How to Make Your CV Stand Out in Football
Let’s be honest.
Football clubs get flooded with CVs that look identical.
Lists of degrees.
Coaching badges.
Buzzwords like “dynamic,” “passionate,” and “hard-working.”
Sound familiar?
The problem?
Hiring managers skim dozens of these in minutes. They need to know fast whether you’re worth talking to.
Today, let’s fix that.
Here are 5 ways to make your football CV actually stand out in a crowded market:
Focus on Impact, Not Duties
One of the biggest mistakes I see is people just listing tasks: “Delivered S&C sessions to the first team”. It’s not enough. Clubs don’t just want to know what you did - they want to know what difference you made.
Instead of duties, showcase outcomes. For example:
“Reduced soft-tissue injuries by 28% through a tailored prehab program.”
“Integrated ball-based conditioning that improved average match HSR by 15%.”
If you don’t have hard numbers, describe the change you drove. This shift from “what I did” to “what changed because of me” is one of the simplest ways to stand out.
Make it Ruthlessly Relevant to Football
Hiring managers aren’t looking for generalist fitness practitioners - they want someone understands the football environment.
That means cutting unnecessary details. Don’t waste valuable space on unrelated experiences (like PE teaching or general PT classes) unless you can directly link them to football.
Prioritise experiences that show:
Team sport dynamics
Periodisation planning
GPS/data literacy
Working with coaching staff
Your CV should leave no doubt that you understand the specific demands and culture of football.
Show You Can Collaborate
One of the most underrated skills in football is the ability to fit within the staff dynamic. You could be the best sport scientist in the world, but if you can’t communicate with the head coach or sell your plan to sceptical players, you’re not much use.
Highlight examples where you worked closely with coaching staff, adapted plans to tactical goals, or built buy-in with players. Even simple lines like:
“Collaborated with head coach to align conditioning with game model.”
This can go a long way in showing you understand how to operate in a real football environment.
Make It Easy to Read
You have about 30 seconds to convince someone you’re worth shortlisting.
That means no walls of text, no tiny fonts, no messy formatting. Use clear headings, bullet points where needed, and consistent styling.
Your CV isn’t your autobiography - it’s your sales brochure for one specific job. Make it effortless for them to say yes.
Include Real CPD
Every CV says “committed to lifelong learning.” But the best ones prove it.
List specific courses, certifications, and memberships:
“Completed Sport Horizon Level 2 Power BI Course (2024)”
“Member of the Football Performance Network”
“UEFA Fitness A License (In Progress)”
It signals you’re not stagnant, that you actively invest in staying at the cutting edge of the field.
Final Thoughts
If you want your CV to stand out, you have to move beyond generic templates. Show real impact. Make it ruthlessly relevant to football. Demonstrate you can work in a team. Make it easy to scan. And back it all up with genuine evidence of your development.
Your CV is often your first chance to sell yourself in an incredibly competitive market. Make sure it says: I know football - and I can make a difference here.
That’s all for this week - I hope you found these ideas useful as you work on making your CV stand out.
If you want even more support with things like career planning, applications, interviews, and ongoing development in football, you might find the Football Performance Network helpful.
It’s a worldwide community of 60+ football physical coaches and sport scientists sharing ideas, getting feedback, and helping each other grow.
👉 Learn more about joining here
See you next Friday.
James 🫡