FOOTBALL SCOUT REPORT WRITING: WHY SO MANY NEW SCOUTS FAIL TO PAINT A PICTURE
- 9 July 2026
- Ged Searson
- 0
FOOTBALL SCOUT REPORT WRITING: WHY SO MANY NEW SCOUTS FAIL TO PAINT A PICTURE
Why Professional Football Clubs Read Scout Reports Differently
There is a famous saying:
“A picture paints a thousand words.”
There is perhaps no better saying to describe the role of a football scout.
Earlier this week I was speaking with the Chief Scout of a leading English professional football club, and once again the conversation came back to exactly the same subject.
New scouts struggle to paint a picture of the player.
Not because they don’t watch enough football.
Not because they lack enthusiasm.
But because they simply haven’t been shown how professional football clubs expect a scouting report to communicate a player’s performance.
A professional scouting report should paint such a clear picture of the player that the Chief Scout, Head of Recruitment, Sporting Director or Manager can almost visualise the performance without ever watching the match themselves.
When writing a report, this is your opportunity to communicate everything you have observed and provide the evidence behind your recommendation.
Unfortunately, this is also one of the biggest areas where new football scouts struggle.
Continue Reading
Enter your email to unlock this full article and join the AFCAS coaching & scouting community.
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
“A picture paints a thousand words”.
Almost every week I receive messages through LinkedIn from aspiring scouts asking if I can review their scouting reports or explain where they have gone wrong.
Many have invested significant amounts of money in their scouting education.
Many have completed scouting courses.
Many have received certificates.
Yet very few have ever had an experienced professional scout sit down with them and explain why one report would impress a Chief Scout… while another would probably end up in the bin.
The questions I receive are remarkably similar.
“Could you look over my report?”
“Would a professional football club accept this?”
“What am I doing wrong?”
“How do I improve my report writing?”
At a glance I can usually see where the report has gone wrong.
Usually within the first paragraph.
Almost every one of those conversations ends in a similar way.
“I wish somebody had shown me this before I paid for my course.”
The frustrating part is that these are passionate people who genuinely want to succeed.
The problem isn’t their commitment.
The problem is that many have never been shown what professional football clubs are actually looking for when they read a scouting report.
These are exactly the areas that are developed through our AFCAS Technical Scouting courses, how to observe play, how to assess player performance and how to create reports with step-by-step guides and interactive tasks. This is not achieved with a theory-only course.
Watching football and writing a professional scouting report are two completely different skills.
Many new scouts simply describe what happened during the match.
Professional scouts paint a picture of the player.
There is a huge difference.
Professional football clubs don’t simply want information.
They are looking for information that many new scouts don’t even realise should be included within a report.
That difference is one of the biggest reasons why some reports influence recruitment decisions…
…while others are quickly forgotten.
They don’t just want information.
They want context.
Context is what turns observations into recruitment evidence.
That is exactly where many aspiring scouts unknowingly struggle.
Report writing isn’t about writing more words.
It isn’t about producing impressive graphics.
It isn’t about copying statistics from the internet.
It is about communicating your observations so clearly that someone who has never seen the player understands exactly who that player is.
That is the difference between writing a report…
…and producing a report that influences recruitment decisions.
EASY TO UNDERSTAND REPORTS
The first responsibility of every football scout is to communicate clearly.
Remember who will be reading your report.
Chief Scouts, Heads of Recruitment, Sporting Directors and Managers are incredibly busy people. Reading scouting reports is only one part of their daily workload alongside recruitment meetings, transfer discussions, opposition analysis and conversations with coaching staff.
They simply don’t have time to read twelve-page dossiers full of unnecessary information.
Having worked as a First-Team Scout, Chief Scout and National Team Chief Scout, I know exactly what football clubs value.
Every recruitment department I have worked with wanted remarkably similar reports.
Surprisingly…
It wasn’t the presentation they judged.
It was something entirely different.
A good scouting report should allow the reader to understand the player within minutes.
It should make them feel as though they have watched the match themselves.
Remember…
Your report isn’t written to impress the reader.
It is written to help them make a recruitment decision.
The report’s context is more important than its visual presentation.
SCOUTING MISTAKE… WRITING THE REPORT YOU THINK A CLUB WANTS
Many new scouts spend enormous amounts of time trying to make their reports look professional.
Long reports.
Beautiful layouts.
Graphics.
Charts.
Statistics.
Pages of information.
The assumption is simple.
If it looks professional…
It must be professional.
Professional football doesn’t work like that.
Throughout my career as a First-Team Scout, Chief Scout and National Team Chief Scout, I have worked under nine different football managers across professional club football and the international game.
Every manager was different.
Every recruitment department worked differently.
Yet every one of them judged reports in remarkably similar ways.
Not once did a manager ask me to make a report look impressive.
