Scouting in the basic area – alternative ideas for professional clubs

For months, I've been thinking about how the scouting of young talent centers in the basic area could be optimized.

Just last week there was a film report on WDR about an 8-year-old who was signed by BVB and is now driven 70 kilometers to training and 70 kilometers back several times a week. For me it's a fiasco because the boy loses this time for training, for time with friends and for school.

Players in the basic area are in the trial and error phase, in which actions that are criticized are quickly no longer tried out, even though they are exactly what would be necessary for long-term development. So why should he play in a performance center when he has more time to train and try things out at home?

A proponent of early change could argue that the quality of coaching and training is higher in the NLZ and that players therefore develop faster. Definitely not wrong, but in my opinion not the ideal way either.

In my opinion, the following approach would be optimal:
Instead of investing in youth scouts in the basic area, professional clubs should invest in club development. What does that mean? In my opinion, it would be the right way if recreational sports clubs received support in setting up sporting structures and the sporting content of children and youth training. To do this, the professional clubs could hire club developers. The club developers are close to the clubs, offer training for trainers and serve as contact persons for the sporting management of the club and accompany the trainers in training at regular intervals. This means that the club developers are not only up to date with the players' development, but can even influence the development themselves. The recreational sports clubs, on the other hand, receive a lot of know-how, which increases the attractiveness of the club.

Now those responsible could say that this means that the range of good players in a region will not be seen so quickly and that other clubs will then scout and sign them beforehand.

I don't entirely believe that, because the professional clubs that implement this idea best will also win over the best, ambitious clubs and their players. Then the clubs should “give, give, give and then take”. If another NLZ comes knocking on a player's door, parents will also say that the player is best supported at home in the current phase and then a move to the NLZ is pending, which has already promoted the player's development .

The clubs that bring this approach to life will be able to recruit even better youth players in the future and thus clearly set themselves apart from other clubs. But those responsible must recognize that this requires employees who can not only observe and evaluate the best players, but are also passionate about promoting sport in the region and can act as a link between grassroots football and competitive football. So we are talking about a “partner club 2.0” because this is much more intensive than is currently the case with many partner clubs. In addition, in the long term it could be possible for more players from our own region to make the step up to the professionals, like Kevin Großkreuz at Dortmund or Thomas Müller at Bayern. These are the stories that have a lasting effect in clubs.
In addition to all the advantages that the clubs gain from it, it is the biggest benefit for young players, who can develop in peace in their familiar surroundings and still receive optimal support.
This approach could then significantly reduce the early transfer of youth players from the basic level to youth performance centers.

We look forward to your opinion and further suggestions. Feel free to write us a comment or a personal message

Author: Tammo Neubauer