Scouting Non-League: The Hidden Gems

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Although many mistakenly believe that being at a high level from a young age is the key to becoming a professional footballer, this is incorrect. Semi Professional exclusively spoke to a Championship scout responsible for scouting the non-league divisions, as well as a player who was scouted while unaware he was being watched, to debunk the myth that scouting non-professional players does not work.

As the modern game progresses, scouting continues to be one of the most important assets for football clubs all around the world as a way of aiming to bring in the right talent at the right time for the right price.

Clubs such as Brighton and Hove Albion have well-known success with their scouting model, with club scouts travelling around the world to the likes of South America and buying young players for a low fee. These players are then sold on for significant profits after proving themselves in the Premier League, profits which are then reinvested back into the club, a cycle which has continued to repeat and see the Seagulls become an established top-flight side.

Not all clubs have the financial means to copy the Brighton model however and have to utilise scouting on lower budgets without the luxury of travelling abroad to scout talent.

Aaron Henworth, 36, is currently a scout for Championship side West Bromwich Albion, who are fighting for promotion to the Premier League, he has the responsibility of scouting players from Steps 1 to 7 who are aged between 16 and 19.

Past roles at sides further down the footballing pyramid such as Alvechurch FC, King’s Lynn Town FC and Walsall FC alongside his current role at West Bromwich Albion means Mr Henworth is no stranger to the demand to find talent in the lower divisions.

Speaking on the benefits of searching for talent down the football pyramid, Mr Henworth said: “Brentford look a lot in non-league, you’ve got Peterborough who look in non-league and have had a lot of success.

“It is cheaper, let’s be honest about it, that’s why you look lower down in the non-leagues.

“Rather than going into League 2, League 1, and paying a couple of million or even more than that in some cases, paying a load of wages on relatively untested talent, so it is worth looking at the lower leagues because you got a lot of young talent there as well.”

Scouting in the semi-professional leagues has become more accessible for scouts like Mr Henworth, with the National League now being televised and footage of games being posted by many clubs on social media platforms such as YouTube.

The access to hours of footage for scouts like Mr Henworth in today’s game make scouting more practical and cheaper by eliminating the prospect of travelling to watch a player, which is vital for scouts who are not backed by rich owners like those in the Premier League.

“It (the national league) is televised as well, so you’ve got footage and stats available for them,” he said.

The rise of the National League (Step 1) which is now televised comes partly due to the rise in standard of the division, with last season’s two-horse race for promotion between Wrexham and Nott County making noise up and down the country.

The rise in standard of the National League trickles down into the lower divisions, meaning the quality in the non-league game is constantly improving, something which Mr Henworth acknowledges.

“Specifically with the national league, I would say it is just an extension of league 2 now, most of the clubs in the national league are professional,” he said.

More often than not, the further down the pyramid scouts go down, the harder it is to find accurate data on players, whether it is stats or basic information such as a player’s age.

Mr Henworth said: “Getting the accurate data on these players is near on impossible.

“Sometimes, the further you go down, the less you are going to find out.

“Like ages aren’t really accurate or even publicised at all, names, background, history, even on reputable websites like Transfer Market I have found some massive disparities, there is a lot of disinformation out there.”

Despite the highs and lows of scouting at the lower levels of the footballing pyramid, Mr Henworth has amassed a database of players for West Bromwich Albion’s Academy from various semi-professional sides.

“I’m doing it for the academy, I look for 16 to 19 year-olds that are playing first team football in non-league.

“Our database at the moment has around 1000 people so it’s very niche, but there is a lot of people out there who fit those requirements.

“Usually, you’re talking about academy dropouts that have come from the big academies, like you’re Category 1 academies, say Arsenal, Man United.

“They probably fell out of football and then got into the non-league game because no professional clubs had picked them up, so you’ll see the quality from the off anyway, they will show up and the quality will show in relation to other teammates.”

With a plethora of players available within his scouting database, Mr Henworth has key boxes to be ticked if a semi-professional player wants to sign for a club higher up the pyramid.

Having composure and the ability to perform under pressure, as well as a standout attribute are what Mr Henworth hopes to bring to his club.

“I look for someone specifically who can cope under pressure, because in non-league it’s very chaotic at the best of times, there’s not really an emphasis on tactics per say.

“It’s a lot of hoof-ball and chasing second balls, so your fitness needs to be up to scratch, especially in the semi-pro game because you’re only training a couple of times a week maximum, so it’s a question of what are you doing in your spare time to keep fit?

“If we were to sign those players they will need to hit the ground running, because they will be on a trial basis in the academy, our players have already got a head start on them in effect because they are in a full-time programme, so it is a question of what are they doing to get up to scratch.”

Asides from the need to be fit, technical ability is key for scouts like Mr Henworth who utilise the pool of non-league players.

Mr Henworth said: “Technically, I can have a little leeway there because obviously it’s the semi pro game, if you have the technique of like an Iniesta or a Xavi or someone like that you’re not going to be playing non-league are you, so you need a bit of leeway there.

“But have they got some qualities, all it needs to be is one particular attribute that stands out, it could be searing pace, it could be fantastic passing.

“You have to trust the coaches in your own club to work on the rest and refine those talents,

so if they’re really good passers but they’re very sloppy technically in tackling, then can you work on that?”

“You have to trust your own coaches; exemplify the strengths they’ve (players) got and hide the weaknesses.

“So that’s basically what I look for, one stand-out attribute, they don’t have to be well-rounded, they don’t have to be the whole package at that age.”

21-year-old Kye Livingstone and his career so far is an example of being scouted to a higher level as a semi-professional footballer.

Livingstone is a midfielder who plays for Northern Irish Premiership side Larne FC, who are currently top of the league.

Growing up, Livingstone had never been in academies and instead played locally at semi-professional in Gibraltar while being told he could never make a living playing football. One day in 2021 everything changed, when Livingstone’s talent was spotted by a scout from the Northern Irish side while he was training with Gibraltarian side Bruno Magpies FC.

Reflecting on the day his life would change, Livingstone said: “Well I was training with my team back at home in Gibraltar, and a scout from Larne was over and thought I had some talent that could do well abroad.

“After a few weeks of meetings and phone calls, I was over in Northern Ireland.”

Livingstone suddenly found himself signed onto Larne’s academy not long after leaving school all thanks to a scout who had decided to delve into the semi-professional ranks.

A sudden increase of the level of football Livingstone was playing alongside moving away from home meant the talented midfielder took time to settle into his new life as a full-time football player.

“It took me a while to settle in as I had to get used to the weather, get used to the intensity, and get used to the people around me,” Livingstone said.

Hard work paid off nonetheless for Livingstone, who was rewarded with a professional contract in 2023 after doing 2 years in the academy.

“I did very well at my team in the academy set up, and after my 2 years was up I signed a professional contract to stay at the club for another 2 years which I am still doing now whilst working harder than ever.”

Livingstone is an example that there is value in scouting players who play for semi-professional outfits, who can be acquired for cheap when the right work is put in off the pitch at football clubs.