Everton are set to improve their academy recruitment by finding the best players on Merseyside at the age of just five, according to a new job listing.
The club has been quietly overhauling the academy in recent months with a number of key appointments to recruitment and coaching staff, as well as several new additions to the squad at u18 level. However, the club is also targeting players as young as five in a new recruitment drive to secure the long term future o the club.
A new job listing for a ‘Pre academy recruitment lead’ says it wants to bring somebody on to find the best u8 players each season to join the club’s pre-academy, with a brief to identify players in the u5 to u8 phase to track. The role will also support u9 to u12 recruitment where needed and help to build development centres, outreach centres and educational development for young footballers.
The job listing says: “As Pre-Academy Recruitment Lead you will play a key role in identifying and recruiting the best possible U8 players each season for the Club and will be instrumental in creating a world-class experience for both players and parents within our Pre-Academy, focusing on identifying & retaining high-potential players in the U5-U8 phase.”
The role says it will be essential to track the most talented teams in the local area and attend tournaments and fixtures to identify talent.
It is not the only new role to be listed for the academy in recent weeks. A casual scout role for higher age groups is also open, while the club is also recruiting an academy performance analyst. The analyst role will work with the higher u18 age group, says the advert.
It says: “As Academy Performance Analyst you will work as part of a multi-disciplinary team and deliver high quality performance analysis support to colleagues and players across the Academy. You will lead pre, post and live match performance analysis provision to the U18s Academy age group, and link in with the performance insights departments to provide video and statistical feedback on identified players.”
The moves come as part of Kevin Thelwell’s 120-point plan to overhaul Everton’s academy and recruiting structures. He designed the plan after joining the club in 2021 and there has been a large turnover in academy and recruitment staff since then. It includes the appointment of
Elsewhere the club is also recruiting for senior scouts across Scandanavia, Portugal, Spain, Germany, Netherlands and other European countries.