Key facts
So you’re finally ready to attend football trials and you’re wondering what you can do right to catch the eyes of scouts and coaches. You’re fully aware of the stakes; impress the manager or scout and you’re on your way into professional football.
But with 100s of youngsters trying to play their way through, only the best talents can get picked. So how do you stand out on a trial? Below are our tips to help you:
Be Physically Ready For Football Trials
Arsenal youngster, Charlie Latino spoke recently about his involvement with the first team and one of the things he mentioned was the sheer strength of the players. Of course, with all the skills and technique on display, it’s easy to forget just how fit these guys are and that’s the level of fitness you must strive to attain.
To compete at the highest level, you need to be physically ready. It doesn’t matter whether you are going for open football trials or football academy trials, you need to be at your peak physical condition to make a good impression.
Why you shouldn’t be too eager on football trials
You probably think you need to score a couple of goals or dribble past 2, 3 players to stand out. And while players who score and can beat their man will always catch the eye, coaches look for so much more.
One of the biggest challenges every young player has to face is the need to impress. Taking a shot when you should pass to a teammate in a better position, trying to dribble past a player when you should in fact make a simple pass.
The problem with trying too hard is that most of the things you try never truly come off. Hence, it’s better to stick to the basics and not be too eager to impress.
Don’t Allow the Pool of Talent to Intimidate You
If you’re going for football academy trials, you’ll most likely be training with talented youngsters who are already highly rated. Yes, it’s easy to get blown away by the calibre of talents you’re up against, but you have to believe in your abilities. Like Arsene Wenger once said, “If you do not believe you can do it then you have no chance at all.”
You need to be able to play your own game and show the coaches what you can do. If you’re serious about playing pro football, then you have to prove you’ve got a strong mentality and that you’re able to compete no matter who you’re up against. This is what the coaches want to see.
Don’t Be Afraid to Put on a Few Tackles
Unless you’re a goalkeeper, you’re going to need to show a willingness to get stuck in. Even if you’re a striker, you need to show you can put in a few tackles when necessary. This doesn’t mean you have to fly into every tackle with two feet, but you should never respect your opponents too much to allow them to just walk past you with the ball.
Being competitive means showing you can hold your own against your opponents and sometimes that just means you have to show a bit of aggression and give your opponent a hard time. You may have heard about Yaya Toure’s famous trial at Arsenal. He left starman Dennis Bergkamp and Theirry Henry on the floor with two strong tackles before two-footing his own coach.
Despite what seemed like a terrible trial, he was offered a contract by Arsenal, not for his bad tackles, but for his bravery.
Be Humble
It doesn’t matter how good you think you are, you need to stay grounded. These days, football clubs rarely tolerate young players with big egos no matter how talented they are. If you want to stand out in a football trial, then you need to stay humble and show the coaches and scouts that you’re willing to learn and listen.
Be sure to shake hands with the coaches after completing each session, too. This is especially important if you’re going for open football trials. A handshake means the coach/scout gets to see you and recognise your positive attitude. A top attitude can only take you far in the game.
Be Prepared
You might be talented, but unless your skills are polished, you’re going to end up as just another promising player who isn’t quite ready for professional football. A trial is a huge opportunity and you cannot show up and not meet the required level.
A good way to prepare yourself is to sign up for some personal coaching sessions. A personal coach can take your game to the next level. They can help you identify the weaknesses in your game and work to eliminate them. Even top-flight professional footballers have personal coaches. So why shouldn’t you?
If you’re preparing to attend a football trial soon, we offer 121 football coaching and elite football coaching sessions to help you get in the right shape for your trials. Please click here to see us in action on youtube. So what are you waiting for? Sign up for one of our personal football training programs and let’s help you take your game to the next level.