On this episode 33, I’m joined by Chris Robinson aka The Scouting Game who is also the Head Of Academy Recruitment at EFL Championship club Southampton.

Chris tells me that although development of players for the First Team is the main focus of academies. Players will also be judged on their desire to win matches.

Chris lets me know that personally, if he sees players laughing and joking after they’ve lost a match. That’s an immediate red flag for him, because he’ll question how seriously they take football and if their desire to win is meaningless

On this episode 33, I’m joined by Chris Robinson aka The Scouting Game who is also the Head Of Academy Recruitment at EFL Championship club Southampton.

Chris tells me about the importance of running on and off the pitch. He explains how running benefits fitness and also shows who’s prepared to do the extras

Full Episode: Friday August 14th 2026

On this episode 33, I’m joined by Chris Robinson aka The Scouting Game who is also the Head Of Academy Recruitment at EFL Championship club Southampton.

Chris tells me that when he goes to scout players. He likes to go to see how they warm up. He lets me know that the scouting begins with your character long before your talent is expressed on the pitch on match day

On this episode, I’m joined by Alex Kaufman who for the last four years was the Head Of Academy Recruitment at newly promoted Premier League club Ipswich Town before leaving his role a few weeks ago.

Alex talks to me about the birthday bias in football and how the month you’re born can influence your pathway into academy football. In the UK, players born in June, July and August (Quarter 4) are often competing against Quarter 1 players born up to 11 months earlier in September, creating differences in physical and emotional development.

Quarter 1 to 4 births are measured according to the start of the school calendar which operates from September to July in the UK.

In a time when most academies are not patient enough to wait for late developers to catch up. We discuss how this relative age effect influences recruitment decisions, and how Alex approaches this challenge as a Head of Recruitment.

On this episode 32, I’m joined by Alex Kaufman who for the last four years has been the Head Of Academy Recruitment at newly promoted Premier League club Ipswich Town before leaving his role a few weeks ago.

In this episode, Alex tells me that tours and tournaments are vital in the development of young players.

On this episode 32, I’m joined by Alex Kaufman who for the last four years has been the Head Of Academy Recruitment at newly promoted Premier League club Ipswich Town before leaving his role a few weeks ago.

In this episode, Alex Kaufman shares his extensive experience in football recruitment, talent identification, and youth development.

He discusses key traits for players, the importance of culture, and how data and scouting work together to shape future stars.

On this episode, I’m joined by Alex Kaufman who for the last four years was the Head Of Academy Recruitment at newly promoted Premier League club Ipswich Town before leaving his role a few weeks ago.

In this episode, Alex tells me that in his early days of recruitment. Some of the mistakes he made were letting go of players too quickly and also registering players too quickly without seeing if there were any red flags in their behaviour.

In the past Alex says he was blinded by talent and once some players got their foot in the door. They changed and their approach became lazy. So now he vets talent and character to make sure it’s the right player and person he’s bringing into the club.

On this episode, I’m joined by Alex Kaufman who for the last four years was the Head Of Academy Recruitment at newly promoted Premier League club Ipswich Town before leaving his role a few weeks ago.

In this episode, Alex tells me that District, County, and schools football are still important pathways into academy football because they attract a lot of scouts.

Full Episode: Friday July 31st

On this episode, I’m joined by Alex Kaufman who for the last four years was the Head Of Academy Recruitment at newly promoted Premier League club Ipswich Town before leaving his role a few weeks ago.

In this episode, Alex tells me that no one’s place is safe. There is no time to relax because the recruitment team is looking for new players every day.

Alex lets me know that just because a player is registered, They can be replaced at any time. It’s the nature of football.

On this episode, I’m joined by Jack O’Brien the Academy Manager of EFL League One team Burton Albion. Jack played for Burton’s academy as a youngster before he started coaching multiple age groups in the academy and eventually became the academy manager.

Burton Albion’s academy also trains and plays its home matches at St George’s Park, the England National Team’s official training ground.

Jack let me know in Episode 31 that misbehaving in school is a red flag, because you can’t be full of good character at the club and have negative characteristics outside the club. You’re representing the Burton Albion at all times. So having a split personality will raise some concerns and question marks around your character.