How to find a club without an agent: a practical guide for footballers and juniors

You have talent, but no agent. What do you do?

There is an idea that circulates among young footballers:

"If I don't have an agent, I have no chance of reaching a good club."

That is not necessarily true.

An agent can play an important role in a footballer's career. They may have contacts, experience, knowledge of the transfer market and may negotiate certain professional aspects.

But a player at the start of their journey should not wait for someone to come and discover them.

You can start on your own.

You can build a profile.

You can identify the right clubs.

You can send a presentation.

You can ask for a trial.

And you can do all of this without claiming to be better than you are and without paying people who promise you a guaranteed contract.

1. Start by finding out where you stand

Before you contact 50 clubs, you need to know what kind of player you are.

Not just:

"I'm a striker and I'm very good."

But as specifically as possible:

• how old you are;
• what position you play;
• which is your dominant foot;
• what level you play at now;
• which club you are at, or whether you are a free agent;
• how long you have been playing football;
• how many matches you have played;
• what results you have;
• what tournaments or competitions you have taken part in;
• what your objective is.

If you are a junior, also add:

• year of birth;
• age category;
• school situation;
• the city where you live.

This information helps a coach understand quickly who you are.

2. Do not look for "any club"

One of the biggest mistakes is to send the same message to every club.

A 17-year-old striker from Iași does not necessarily make sense contacting 30 clubs without checking whether they need players of his age and profile.

Start with a list.

Look for clubs that:

• have teams for your age category;
• take part in competitions suited to your level;
• have a youth academy;
• promote young players;
• are geographically accessible;
• have conditions your family can support.

Then make a list of roughly 10–20 relevant clubs.

Fifteen well-made contacts are better than 200 messages sent at random.

3. Build a sporting CV

It does not need to be complicated.

A one-page sporting CV is enough to start with.

Example

NAME: Andrei Popescu
YEAR OF BIRTH: 2009
POSITION: Central midfielder
FOOT: Right
CITY: Brașov
CURRENT CLUB: ACS Exemplu Brașov
HEIGHT: 1.78 m

Experience:

• 2018–2022 – ACS Exemplu
• 2022–present – Club Exemplu

Competitions:

• Elite League U17
• County Championship U17
• National tournaments

Objective:
I am looking for a training and assessment opportunity at a club that offers young players the chance to develop.

VIDEO:
[link to video]

That is enough.

You do not need to turn the CV into a five-page story.

4. Make a presentation video

For a footballer, images can say a great deal.

But there is a common mistake:

a video with music, effects and spectacular clips is not necessarily a good video for a coach.

The coach wants to see the player.

Ideally, the video should include:

• passes;
• first touch;
• duels;
• positioning;
• decisions;
• defensive phases;
• attacking phases;
• movement off the ball;
• real match situations.

Do not include only the most spectacular goals.

If you are a defender, show how you defend.

If you are a midfielder, show how you think and how you distribute the ball.

If you are a striker, show how you position yourself as well, not only the goals.

A good video answers the question:

"How does this footballer play?"

Not just:

"What are his three best clips?"

5. Send a short message to the club

You do not need to write a novel.

A good message can look like this:

Subject: Trial proposal – Andrei Popescu, 17, midfielder

Hello,

My name is Andrei Popescu, I am 17 years old, I am a central midfielder and I currently play for [club].

I am interested in the possibility of taking part in an assessment training session/trial at your club.

I have attached my sporting CV and below you will find a video with some match clips:

[video link]

Thank you for your time, and I would be glad to take part in an assessment if my profile is a good fit.

Kind regards,
Andrei Popescu
Phone: [number]
Email: [email]

Notice something important.

The message does not say:

"I am the best midfielder in Romania."

It says:

"I want to be assessed."

That is an important difference.

6. Who do you send the message to?

This is where you need to be smart.

You can look up the club's official contacts and, depending on the structure, try:

• the club office;
• the youth department;
• the sporting director;
• the academy coordinator;
• the age-group coach;
• the recruitment department, if there is one.

It is not advisable to hunt obsessively for personal numbers or private accounts.

Use the club's official channels first.

If the club has an official address for the academy or recruitment, that is a much better starting point than a message sent at random.

7. Do not send the same message to everyone

If you have found the right club, show that you know where you are sending the message.

Instead of:

"Hi, I want to play for you."

You can say:

"I have followed the fact that you have a U17 team and that you promote players to senior level. I am interested in taking part in an assessment for the central midfielder position."

The message immediately becomes more serious.

The club can see that you have not copied and sent the same text to 100 teams.

8. What is a trial?

A trial is, put simply, a period or an opportunity through which a club can assess a player before deciding whether it wants to continue discussions with them.

For a footballer, a trial is the chance to say:

"You don't have to take my word for it. Come and see me."

But you should not treat a trial as a guarantee.

Being invited to training does not mean you will automatically receive a contract.

The club may assess you and decide that:

• you are a good fit;
• you still need more preparation;
• you are not suited to that level;
• you should come back at another time;
• it wants to continue the discussion.

All of these outcomes are normal.

9. How do you prepare for a trial?

Do not try to prove in the first five minutes that you are a superstar.

The coach is watching far more things.

Before the trial:

• rest;
• arrive on time;
• have your kit ready;
• find out exactly where you need to go;
• ask what documents are required;
• avoid very hard training sessions just beforehand;
• hydrate and eat normally.

At training:

• listen;
• communicate;
• work hard;
• follow instructions;
• do not get angry if you make a mistake;
• play simply when the situation requires it;
• show that you can work in a team.

A coach is not always looking for the player who produces the most spectacular moment.

