Football scouting report template

What is inside the template

The template is four A4 pages, printed portrait. It follows the order in which a head of recruitment reads a report: first the facts and the profile, then the evidence, then the decision. You can read the whole structure in one glance, which is the point: a report that has to be explained is a report that will not be read.

The pages above are the template, filled in for Luca Moreno, a fictional midfielder.

Page 1: who he is and what you advise

Report details. A report number, the date, your name and the season. It sounds like admin, but when you have written forty reports, the number and the date are how you find the right one, and how a club sees that you work in a system.

Player header and facts. Name, shirt number, preferred foot, position, club and league, date of birth, nationality and height, and for a first team the contract end, market value and agent if you know them. Leave a field empty rather than guess: a wrong contract date undermines everything else on the page.

Profile type. One line that tells the reader what kind of player this is, for example box-to-box #8 with late runs into the box or ball-playing left centre-back, comfortable stepping into midfield, and the type of player he compares with. A sporting director should know the profile in five seconds.

The verdict first. The recommendation, the level you aim it at, an overall grade and two or three sentences of summary, at the top of page one. A head of recruitment reads this part first and often only this part, so it has to stand on its own.

How he plays. A pitch to mark his primary and secondary positions, a short paragraph on his role and his habits (where he wants the ball, what he does with it and what he does when his team loses it) and whether he fits the way your team plays.

Page 2: what you saw

Grading key. One scale for the whole report, 1 to 7, where 4 means at the level. Tick what you grade against, the level of the club that would sign him or the league he plays in now, and name that level. Without it, a 5 means nothing to the reader.

Match observations. One row per match: date, fixture, competition, result, his position, minutes played, live or video, how strong the opponent was and a grade for the match. Three rows is a good minimum for a full report. Context is what makes the grade mean something: a 5 away at the league leader says more than a 6 at home against the bottom side.

Attribute profile. The attributes that matter for his position, in four groups, each graded on the same 1 to 7 scale. A centre-back is judged on his duels and his build-up, a winger on his 1v1 and his end product. Add a short note next to every grade that is unusually high or low, so the reader sees why.

Page 3: what it means

Strengths and areas to improve. Three of each at least, written as a keyword followed by one full sentence. The sentence says what he does, how, where on the pitch and why it matters. Compare:

Phases of play. One or two lines for each phase: in possession, out of possession, attacking transition (the seconds after winning the ball) and defensive transition (the seconds after losing it). This is where you show you understand how he fits into a team, not just what he does with the ball.

Level today and ceiling. The level he can play at now, in two years and at his peak, from grassroots to the top leagues. This is the projection a club pays a scout for, and it is what turns a description into advice.

Page 4: the deal and the decision

Transfer and risk. The kind of deal (permanent, loan, loan with an option, free agent), the fee you expect and when he is available, and a quick risk check: injuries, money, adaptation to a new country or level, and competition for his place.

Squad comparison. How he compares with the players the club already has in that position: lower, the same or higher. This is often the first thing a sporting director looks at, because it answers the real question: would he play?

Conclusion and next step. A few sentences that weigh his strengths against the one weakness that limits him, and a single decision: Don't sign, More work, Monitor closely or Sign. The grades on the earlier pages should add up to that decision: a row of 4s does not add up to Sign. Then the next step: what you still need to see, and when.

Filling it in

• Fill in page 1 before the match from what you can look up: club website, league site, a squad list. You arrive knowing who you are watching.
• During the match, write short notes with the minute next to them (34' scans twice, plays forward first time). Do not grade yet.
• Score the match and the attributes within a day, while you still remember the moments behind your notes.
• Write page 3 last. If you cannot write a strength without an example, it is not a strength yet.
• Keep one scale for every report you write, so your reports can be compared with each other a year from now.

For a first viewing a full report is often too much. Write the short one-match version instead (the verdict, the match, what stood out) and save the full report for when you have seen him at least three times. The guide to writing a scouting report goes through every section in more detail.

Eight formats in three groups

The template above is the full first team report. In Scoutfolio it is one of eight ready-made templates, in three groups: first team, youth and opponent. Each has the same backbone: the verdict first, one scale against a level you name, and every observation tied to the match you saw it in. Three of them are on the free plan (the one-match first team report, the one-match goalkeeper report and the match report); the others are part of Pro.

First team

Youth

Opponent

Word, Excel or Notion?

You can rebuild this template in Word or Google Docs in an evening, and plenty of scouts do. It works until the table shifts while you type, the third page spills onto a fourth, or you want the average of four match scores. A spreadsheet does the averages but prints badly. Notion is flexible but does not give you an A4 page you can send to a club.

Scoutfolio is the template online: you type straight onto the page, click to score, the average fills itself in, positions go on one of 23 formations, and the layout stays clean on A4 whatever you add. Every report you save stays in your account, so after a season you have a portfolio, not a folder of loose files. To be clear about what it is not: there is no video, no data feed and no database of real players. You bring your own eyes; it handles the report.

Questions

Is the template really free?

The template on this page is free, and so is the full report in Scoutfolio: Free gives you 3 new reports a month with all 8 templates, shared with clubs by link, without a card. Pro, at €4.99 a month or €49.99 a year (you save €9.89), adds unlimited reports, print and PDF.

Does it work as a soccer scouting report template?

Yes. Football and soccer are the same game; the template uses British terms (pitch, centre-back, full-back) but the structure is the one clubs use everywhere.

Can I use it for youth players?

Yes, but give more weight to potential, physical development and learning speed than to the current level, and always write down the birth date. Scoutfolio has a separate youth prospect report for this, with his growth and his predicted adult height.

Can I edit the template?

Yes. In Scoutfolio you can add, move, resize or remove any of its 58 blocks, rename fields and save the result as your own template (own templates are part of Pro).

Should I print it in colour?

Black and white works. The scales and boxes stay readable without colour.

Fill it in online, keep every report

The same template in Scoutfolio, with a finished example to learn from. Free for 3 new reports a month, no card needed.

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