Finding a New Club Following Release at 18 years-old
It’s coming up to that time of the season where young footballers up and down the country are being told if they will be offered new contracts at the end of their scholarships and will be left with the task of finding a new club.
Being released at the end of a scholarship with a professional football club is, in my opinion, the hardest time for a young player but there are options available.
We have all seen the statistics… Out of all the boys who enter an academy at the age of 9, less than half of 1% make it…. only 180 of the 1.5 million players who are playing organised youth football in England at any one time will make it as a Premier League pro… a success rate of 0.012%.
Not great odds.
When I first started working with football agents one of the first things I realised was how hard it is for a young footballer aged from 18 to around 23.
There are 92 clubs in the football league and only 63 of those clubs have Under-23 teams, 18 of those clubs being mixed age in the Central League.
They breakdown as follows:
Cat 1 Football Clubs – 24
Arsenal, Aston Villa, Blackburn Rovers, Brighton, Chelsea, Derby County, Everton, Fulham, Leicester City, Liverpool
Newcastle United, Manchester City, Manchester United, Middlesbrough, Norwich City, Reading, Southampton, Stoke City, Sunderland, Swansea City, Tottenham Hotspurs, West Bromwich Albion, West Ham United, Wolverhampton Wanderers.
Cat 2 Football Clubs – 21
Barnsley, Birmingham City, Bolton Wanderers, Brentford, Bristol City, Cardiff City, Charlton Athletic, Colchester United, Coventry City, Crewe Alexandra, Crystal Palace, Huddersfield Town, Hull City, Ipswich Town, Leeds United, Millwall, Nottingham Forest, Queens Park Rangers, Sheffield United, Sheffield Wednesday, Watford, Wigan Athletic.
Cat 3 Clubs in the Central League – 18
, Rotherham United, Port Vale, Doncaster Rovers, Notts County, Morecambe, Mansfield Town (U21), Grimsby Town, MK Dons, Exeter City, AFC Wimbledon, Plymouth Argyle, Peterborough United, Forest Green Rovers, Cheltenham Town, Luton Town.
That’s not too bad
Now that doesn’t sound too bad, 63 clubs looking for players but when you see that each of the 92 clubs will release around 6 players aged 18 to 21 this summer, that means there are around 552 players looking for a new club.
Of course, some players will find it easy, players who have been released from Manchester United, Manchester City, Chelsea and Arsenal will in the main find a new club, maybe they will move to another Cat 1 club or drop down to a Cat 2, some will move Europe, while others will move to a League 2 side and start playing first-team football.
Some Cat 2 players will do the same, but what about the players left without a club?
Players can struggle for a number of reasons, some are said to be too small, others become disillusioned after leaving a club they have been at for 10 years, some might play in a position that not a lot of clubs are looking at… the list is endless.
This is where an agent should help a play using their contacts to get trials and advising the play of the options available to him. This doesn’t mean that because you have an agent you will definitely get a new deal at a pro club but in my view, it is better than being on your own without any contacts and not knowing who to talk to.
You can read my Why do I need an agent post here >>> Link
Players Net could also help (@PLAYERSNET_) they are an independent voluntary organisation offering young players, parents & coaches free support & guidance.
Jobs4football also offer a career direction programme >>> Link
Find a team in Non-League
A fantastic option for a young player in my opinion. Some players will not want to drop down in to non-league but if you go to the right club then Non-League can give you the experience of men’s football – which you will very quickly find out that this is a world away from Under-18s football.
The key here is getting into the right club. A lot of players want to drop to the National League because they want to play as high as they can, the money is better and they are still at a full-time club, these are all understandable reasons but the main thing to remember is that game time is key. If you are not playing first-team football then the chances are scouts from pro clubs will not see you and you will in most cases drop down the leagues and with each year that passes the harder it gets.
There are a lot of teams out there that give young players a chance. Colne in the North West has a fantastic reputation of playing young players with the likes of Oliver Crankshaw (now Wigan), Alex Curren (2 times Evo-Stik Young Player of the Year) and Brad Lynch (18-year-old winger who scored 17 goals this season) to name a few getting valuable game time. There are of course others but before you join a non-league club, do your research to see if the club/manager has given young players a chance in the past. Once you are at your new club it up to you to work hard and perform.
You only have to look at the number of clubs signing players from non-league over the last two years to see there has been a bit of a shift in the way non-league football is seen.
Playing Abroad
Going abroad has become a good option for young British players over the last few years. There are some really good opportunities in Europe that offer full-time football, good facilities and experience in both football and life.
It is always important to be realistic in football especially when moving clubs and this is more important when looking to move abroad. I recently had a player from a Cat 3 club contact me saying he felt he was too good for that club and wanted to move abroad….. fine. He then told me he wanted to move to a top division club in Germany, Spain or Holland, this is an issue, unfortunately, there are not many players leaving Cat 3 clubs and moving to top division sides in a top 5 European league. After a conversation, it was clear that I could give him what he wanted and I wished his luck.
Of course, there are opportunities in these leagues for the right player but there are also very attractive offers in Sweden, Iceland and Finland.
Elliot Simmons is a good example of how these countries can work for you if you have the right attitude, Elliot was released from MK Dons and ended up in Sweden, he is now playing in Canada (read his story here).
I have been shocked that who many players don’t see these countries as a good option. I recently spoke to a player who is 21 years old and has played 15 games at Conference North level and he felt that the chance to play for a club in Iceland who are in the Champions League paying good wages with accommodation, fights and bonuses was not a good enough level for him…That’s his view and he is entitled to it but I would argue that playing full time in a country with fantastic facilities in the Champions League is better than a wet Saturday in Manchester.
Jobs4football work closely with McCreery Sports Management (@mccreerysports) who have over 18 years of experience of placing players all over the world, you can view our player request direct from clubs here >>> Link
US Scholarships
There are lots of companies out there offering English players scholarship in the United States. This is where you study at college while playing football in the United States.
Private Academy
There are a growing number of academies like the Pick Up Academy that take players who have been released from pro clubs and provide them with top coaching with the aim of getting those players back into football.
Final Word
Although it is a hard time it is important to remember there are a number of good options out there, every player’s path is different but if you keep working hard with a good attitude with the right people helping you then all is not lost.