Get Inspired: How to get into football (2024)

FAQs

How can I start getting into football? ›

Join your local football team

While playing with friends at the park on weekends or evenings might seem like you're building your skills, joining a team at your local football club gives you access to professional coaches that can help increase your chance of being scouted.

Get yourself in a Sunday football league

Football scouts regularly attend county games to find new talent from a young age, so you need to be on the pitch showing them what you can do. Over time, providing you're consistent in your approach and show talent, you may then be invited to trials for a professional club.

While starting at 18 without prior academy or team experience can be challenging, it's not impossible to pursue a football career. Consider joining local clubs, attending tryouts, and practicing consistently to improve your skills.

It's definitely possible to join a college football team without high school experience, but it will likely present some additional challenges. Coaches often recruit based on high school performance, so you may not have the same visibility to them as other athletes.

You can get scouted in football from the ages of 7 until 22 and most of the players get scouted by football academies at 13. There isn't necessarily a specific age when you're too old to get scouted, however, the oldest age for you to be scouted normally is the early twenties.

College football coaches are looking for recruits with extensive varsity experience, a stellar highlight film, the right body type, high football IQ and good academics. However, even if athletes have these characteristics, there's no guarantee that a college coach is going to find them.

The chances of receiving a division one football scholarships are very remote. There are only about 125 division one programs, and each has 85 scholarships. That means there are roughly 10,000 scholarship division one football players out there. With roughly 1.5 million high school players, the odds are less than 1%.

Scouts look for technical skills, such as how well you control the ball, your passing accuracy, and your ability to read the game. They also consider physical attributes like speed, strength, and agility. But it's not all about what you can do with the ball. Scouts also pay close attention to your attitude.

How rare is it to get scouted in football? ›

Making it in the world of football is very tough. With less than 1% of all players making it into the professional game, take a read of our top tips that just might show you how to get scouted in football. Play to benefit your team. Showing off your skills in a game situation will only impress your friends.

There's a few fundamentals in football that really matter when first starting out. Your first touch, passing and dribbling are probably the most important things to focus on when beginning. After that, other skills such as shooting, turning, positioning. Make sure you build a solid skill level for your core skills.

AGE IS NO BARRIER

Of course, when it comes to football lessons for adults, you may decide to take them for other reasons bar being competitive and there is no doubt, that any variant of the game provides plenty of health benefits.

To be drafted into the NFL, a player must be three years out of high school. That means a player must at least have a high school diploma before entering the NFL. The NFL also wants players who have a little maturity and experience under their belts, and requires players to spend time playing college football.