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Footballer

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Primary Secondary Post-16

A footballer is a professional athlete who plays football (also known as soccer) for a club or national team. The job involves regular training, maintaining top physical fitness, and competing in matches, often in front of large crowds. Footballers need to work as part of a team, follow coaching instructions, and display skills such as passing, shooting, and tackling. They also spend time travelling for matches and tournaments, and may take part in promotional events and media interviews. While top players in leagues like the Premier League can earn very high salaries, most footballers in lower leagues earn much less and may need to plan for another career after their playing days end, as the average career length is quite short.

Footballer

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📊 Statistics

Average salary in Premier League

The average salary for a Premier League footballer is around £60,000 per week, but this can vary greatly depending on the club and player.

Number of professional footballers in the UK

There are roughly 4,000 professional footballers registered in the UK across all leagues.

Chance of becoming a professional

Only about 0.012 percent of boys who play organised youth football in England will make it as a Premier League professional.

🚀 Careers in this path

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Goalkeeper

A football player who specialises in stopping the opposing team from scoring by guarding the goal.

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Midfielder

A football player who plays mainly in the middle of the pitch, helping both defend and attack.

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Striker

A football player whose main job is to score goals for their team.

Get Involved in Football

Join a Local Club or School Team

Sign up to play football with a local club or your school team to gain experience and enjoy team play.

Look for clubs or teams in your area that accept players your age. Many schools also have football teams you can join. Playing regularly helps you learn teamwork, understand the rules, and improve your basic skills.

Attend Training Sessions

Go to practice sessions to develop your skills, fitness, and understanding of the game.

Most clubs and teams hold regular training sessions. These will help you improve your passing, shooting, dribbling, and defending. Listen to your coaches and always try your best in training.

Improve Your Skills and Fitness

Practise Regularly

Spend extra time outside of team training practising your football skills and fitness.

Work on your ball control, shooting, and passing on your own or with friends. You can also practise running, agility, and strength exercises to keep your body in top shape.

Watch and Learn from Professionals

Watch professional matches and observe how top footballers play and train.

Watching professionals helps you understand tactics, positioning, and technique. Try to copy some of their moves and strategies during your own games and training.

Pursue Opportunities and Progress

Attend Football Trials and Academies

Try out for football academies or higher-level teams to get noticed by scouts and coaches.

Many professional clubs run football academies for talented young players. Search online or ask your coaches about upcoming trials. Being part of an academy gives you access to top-level coaching and increases your chances of becoming a professional footballer.

Stay Dedicated and Keep Learning

Stay focused on your goals, keep improving, and be open to feedback from coaches.

Becoming a footballer takes hard work, resilience, and a positive attitude. Listen to your coaches, be a good teammate, and never stop learning. Even if you face setbacks, keep trying and look for new opportunities.

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🎯 View Apprenticeships

Explore relevant apprenticeships that can help you kickstart your career in Footballer. Apprenticeships offer hands-on experience and training while earning a wage.

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Career Progressions

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Sample Qualifications

A footballer is primarily a professional athlete specialising in football, which falls under the broader category of sports professionals. This career involves specialised skills, training, and participation in the sports industry, making it most closely aligned with the role of a sports professional.

How to become

You can get into this job through:

  • an apprenticeship
  • amateur sport where you could be spotted by a talent scout
  • a sponsorship or scholarship scheme

Apprenticeship

The Sporting Excellence Professional, advanced apprenticeship is available in the following sports:

  • cricket
  • football
  • rugby league
  • rugby union

The apprenticeship gives talented amateur sports players the chance to develop their sporting talent alongside their education.

Once you've completed your apprenticeship, you may turn professional or continue as an amateur while you get more experience.

You can find out more from the professional body for each sport.

Entry requirements

Employers will set their own entry requirements.

More Information

Other Routes

The route to becoming a professional varies from sport to sport.

Typically you'll start by joining a club, academy or amateur organisation where you can train and get coaching.

Most sports professionals are spotted early on by talent scouts at this stage.

In some sports you may be able to get financial help to develop your sporting talent as well as to continue your general education.

You can find out more about different schemes through Sport England.

Your chosen sport's National Governing Body (NGB) is the best place to get more information on the way to get ahead in your sport.

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Career tips

Some professional sports careers can be quite short, so it's useful to have plans for what you will do when you can no longer play or compete.

Further information

You can get more details on what it takes to become a professional sportsperson from Sport England.

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