy-job_search.html (less frequent)
https://complementarytraining.net/jobs/
Also keep an eye on LinkedIn and Twitter for people posting job opportunities. It's important you know who the key people are at different clubs and follow them on social media.
The Informal Way
There are several other options that you can adopt in order to find employment in football
1) Word of Mouth
This can be both useful and frustrating approach for most. Usually, if you have a contact within a club who can put a good word in for you then it will stand you in good stead. If you're lucky enough, you might become associated with a successful coach who takes you to each club they manage.
The important part here is to network and promote yourself on social media. Organic network growth is crucial, your reputation is everything in the industry.
Just starting out? Connect with some key individuals. Pick a social media platform (e.g. LinkedIn) and post frequently through adding value to the audience. Impress during internships, get a good reference.
2) Speculative Approach
As the old saying goes, "You can't win the lottery if you don't buy a ticket". Although you might get rejected dozen of times, you have to keep persisting with applications and speculative approaches.
Look on club staff websites. Make a spreadsheet of names and roles at the club. Understand who the key decision makers would be. Reach out to them and request a call.
Remember, it has to be organic. Don't rush and demand a job, build trust and offer value in return for the connection.
Summary
Finding a job in football is difficult.
The majority of jobs come from informal methods, such as word of mouth or internal promotion.
Persistence is the key.
Building a strong online presence and network are crucial tools to future proof your employment opportunities.
Thank you for reading, see you next week.
Whenever you're ready, check out how I can help you further:
Football Fitness Mentorship Community: Are you a football fitness practitioner looking to accelerate your career? Join an exclusive online mentorship community of football fitness practitioners and access resources, educational content, 1:1 support and a worldwide network. The community is aimed at football fitness practitioners - whether you are a student with future aspirations to work in football, an early career practitioner still finding their way or experienced practitioners looking to progress their career further. Check it out here.