Football CV Example & Writing Tips

7 mistakes to avoid if you want to be a pro footballer

Oskar Jansson runs through the seven mistakes you need to avoid if you’re aspiring to a career on the footie field:

How to write a football CV

If you’re sending your career highlight reel out to football clubs, you’ll need to find a way to stand out from other players with similar skill sets. One way to do that is by writing a CV that gives managers and scouts a summary of your top on- and off-the-field football skills and experience.

Here are three tips for writing a football CV that gets you on the pitch faster:

1. Use a professional layout for your football CV

Even though you’re not applying to a traditional office job, you should use a professional CV layout with the following sections:

• Header: your name and contact information
• Personal profile: a summary of the main reasons you believe you should be selected
• Playing experience section: a list of your current and past clubs and your top career accomplishments
• Extra sections: Lists of other relevant information, such as your key skills, statistics, physical attributes, and community involvement

Your CV header and personal profile should always come at the top of your football CV. But you can change the order of your other sections based on the role you’re applying for and what stage of your career you’re in.

For instance, if you’re early in your playing career and don’t have many on-pitch results to showcase, place your skills and physical attributes sections immediately after your personal profile. But if you’ve been playing awhile, emphasise your playing experience section by moving it to the top spot.

2. Write a standout personal profile

Coaches and scouts are always busy preparing for their next match, so your CV should get their attention right away — otherwise, they may stop reading and go back to match planning. So put your most relevant football skills and experience in a 3–5 sentence personal profile at the top of your CV.

Your football CV’s personal profile (also called a personal statement) should only include the information most likely to get the club interested in you. To ensure your profile does that, research your target club by:

• reading what the sports press is saying about them
• studying their roster to determine how you could best contribute
• talking to other players you know who’ve played for the coach or club

Then, explain how you’d be a great fit in your football CV’s personal profile. For instance, if you learn that the club needs veteran leadership in the locker room, highlight your experience leading behind the scenes.

Here’s an example of a well-written personal profile for a football CV:

3. Highlight your best football statistics

When you write your CV’s work experience section, include your most outstanding football statistics. Adding your stats to your CV gives coaches a specific idea of how you’ll fit into their club’s schemes if they sign you.

Here’s an example of an unspecific playing experience bullet point that won’t make coaches interested in the applicant:

❌ Accurate passer with a knack for finding the back of the net on my own shots

And here’s how the above bullet point can be rewritten to include specific numbers that show coaches exactly what the applicant can do for them on the pitch:

✅ Achieved a career-high 87.5 pass completion percentage and led my club with 15 goals scored

So, describe your accomplishments with numbers to prove you have the football skills the club needs.