Football CV: How to Write One, With 6 Player Examples

By Mustafa Tarabya, founder of CVBooster · Published 2026-10-07 · Updated 2026-10-07

10 min read

A football CV is a one or two page summary of you as a player: your position and stronger foot, your height and age, the clubs you have played for at what level, your appearances and goals or clean sheets, a link to match footage and a coach who will vouch for you. Its job is to get a manager or scout to watch you play, nothing more. The one constraint is honesty, because everything on it can be checked with a phone call to your last coach. The National Careers Service describes how players move up: "Most sports professionals are spotted early on by coaches and talent scouts at this stage." Below are what to include, the stats that matter for each position, and six complete football CV examples from an under 16 trial to a coaching move. Written by Mustafa Tarabya, who hired for his own company, read every application himself and now writes CVBooster's guides.

Every player thinks the highlights reel will speak for itself. It will, once someone presses play, and the CV is what gets them to press it.

Example 1: under 16 player applying for an academy trial

At this age the CV is short. A coach is looking at position, physical profile, the level you play at and who coaches you.

Tailor my CV to this job

What to put on a football CV

Put the facts a manager needs to decide whether to watch you in the top third of the page, and keep the rest short. A football CV is closer to a player profile than a job CV.

• Player details: name, date of birth, position and second position, stronger foot, height, nationality if eligibility matters, and your town so the club knows how far you would travel.
• Contact: your phone and email. For players under 18, add a parent or guardian's contact.
• Video: one link to a highlights reel of three to five minutes, plus a full match if you have one. Put it near the top, not at the bottom.
• Playing history: clubs, seasons, level or league, and your role in the side, newest first.
• Stats: appearances, starts, goals, assists or clean sheets, per season. Only numbers you can back up.
• Honours: league titles, cup runs, player of the season, county or representative selection.
• Education or work: one or two lines. Clubs at semi-professional level want to know when you can train.
• References: one or two coaches with their club, role and phone number, with their permission.

Leave out a long personal statement, every five a side tournament you entered and anything you cannot prove. If you are 15 or 16 and also need a CV for part time work, our guide on how to write a CV for a 15 year old covers the job version.

The stats that matter for each position

A football CV should show the numbers a manager in your position would look for first. The same numbers everywhere make you look like everyone else.

• Goalkeepers: appearances, clean sheets, saves per game if your club records it, penalties saved, distribution (kicking foot and range).
• Defenders: appearances, starts, clean sheets the side kept with you on the pitch, goals from set pieces, minutes played.
• Midfielders: appearances, goals, assists, and the role you play: holding, box to box or attacking.
• Forwards: goals, assists, minutes per goal, and whether you play through the middle or wide.

If your league does not publish stats, keep your own from the club's match reports and say so. A coach would rather read "club records" than see a figure nobody can confirm.

Example 2: university player looking for a non-league club

For senior amateur and semi-professional clubs, availability and level matter as much as talent. Say which step you play at and when you can train.

How to send a football CV to a club

Send it to a named person: the academy manager, the first team manager or the club secretary, whose details are usually on the club website or league handbook. Write a short email: who you are, your position and level, why this club, a link to your video, and the CV attached as a PDF. Ask whether they hold trials or would watch you play for your current club.

Follow up once after two weeks. Clubs get a lot of these emails, and a polite second message with a new match clip is often the one that gets a reply.

Example 3: non-league midfielder stepping up a level

Once you have senior experience, the CV should show the level, the minutes and a consistent record across seasons.

Example 4: goalkeeper football CV

A goalkeeper's CV leans on clean sheets, distribution and communication. Say which foot you kick with and whether you are comfortable playing out from the back.

Example 5: UK player applying for a US college soccer scholarship

US college coaches use the word resume and expect academic details next to the football. Add your grades, predicted results and the year you would start, and read our sports resume guide for the American format.

Example 6: former player moving into coaching

When you move from playing to coaching, the CV becomes a coaching CV: badges, the teams you have coached and the safeguarding checks. The National Careers Service notes for coaches that you will need to "pass enhanced background checks as you may work with children and vulnerable adults", and GOV.UK explains that "A DBS check has no official expiry date", though most clubs ask for a recent one. If you have no coaching yet, the National Careers Service coaching profile suggests the usual way in: "You could get experience as an assistant sports coach by volunteering for a few hours a week with a club or amateur team."

Tailor my CV to this job

For coaching roles in the US, our football coach resume and soccer coach resume pages show the American layout.

Common football CV mistakes

• Burying the video link at the bottom, or linking a reel that is twenty minutes long.
• Listing every position you have ever played. Give one main position and one second one.
• Rounding stats up or counting friendlies. A coach will ask your old manager.
• Missing a contact for a parent or guardian on an under 18 CV.
• Sending the same email to every club with "Dear Sir" at the top.
• A long personal statement about your passion for the game. Every player has one; the video shows it.

The professional game is short, and the National Careers Service is blunt about it: "Professional sports careers can be relatively short, so it's useful to plan ahead for what you'll do when you retire from competing professionally." If you are planning that move, our CV examples show how to turn football experience into a work CV.

Frequently asked questions

What should a football CV include?

Your name, date of birth, position and stronger foot, height, contact details, a link to a highlights video, your clubs and levels by season, appearances with goals, assists or clean sheets, honours, availability and one or two coaching references. Keep it to one page if you can, two at most, and put the video link near the top.

How long should a football highlights video be?

Three to five minutes is enough for a highlights reel. Start with your best clips, mark yourself clearly in the first frame of each clip, and show the things your position is judged on. Offer a full match as well, because scouts and managers often want to see how you play when the ball is elsewhere.

How do I send my football CV to a club?

Find the right person on the club website or in the league handbook: the academy manager for youth players, the first team manager or club secretary for senior football. Send a short email with your position, level and video link, attach the CV as a PDF, and follow up once after two weeks if you hear nothing.

Do I need a football CV for an academy trial?

Not always, because many academies scout players directly, but a short CV makes it easy for a coach to say yes to a trial request. For under 16 players keep it to half a page: position, foot, height, current club and level, a video link, a parent's contact and your coach as a reference.

Is a football CV the same as a soccer resume?

They are the same document with different names. In the UK it is a football CV; in the US college system it is a soccer or athletic resume and it also includes your grades and test scores. If you are applying for a US scholarship, add academics near the top and follow the American layout.

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