Has anyone had a DC "scouted" by a football team??

Thank you Bowlers arm. To be a Pro footballer even at non leauge level requires a dedication and intense training schedule that no one who has not witnessed it could ever believe. The kid has to be so focused to achieve this, and in most cases will come crashing down on him at 15 or 16 when informed that he will not be signed pro. He then has to pick him self up "AND RESTART HIS LIFE" because it is all he as thought about for as long as he could play. Another thing Bowlers Arm with the influx of foreign talent at academy level it makes it almost impossible for good young english talent to come though and ever get a chance in the first team, and as was seen with the appalling display of the U21 against norway yesterday this has got to be addresed imediatatly for the England to even qualify for major tournaments. He must be a "VERY SPECIAL TALENT" if a second Premiership club have signed him at 16 and lets hope the other club choke on there cornflakes when he plays for England.

I know a few through both my sons football teams, most ultimately being dropped within a couple of years. A couple of lads though didn't enjoy the experience, felt it was far too pressured and took the fun out of the game, and ultimately they packed it in themselves and went back to their local teams with friends where they actually had a laugh.

beatback it can be a very brutal experience as you say. The club my DS was at from the age of 11 (pro club) took him aside one evening after training at the age of 16 and told him that he was no longer required. That is generally how they do it, even with boys who have been there at an even younger age. Very very hard, harsh environment.

To DSs credit, he picked himself up, dusted himself off, trialled at a premiership club and was signed by them almost immediately.

It makes me quite cross the way professional footballers are dismissed on here as lightweight. If those posters could see the blood, sweat and tears involved, the desire and determination, and the hours and hours the boys plus their parents have to dedicate to it, I like to think they would change their opinions.

Not uncommon and a fantastic opportunity at this age. However, as others have said it can be utterly devestating isf they get to 16 then get dropped.

My son was signed to Bolton Wanderers youth squad a few years back and had trials at three premiership clubs.

Yes it was a great experience for him with massive commitment on his and the parents part, but, you have to be able to face rejection and realise that at youth team level you rarely get a full game as they have a lot of players at that level. When my son was there they had six goalkeepers they rotated throughout the matches.

Its also well known that certain teams scout and sign up a lot of potential players to 'get in there before the opposition does'.

On a lighter note, DD's ex-boyfriend-at-school now plays for a high profile premiership team, we used to tease her she had missed her chance to be wag and should 'get back in there' , 'nah, its not worth it he's a knob now' is her answer.

Input required, by the way, was transport to 2x evening training sessions every week, plus a lift to the coach for matches on Sundays. For us, winter training was 10+ miles away, summer training much more local. Some parents went to every match, whether home or away. We didn't.

well said bowlers arm. Some people think because they Ds have had trials at 12 they are the best footballers in the world and that they are going to be premiership footballers. The reality is that 9 out of 10 kids at pro clubs will end up playing non leauge football at best or local amatear football. Another thing that people on this site do not understand is that when a kid is rejected at 15 or 16 it is 1000 times worse than failing the 11 plus that people on here think is the be all and end all. Good luck for you ds.

My DS is at a professional club currently. Let me know if I can help at all.

It takes a lot of parental input. And it's not for the faint hearted! A lot of commitment is required.

Lijkk, to be fair, that isn't quite true.

DS played with the local professional team's 'academy / centre of excellence' for 3 years (Y3, Y4 and Y5). He is a goalie - and at the academy he got twice-weekly specialised goalie training with a goalkeeping coach, alongside the keepers from all the other age groups. That isn't available at his local 'weekend' football league club, as the coaches - mostly parents who have had some training as coaches - are in general much better equipped to train outfield players.

I would also say that for the outfield players the intensity and the focus on specialised skills provided through training at the academy was significantly better than at local boys' teams - because the coaches were professionals and also because of the lack of any children of lower ability.

It was a good experience for DS - intense, gruelling on the parental taxi front, slightly scary as we saw him off on the team coach for games in far-flung places - but carries the inevitable spectre of being 'dropped' at any moment. DS was dropped after 3 years.

Some of these scoutings are just ploys to get money with flattery, nothing you get from the youth academy you couldn't get more of for far less money by joining your local leagues.

Not my ds but a couple of his friends were scouted at about the same age - one for Leeds and one for Chelsea

Obviously it's a great opportunity but you need to keep realistic - only a tiny fraction of the children who are scouted go on to become professional footballers. The boy who was scouted by Leeds was dropped by their academy when he was 11 and it really affected his self-confidence (the one who played for Chelsea decided himself that music was more his thing than sport and left)

It's not as time-consuming as you might expect - at primary age at least - as far as I remember it was about the same amount of training and matches as his friends who were playing in local leagues