Hey Reader,

There used to be one way into football recruitment and analysis.

University degree in sports science or data analytics. Internship at a professional club. Junior analyst position. Work your way up.

If you didn't have the right degree, you couldn't get the internship. If you couldn't afford to work unpaid for six months, you couldn't get in. If you weren't already connected to someone inside a club, you stayed outside.

That pathway doesn't exist anymore.

Three Different Backgrounds, Three Different Routes

​Sammy Lander dropped out of university at 19. Landed in non-league football at Weymouth as first team coach doing everything - GPS, opposition analysis, warm-ups, kit management.

During Covid, he got named as a substitute. Sat in a bench coat for 45 minutes holding jelly babies. Nearly came on in the 81st minute.

That moment changed everything. He realised: if he felt completely unprepared to impact the game, other substitutes probably felt the same.

Created "Football's First Substitution Coach" at 24 in League One. Now consults for international teams including the US Men's National Team. Published a book. Just launched his innovation platform.

From a tiny town in Dorset. Didn't play professionally. Got one eye. No traditional pathway existed. He created his own.

He's one of the Recruitment Room mentors and he did his first live session with the community. You can join here and watch the reply back now.​

​Jamie worked as a marketing manager in corporate. Outside football entirely. No football credentials.

Identified that his marketing analytics skills transferred directly into football analytics. Created his own consultancy. Now works as a freelance analyst and scout for clubs and agencies.

Didn't wait for a club to hire him. Built his business through multiple clients. Turned coming from outside football into differentiation.

My route: Six years as a football trader at Sky Betting & Gaming. Working with data, risk assessment, market analysis in gambling.

Transitioned into freelance analysis and scouting while employed full-time. Then recruitment analyst and first team scout at Hearts. Now data analyst and scout at Unique Sports Group, a football agency.

None of us followed the traditional route. Because the traditional route doesn't need to be followed anymore.

What These Journeys Have In Common

We started outside the expected pathway. Non-league coaching. Corporate marketing. Gambling industry.

We identified gaps and created categories. Sammy: substitute coaching as a specialism. Jamie: freelance consulting model. Me: gambling analytics into recruitment plus community building.

Skills transferred from different industries. Sammy: non-league problem-solving into innovation consulting. Jamie: marketing analytics into football analytics. Me: trading data into player evaluation.

We built online portfolios, not CVs. Output matters more than credentials.

We proved value before getting hired. Sammy researched and tested his concept. Jamie built client relationships before leaving marketing. I built my online portfolio whilst working in gambling.

Why This Is The New Normal

Football clubs now hire substitution coaches, referee analysts, data scientists, freelance consultants. Roles that didn't exist five years ago.

The question changed from "Where did you work?" to "What problems can you solve?"

Your background isn't a barrier. It's your competitive advantage.

What This Means For You

You don't need the traditional background. Sammy couldn't play professionally. Jamie had no football employment history. I didn't need an analysis degree.

Your different background matters. It brings different problem-solving approaches and skills clubs actually need.

Stop waiting for permission. Build your portfolio now. Do the work. Share the work. The opportunities follow.

The traditional career ladder into football analysis and scouting? It's gone.

The new path is the one you create yourself.

Liam