They wanted information they could trust.
QUALITY… NOT QUANTITY
One of the biggest misconceptions among new scouts is believing that longer reports are better reports.
Nothing could be further from the truth.
Professional football values the quality of information…
Not the quantity of words.
Sometimes saying less communicates far more.
Experienced scouts understand that every sentence must earn its place.
If it doesn’t add value…
It shouldn’t be there.
The foundations of the report must be correct.
PAINT A PICTURE WITH WORDS… NOT GRAPHICS AND STATISTICS
One of the biggest misconceptions among new football scouts is believing that a professional scouting report needs to look impressive.
It doesn’t.
A scouting report is not judged on how attractive it looks.
It is judged on the quality of the observations, the evidence behind those observations and the confidence it gives the person reading it.
Unfortunately, there is a growing amount of misinformation surrounding scouting reports.
Many aspiring scouts are being shown what a report should supposedly look like by people who have never actually worked within a professional recruitment department or experienced the responsibility of reporting directly to a Chief Scout, Head of Recruitment or Manager.
Professional football doesn’t recruit scouts because they can produce attractive documents.
It recruits scouts because they can identify players…
…and communicate those observations professionally.
THE REPORT SHOULD PROVIDE WHAT THE CLUB DOESN’T ALREADY HAVE
Another common mistake made by inexperienced scouts is filling reports with pages of statistics, graphics and publicly available information.
Ask yourself one simple question.
What information are you providing that the club doesn’t already have?
Professional football clubs already have access to every statistic they need.
Yet many new scouts still fill reports with information that the club already possesses.
That immediately tells an experienced Chief Scout something about the scout who wrote it.
The real value of a scout lies elsewhere.
Unfortunately…
Many new scouts never realise where that value comes from until someone points it out.
THE BIGGEST MISTAKE OF ALL…
The biggest mistake many aspiring scouts make isn’t writing a poor report.
It’s believing they’ve written a good one.
Without honest feedback from somebody who has actually worked within professional recruitment…
How would you know?
If nobody has challenged your observations…
Questioned your conclusions…
Or explained why certain parts of your report add little value…
How can you improve?
Perhaps that’s why so many new scouts eventually contact me.
Not because they aren’t committed.
But because deep down they know something isn’t right.
They’ve completed a course.
They’ve received a certificate.
Yet they’re still not confident enough to send their report to a professional football club.
That lack of confidence tells its own story.
A professional scouting report is judged on the quality of its observations, not the quality of its graphics.
REPORT WRITING IS A SKILL DEVELOPED THROUGH FEEDBACK
One of the biggest misconceptions in football scouting is believing that completing a course automatically prepares someone to work for a professional football club.
It doesn’t.
Completing a course…
And developing as a scout…
Are two completely different things.
Watching football is easy.
Observing football is a skill.
Communicating those observations professionally is another skill entirely.
Over the years I have reviewed countless reports from aspiring scouts.
Interestingly, the same weaknesses appear again and again.
Not because these scouts lack passion.
But because many have never had the opportunity to discuss their observations, receive detailed feedback or understand why certain parts of their reports simply don’t communicate what professional football clubs expect.
Like players themselves…
Scouts improve through coaching.
Through discussion.
Through constructive feedback.
Through having their reports challenged.
Through understanding not just what to write…
But why it should be written that way.
That level of development rarely comes from simply completing a course.
It comes from interaction.
It comes from asking questions.
It comes from receiving honest professional feedback.
Education must be an interactive journey.
WHY INTERACTIVE SCOUT EDUCATION MATTERS
One of the biggest differences between simply completing a scouting course and genuinely developing as a scout is interaction.
Reading about report writing isn’t the same as writing reports.
Watching presentations isn’t the same as having your own observations challenged.
Downloading a report template isn’t the same as understanding why a Chief Scout would reject it.
Every week I speak to aspiring scouts who tell me they completed a course but still don’t feel confident enough to submit a report to a professional football club.
That should never be the outcome of scout education.
Education should build confidence.
It should develop understanding.
Most importantly, it should prepare you for the expectations of professional football.
Over the past seven years, many AFCAS students have progressed into scouting and recruitment roles within professional football clubs and national federations.
They weren’t successful simply because they completed a course.
They were successful because they developed the ability to analyse players, communicate professionally and produce reports that decision-makers could trust.
That is why AFCAS has always believed scout education should be interactive.
Questions should be encouraged.
Reports should be reviewed.
Observations should be challenged.
Because that’s how scouts improve.
Not by collecting certificates…
But by developing the skills that professional football clubs actually value.
🎓 Start Your Football Scouting Journey
Take the first step towards becoming a better football scout with the AFCAS Football Fundamentals & Talent ID Course – Level 1.
