We get asked the same question every week. How do we find the kids we write about?
The honest answer: you tell us. The grassroots coach in Rochdale who has been watching a fourteen year old goalkeeper throw herself at shots for two seasons. The dad in Dulwich who thinks his son's left back is already better than half the academy intake he has seen. The teacher in Dundee who knows the U16 who turns up to every session wearing the same pair of boots because her family cannot replace them yet.
Those stories do not reach mainstream football media. They reach Scout's Eye.
What Scout's Eye is
A nomination form, a shortlist, and a promise. Every month we pick three players put forward by readers. We go and watch them. If the story stands up, we write it. If a scout is already circling we say so. If one is not, we name the player and the club so the people who should be watching know where to look.
This is not a talent search show. We do not rank players, we do not run trials, and we will never embarrass a kid who gave us permission to tell their story. The rule in the newsroom is simple: if you would not be happy for the subject to read the piece, we do not publish it.
What makes a good nomination
Four things we look for.
**A name.** The player, the club, the age group, the position. If the player is under sixteen, also a parent or guardian we can contact. No nominations without parental awareness; we will not chase that ourselves.
**A reason.** One paragraph, not a dissertation. What makes this player worth half a day of a writer's time? "Scores every week" is not enough on its own. "Scores every week with her left foot even though she is right footed because her coach told her in September she had to practise" is a story.
**A fixture.** Where will they be playing in the next month? We cannot write about a player we have not seen.
**Honesty.** If you are the player's parent, say so. If you are the coach, say so. If you are the player yourself, say that too. Conflict of interest is not a disqualifier; hiding it is.
What we will not do
Scout's Eye does not exist to shame clubs, out academies for passing on kids, or manufacture rivalry between grassroots sides. We will not publish anything that puts a young player in a position they did not ask to be in. We will not take payment from anyone to include a nomination. The whole point is the opposite of the existing system.
How to send one in
Email **scouts-eye@striver.football** with the subject line **"Scout's Eye: [player's first name]"**. We read every one. We reply to the ones we are going to write about within two weeks. We reply to the rest within a month, and we keep the names on file for the next window.
The next generation does not develop without people who believe in them first. If that person this year is you, we would like to hear about them.