Sometimes they are looking for the player who understands the game and can be coached.

10. Do not try to look like a different player

If you are a midfielder, you do not need to try to score three goals to impress.

If you are a defender, you do not need to dribble past five opponents.

Play your position.

Show what you do well.

And, very importantly, show that you can recognise your mistakes and that you can learn.

A talented player is interesting.

A talented player who can be coached is even more interesting.

11. Do not pay just anyone who promises you a contract

This is where we need to be very careful.

If someone tells you:

"Pay me €2,000 and I will definitely find you a club."

do not treat the promise as a guarantee.

Before you pay for representation or intermediary services, check carefully:

• who the person is;
• what services they offer;
• what contract they propose;
• what you receive in return;
• what the costs are;
• what the conditions are;
• whether the person is authorised/licensed when that activity requires it;
• what happens if the promised service is not delivered.

FIFA has an official licensing system for football agents and rules on their activity. (inside.fifa.com)

A serious agent should not promise you a guaranteed future.

Nobody can guarantee that you will become a professional footballer.

12. If you are a minor, a parent must be involved

For a junior, the journey should not be made alone.

A parent can help with:

• checking the club;
• transport;
• documents;
• communication;
• analysing offers;
• checking contracts;
• costs;
• accommodation;
• school.

And there is a simple principle:

The child should focus on football. The adult should look after the administrative and contractual side.

Do not leave a 14–16-year-old child to negotiate important aspects of a possible move on their own.

13. Do not limit yourself to the big clubs

Another myth:

"I have to go straight to a big academy."

Not necessarily.

A smaller club may offer:

• more minutes;
• more attention from the coach;
• the chance to play regularly;
• a quicker path to the seniors.

Sometimes the right step is not the most spectacular one.

It is the one that allows you to play and progress.

A 17-year-old footballer who plays regularly may be in a better position than one sitting on the bench at a bigger club simply because the name is better known.

14. Create your own database

This is where you can become very organised.

Make a simple table:

That way, you are no longer sending messages chaotically.

You know:

who received the presentation, who replied and where you need to follow up.

15. If you get no reply, it does not mean you have no value

This may be the most important point for a young footballer.

You send a message.

You get no reply.

You send another one.

Still nothing.

Do not immediately turn that into:

"I'm not good enough."

A club may have:

• a full squad;
• its budget already set;
• other priorities;
• too many requests;
• a coach who has not seen the message;
• a need for a different player profile.

You can follow up politely after a reasonable period.

And then move on.

No single club decides whether you have a future in football or not.

16. Build your reputation before you need it

Behaviour matters.

If you arrive at a trial and:

• you are late;
• you argue;
• you speak rudely;
• you blame teammates;
• you complain;
• you do not respect the coach;

you can lose an opportunity even if you have talent.

Football is a team sport.

A club is not recruiting just a pair of feet.

It is recruiting a person it will have to work with.

The ProSportStaff plan: 7 days to get started

If you are a footballer and you do not have an agent, you can start this week.

Day 1

Write your sporting profile.

Day 2

Create the CV.

Day 3

Choose the best clips and prepare the video.

Day 4

Identify 10–20 suitable clubs.

Day 5

Find the official contact details.

Day 6

Send the first 5–10 personalised presentations.

Day 7

Check the replies and set the next steps.

You do not need an agent to take the first step.

You need organisation, patience and a professional presentation.

A message template you can adapt

Subject: Trial proposal – [Name], [age], [position]

Hello,

My name is [Name], I am [age] years old and I play as a [position].

I currently play for [club] / I am a free agent.

I am interested in the possibility of taking part in an assessment session/trial at your club.

I attach my sporting CV, and here you can see a video with match clips:

[LINK]

Thank you for your time, and I am available for a possible assessment.

Kind regards,
[Name]
[Phone]
[Email]

Short. Polite. Professional.

And if you have no money?

Then you need to be even more strategic.

Do not start by looking for the most expensive academy.

Look for:

• local clubs;
• youth centres;
• trials;
• selection sessions;
• sports projects;
• competitions where you can be watched;
• coaches who work with juniors;
• opportunities offered by clubs.

And do not forget something:

A child does not need the most money to have talent.

Sometimes the difference between two equally talented children is simply that one had access to more opportunities.

That is why the first objective should not be:

"How do I get to the biggest club?"

But:

"How do I get seen?"

Do not wait to be discovered. Make yourself easy to find.

Football is not a story in which a scout always appears at exactly the right moment.

Sometimes you have to take the first step yourself.

Build your profile.

Prepare your video.

Look for the right clubs.

Contact them.

Go on trial.

Listen to the feedback.

Improve.

And try again.

Perhaps the first club will say "no".

Perhaps the second will too.

Perhaps the tenth.

But each contact can show you something about your level and about the next step.

You do not necessarily need someone who promises to make you a footballer. You need an opportunity to show what you can do.

And sometimes, the first person who gives you that opportunity may be the coach you sent a proper message to, at the right time.

The "Contracts & Opportunities" series continues

In the first two articles we explained what a footballer's status means and what you need to check before signing a contract.

In this article we took the next step:

How do you reach a club if you do not have an agent?

But there is a question that appears as soon as you start looking for opportunities:

How do you tell whether an agent is serious, and when do you really need one?

That may be the next topic in the series:

"Do you need an agent? What a football agent does and how to choose one without being misled"

Note: This article is for information only and does not constitute legal or professional advice. Rules on agents, transfers, minors and athlete representation may vary depending on the situation and may change. For a specific contract or an important contractual situation, consulting a qualified professional is recommended.