Football Progression Path

Weekly newsletter by Liam Henshaw

Practical Tips to Help You Create Opportunities in Football.

Whether you're an aspiring analyst or scout, struggling to make opportunities in the game, or seeking a career switch into football.

The Football Progression Path is here to guide you.

Every Monday morning, you'll get 1 actionable tip to progress your journey in football.

Previous Issues of Football Progression Path:

Why My Career Changed After One Face-to-Face Conversation

In 2022 I found myself at the Statsbomb conference in Wembley, surrounded by football professionals. A conversation I had changed my career. I met with the Head of Recruitment at Hearts, we were meeting face to face for the first time. He knew about me through my online portfolio. We discussed hi...

by Liam Henshaw — Mar 31, 2025 personal development

98% of Football Professionals Are Missing Out

Hey guys, Last month, I stumbled upon a statistic that changed my approach to sharing knowledge online: only 1-2% of LinkedIn's 1 billion users post content weekly. This isn't just a number—it's a massive opportunity hiding in plain sight. For aspiring analysts and scouts, LinkedIn offers someth...

by Liam Henshaw — Mar 24, 2025 online portfolio

The Career Comparison Trap in Football

I recently found myself scrolling through LinkedIn, seeing announcement after announcement of colleagues in the football industry landing impressive new titles and club positions. That familiar knot formed in my stomach – a mix of happiness for them and that nagging voice asking, "Shouldn't that ...

by Liam Henshaw — Mar 17, 2025 personal development

Tableau: Your Gateway to Football Analysis

When I first started in analysis, I was creating everything in Excel. People online were creating beautiful visuals, and I didn't know how they were doing it. After asking a few people, it turns out it was in Tableau, which I had never even heard of. I literally started with zero knowledge of it....

by Liam Henshaw — Mar 10, 2025 analysis

Make It Easy To Say Yes: Networking That Works

I recently found myself staring at dozens of messages asking for "just 30 minutes" of my time. Each sender wanted feedback, advice, or a quick call about their football career aspirations. I said yes to less than 1% of these requests. Why? Because most people made it incredibly difficult for me t...

by Liam Henshaw — Mar 03, 2025 personal development

The Overlooked Key to Working in Football

Last year, I stepped onto a pickleball court for the first time. I had zero experience with racket sports, didn't know the rules, and frankly, I was terrible. But here's the interesting thing - I loved every minute of it. What started as a weekly beginner session has transformed into a 3-4 times ...

by Liam Henshaw — Feb 24, 2025 personal development

Want to Break Into Football? Here's Your Permission Slip

Something caught my attention in our Recruitment Room community this week. One member took a bold step. No previous Tableau experience. No Twitter account. No LinkedIn presence. Just created a basic profile and started sharing their football analytics work. That's it. Nothing fancy. But they're a...

by Liam Henshaw — Feb 17, 2025 analysis online portfolio

Why More Football Professionals Are Writing Online

More football professionals than ever are sharing their insights and experiences online. This trend is reshaping the landscape of football careers, offering new opportunities for players, coaches, managers, scouts and analysts alike. Gone are the days when football professionals were criticised f...

by Liam Henshaw — Feb 10, 2025 online portfolio

How to Transform from a Football Fan to a Professional Scout

Football is a game of opinions, and everyone has one. It's just that some people perfect their ability to inform those opinions, and are employed for giving them. But here's what I think. Anyone can develop their scouting ability to a professional level. It just takes practice, consistency and le...

by Liam Henshaw — Feb 03, 2025 scouting

Why Python Beats R for Analysts

In today’s issue of Football Progression Path I’m going to talk through why you should choose Python over R when it comes to learning a coding language. If I were beginning my journey as an analyst again, I would choose Python over R every time. With the rapid advancement of AI, the landscape of ...

by Liam Henshaw — Jan 27, 2025 analysis

The Three Expected Metrics: Understanding xG, xA, and xT

In today’s issue of Football Progression Path, I’ll explain the differences between three expected metrics commonly used in football. Understanding the nuances of these metrics is crucial for scouts and analysts. Metrics like expected goals (xG), expected assists (xA), and expected threat (xT) ar...

by Liam Henshaw — Jan 20, 2025 analysis

Master the Four Essentials for a Football Career

In today’s issue of Football Progression Path, I’m going to teach you about the four pillars essential for landing opportunities in football recruitment. The world of football is highly competitive, especially in recruitment. Understanding the key elements that lead to opportunities is crucial. T...

by Liam Henshaw — Jan 13, 2025 analysis jobs online portfolio scouting

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