👉 Enrol Today
IF THIS SOUNDS FAMILIAR…
If you’re one of the many aspiring scouts who has completed a scouting course but still isn’t confident enough to send one of your reports to a professional football club…
You’re not alone.
In fact, you’re exactly the type of scout who contacts me every week.
Passionate.
Committed.
Prepared to work hard.
But still asking the same question.
“Is my report actually good enough?”
That lack of confidence is rarely caused by a lack of ability.
More often…
It comes from never having had your reports reviewed by someone who has actually worked inside a professional recruitment department.
Many aspiring scouts discover too late that completing a course and developing as a scout are two very different things.
Knowing what to watch is only one part of becoming a successful scout.
Learning how to communicate those observations professionally is another skill entirely.
That skill develops through practical experience.
Through interaction.
Through discussion.
Through constructive feedback.
Through understanding why one observation strengthens a report while another adds very little value.
That is often the missing piece.
If you’re still questioning your reports after completing a course…
Perhaps the issue isn’t your potential.
Perhaps you’ve simply never had the opportunity to develop those skills in an interactive learning environment with experienced professional scouts.
ONE FINAL THOUGHT…
Football clubs don’t recruit scouts because of the certificate they hold.
They recruit scouts because they trust the quality of the reports they produce.
Knowing what to watch is only half the job.
Knowing how to communicate those observations professionally is what separates aspiring scouts from the scouts that professional football clubs trust.
Ask yourself one simple question.
If your next scouting report landed on the desk of a Premier League Chief Scout, Head of Recruitment or First-Team Manager…
Would it simply tell them what happened during the match…
Or would it genuinely paint a picture of the player?
If you’re not completely confident in your answer…
Don’t ignore that feeling.
It is often the moment aspiring scouts realise there is a difference between completing a scouting course…
And developing as a professional scout.
At AFCAS, our Interactive Technical Scouting Courses have been designed around bridging exactly that gap.
Through practical observation exercises, interactive video tasks, report-writing tasks and detailed professional feedback, we help aspiring scouts develop the confidence to produce reports that professional football clubs genuinely trust.
The best scouts don’t simply watch football.
They communicate football.
Because ultimately…
A picture doesn’t paint a thousand words…
A great scouting report paints the player.
The question is…
Can yours?
AFCAS STUDENTS
Our students have joined AFCAS from, or progressed to opportunities with, some of the world’s leading football clubs and associations, including:
National Football Associations
Dutch FA • English FA • Nigerian FA • Belgian FA
Professional Clubs
Arsenal • Manchester City • Chelsea • Manchester United • Newcastle United • Brighton & Hove Albion • West Ham United • Crystal Palace
Burnley • Ipswich Town • Leeds United • Millwall • Charlton Athletic • Queens Park Rangers • Cardiff City • Swansea City
Middlesbrough • Norwich City • Blackburn Rovers • Fleetwood Town • Luton Town • Lincoln City • AFC Wimbledon • Doncaster Rovers
FC Porto • AZ Alkmaar • PSV Eindhoven • Inter Miami • LA Galaxy • Rangers • Heart of Midlothian • Paris FC
…and many more.
📘 You’ve Read The Theory…
🎓 Now Learn The Practical Skills.
Our 4-Course Football Scouting Bundle teaches you how professional scouts analyse, assess and report on players through practical interactive learning.
✅ 300+ Interactive Tasks
✅ Match Analysis Exercises
✅ Professional Report Writing
✅ Learn at Your Own Pace
📦 View The Complete Bundle
📖 Continue Reading – Football Scouting: A Beginner’s Guide to Football Scouting
📖 Continue Reading – Football Scouting Courses: What should you expect from a Scout Education Provider
📖 Continue Reading – Football Scouting: How to Target the Right Club and Making the Perfect First Impression
Originally published by AFCAS – Association of Football Coaches and Scouts
The coaching frameworks, scouting methodologies, player assessment models and educational content contained within the AFCAS Education Hub have been developed from the practical experiences of AFCAS educators working within grassroots, academy, professional and international football.
Original AFCAS Educational Content
The educational content, coaching principles, scouting methodologies and practical frameworks published within the AFCAS Education Hub have been developed through years of professional coaching, scouting and recruitment experience.
These articles represent original AFCAS educational material and are protected by copyright. Any reproduction, adaptation or commercial use without written permission is prohibited.
Please support original football education by sharing links to the original AFCAS articles rather than reproducing their content.
© AFCAS. All Rights Reserved.
About the Author
Ged Searson is the Managing Director of AFCAS and has over 30 years of coaching and scouting experience. He is a former Premier League First Team Scout, former EFL scout and former Chief Scout of the Malawi National Team. Through AFCAS, he has educated coaches and scouts from across the UK and around the world.
Published: 9 July 2026
Author: Ged Searson
Updated: 9 July 2026