10 tips to support your football job search overseas
The global football industry is extremely competitive, but it is also ever-expanding. With new and exciting career opportunities becoming available every day, it’s no wonder why many football professionals are setting their sights overseas.
Aspirational examples of homegrown experts who are now successfully plying their trade abroad can be seen in Kiwis such as Simon Eaddy (Canada National Teams), Carl Edwards (Derby County), Jake Martens (Tottenham Hotspur), Emma Humphries (Vancouver Whitecaps), Gary Connell (Aspire Academy, Qatar), Gareth Turnbull (Melbourne Victory), Sam Blackburn (IMG Academy, USA), Sarah Gregorius (FIFPro) Matt Fejos (Manchester United), Sarai Bareman (FIFA) and most recently Marcus Reynolds (Forest Green Rovers), just to name a few.
Each of these professionals has transitioned from the local sporting industry down under into new environments across the globe, blazing the trail for future generations of football coaches and administrators to do the same.
Before any potential move, however, proper preparation and thorough due diligence is essential and should take place as part of an extensive process of research and planning. As someone who personally made the move overseas very early in my professional career, I am often asked how to approach this. To help those thinking about a move in the future, I have put together a list of ‘10 tips to support your football job search overseas.’
- Determine the area of sport you would like to work in, e.g. Administration, Analysis, Coaching, Management, adult football, youth football, junior football or men's/women’s and so on. This will help to narrow your search and determine the types of opportunities you will be seeking. Leading into my next point, it will also help to guide the framing of your CV, identify a desired qualification path and highlight relevant organisations you may wish to connect with.
- Based on your desired role, curate a compelling CV. This is your chance to make an impression on prospective organisations. It should highlight your achievements in roles to date and enable the reader to envisage the potential impact you can have on the organisation. Your CV should be informative but not overbearing. Define who you are and what you can offer in a clear and concise way that doesn’t make it difficult for the reader to quickly identify your assets.
- Understand the country's eligibility requirements. Sports coaches are eligible for work visas under the Skilled Migrant Category in both New Zealand and Australia. However, in countries like the United States, you will have to look at more specific options such as Temporary Worker Visas, which can be harder to get without sponsorship.
Beyond national eligibility, there may be additional sporting requirements at a league and club level that you will need to consider, such as Club Licensing Regulations on coaching qualifications. Having a clear understanding of both requirement levels will be crucial to determine whether you are eligible for roles. - Build an authentic online presence and profile. Interact with pages and accounts of people/organisations that you aspire to connect with. LinkedIn has various groups of fellow professionals in similar situations who may be willing to share knowledge, expertise or even connections. Recognise that the tone of voice will change across social media channels but you should keep things such as your profile picture, description and user name consistent to ensure that your professional brand becomes recognisable and respected.
- Many international roles will require pre-requisite qualifications. Ensure your current qualifications are relevant, in date and applicable. They may also need to be recognised or transferred depending on which territory you wish to explore and be warned that there is sometimes an associated cost to do this. For example, Football Australia requires a ROOQ (Recognition of Overseas Qualification) and UEFA requires a UEFA Cross Border Form, which is a necessity under the UEFA Coaching Convention. Qualifications may not always be the determining factor of a successful appointment, but they are often a baseline requirement so should be a key consideration.
- Attend relevant networking events or meetings, either online or in person. This will enable you to become a familiar face while educating yourself on local matters. You will also be introduced to new people by those you meet, allowing you to broaden your own networks in turn. There are many networking or development events that can be accessed for free, including a number of cross code opportunities. This will allow you to further determine the types of organisations who may be on the lookout for new employees.
- Consider engaging the assistance of others such as an agent who may help you to discover roles that are available. Agents have direct contact with club management and may be able to assist you to secure an interview. Ordinarily, this service comes at a cost however it may be a worthwhile investment if it helps to secure your desired role. Alternatively, you may have a friend or former colleague who has gone through this process previously that can advise on their experiences.
- Keep ahead of available opportunities by signing up for job boards and coaches associations. There will also be equivalent groups depending on the type of role you wish to apply for. Examples such as the British Football Coaches Network and United Soccer Coaches are widely known and utilised by international coaches. There are also more informal groups such as Australian Football Coaches (4.5k members) and New Zealand Football Coaches (2.5k members) which frequently have roles advertised and boast a well established community of coaches.
- Arrange club visits, if possible. This is of course determined by geographic and logistical access and some clubs will be harder to visit than others with limitations in place. I have known coaches to arrange study visits or holidays in particular countries that have allowed them to visit prospective clubs, meet with key people and determine the viability of any future work opportunities. Very rarely will roles be given without any previous interaction with people from within the club so it is important that these relationships are established.
- During your international search, it is important to maintain domestic activity. These moves can take a while to come to fruition so be sure not to lose focus on your current role. Your reputation and any known circumstances of your departure will follow you abroad so how you conduct yourself as a coach during an active job search will be crucial to ensure you manage this process professionally and respectfully.
These tips should be considered as part of your overall personal development and career plan. In a previous article about establishing yourself in the sports industry, I stressed that it is important to remember that a career in sports management and sport coaching can be long, varied, and unpredictable. Consider the pros and cons of any key decisions and remember that you can always change your mind in future.
Paul Temple, Academy Technical Director of Wellington Pheonix Football Club, is an excellent example of a young professional who was able to make the move abroad and sustain a long career in the sports industry.
“I made the decision to move overseas at 19 years old. I left England to come and play initially before moving into coaching. My first away trip as a player was on a plane from Auckland to Wellington in the National League. I was blown away by the fact I was getting to fly around the country with my new teammates. After winning the Chatham Cup in my first season, this remains one of the best memories in my career. Twenty years later I am now coaching professionally in New Zealand. When I see my old teammates, it reminds me of some of the magical memories that this game brings. None of which would have happened if I hadn’t made the decision to move overseas.”
Hopefully, these tips provide you with initial guidelines as you explore your next move. Your next exciting role is out there somewhere, you just have to work to find it. Good luck!
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