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Football Progression Path

One actionable idea a week to help you get into football analysis or scouting, and get further once you're in. Written by someone doing the job, not teaching it from the outside.

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Latest edition

Does data work if you use AI?

September 7, 2026

Hey,

I had a call last week with someone about joining the Recruitment Room.

He's getting paid, inside a first division club, working on scouting and recruitment for the first team. He's building his own scouting application.

At the end of it, he asked me a question.

He writes his code with AI. And he wanted to know whether that counts against him.

And this is a question I hear a lot.

If coding has become easy, does it still count for anything?

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Archive (63 issues)
  • Does data work if you use AI? 2026 · 09
    Anyone can build football tools now
  • I spent two years fixing the wrong thing2026 · 08
    Rewriting my CV and cover letters
  • The network of one2026 · 08
    Why opportunities in football don't last
  • The club that turned me down twice2026 · 08
    The positives about job rejection
  • What a Premier League scout looks for2026 · 08
    And it's nothing to do with talent
  • Everyone's done the course now2026 · 08
    Your certificate means little
  • The Monday morning grind2026 · 07
    Fitting football around a day job
  • Put the salary on the advert2026 · 07
    This could be the best thing to happen for football jobs
  • Post it before it's perfect2026 · 07
    Freddie wasted 1 month but got noticed as soon as he started sharing
  • My first three football jobs paid nothing2026 · 07
    You're comparing your day one to someone else's year three
  • AI wrote my CV. I had to fix it2026 · 06
    It can stop you getting jobs
  • Posting work online isn't enough2026 · 06
    Advice from former Director of Data at Man City
  • Lead with the verdict2026 · 06
    What separates a scout from observations.
  • Why clubs say no without telling you2026 · 05
    Why I'd say no to you too. And what to do about it.
  • Two people you should always message2026 · 05
    Hint: you already know them
  • Why now is the time to move into football2026 · 04
    and how you can do it
  • When Nottingham Forest messaged me2026 · 04
    it wasn't luck it was built
  • We put 15 people in a room2026 · 04
    and did something you can't do on a zoom call
  • Nobody talks about this relationship2026 · 04
    The power of peers
  • 9 speakers. 1 common thread2026 · 03
    Field of Play conference takeaways
  • The football job I didn't go for2026 · 03
    The question I ask myself every time a club role comes up.
  • What Bob Dylan can teach you about football2026 · 03
    And a basketball coach. And the founder of Shake Shack.
  • Why you'll probably quit2026 · 03
    the football career you want takes time
  • Why your analysis isn't working2026 · 03
    (and how to fix it)
  • Your reputation arrives before you do2026 · 02
    Football is a small industry. People move. And they talk.
  • Why people get football opportunities2026 · 02
    It's visibility, signal and credibility
  • Same player, three different conclusions2026 · 02
    Your role changes how you evaluate a footballer.
  • AI is changing who wins in football2026 · 02
    Technical skills less important.
  • The traditional pathway is dead2026 · 01
    Three routes into football. None of them traditional.
  • Sunday league to professional scout2026 · 01
    What happened when my data model met League One
  • The problem with football courses2026 · 01
    12 actions to start today.
  • What I'd do to break into football2026 · 01
    12 actions to start today.
  • Did you do what you said you would?2025 · 12
    Three questions to ask yourself
  • You just need to do more2025 · 12
    I doubled my LinkedIn posts and got noticed.
  • Build this or you won't last in football2025 · 12
    How to stay when everyone else stops.
  • Can you afford a 20% pay cut?2025 · 12
    That's what I did to break into football.
  • The time excuse that's costing you2025 · 12
    You have the time. You lack clarity.
  • Future-proof football jobs: What AI can't replace2025 · 11
    Here's what help analysts and scouts survive.
  • What Championship clubs actually look for2025 · 10
    Technical scout reveals what got him hired after being completely ghosted
  • Your work fails in 5 seconds 2025 · 10
    The layout mistake that kills clarity before anyone reads a word.
  • Training Ground Guru Live: What I learned2025 · 10
    What I learned spending a day with clubs, scouts, and data experts in Manchester
  • Why going alone kills football careers2025 · 10
    How to find the 5 people who'll change your trajectory
  • Job security in football: It doesn't exist2025 · 09
    4 ways to future-proof your career when clubs change overnight
  • Stop perfecting work - start posting more2025 · 09
    Perfect posts don't build networks. Regular ones do.
  • What breaking into football really takes2025 · 09
    Mark landed two football roles without permission - here's his exact process
  • Data visualisations are too complex2025 · 09
    3 mistakes killing your impact + the 30-second test that fixes them
  • What it's really like being a scout2025 · 09
    26 scouts interviewed - here's what I shared about breaking in
  • Courses won't get you football jobs2025 · 08
    PL manager and DoF's brutal truth about breaking in
  • The analyst job that won't exist2025 · 08
    The analyst's job is changing, not disappearing. Here's what survives
  • The 3 types of clubs that use data2025 · 08
    Most say 'we use data' but mean something very different
  • What stops people working in football2025 · 08
    After 150+ calls, the pattern is clear (it's not what you think)
  • What it's really like working in League One2025 · 07
    Every club operates differently - here's what that means for you
  • Remote football jobs: Think twice first2025 · 07
    The hidden cost of being 'out of sight, out of mind' in football
  • The pay problem in football2025 · 07
    Most job adverts in football tell you everything except what matters most - the salary
  • The €3M lesson: Why your eyes are still important2025 · 07
    We signed him for free based on what our eyes saw, not what the data showed. One year later, he's worth €3 million.
  • The unpaid work trap (and how to escape it)2025 · 06
    Hundreds chase every football role, including unpaid ones. Here's how to make free work actually worth it.
  • The 5 qualities that get you hired in football2025 · 06
    Technical skills get you noticed. These 5 qualities get you hired. Most people focus on the wrong things.
  • What no one tells you about working in football2025 · 06
    No two clubs are the same. That’s the opportunity and the risk.
  • Stuck as an analyst or scout? This is why2025 · 06
    Most analysts and scouts quit at the same point. Here’s how to spot it and push through.
  • Most people fail at networking in football2025 · 06
    Genuine networking in football isn’t about asking. It’s about showing up, listening, and giving first.
  • Luck doesn’t come to you. You create it.2025 · 05
    Most people wait for an opportunity. The smart ones create the conditions for it.
  • Football isn't built for introverts2025 · 05
    You don't have to be loud to be seen.
  • The Portfolio Platform You're Ignoring2025 · 05
    You need to try this new platform for your online portfolio

© 2026 Liam Henshaw