Method
How I write a scouting report
Structure, rules and what stays out
My reports follow the same structure and the same rules, so that a reader can tell observation from conclusion, see the sample behind each judgement, and check the claims later.
The question
How can a written report separate what was seen, on what sample, from what is concluded — so that each claim could later be tested?
Structure and rules
Structure
- The observation basis comes first: how many matches, full or highlights, watched on video or live
- Every attribute is rated as a strength, average/inconsistent or a weakness — and, in a single-match report, "not assessable" when the game didn't test it
- Technical, physical, mental and tactical sections; match reports also cover in possession, out of possession and transitions
- Key moments are listed by minute, once, and not repeated through the rest of the text
- A verdict with a confidence level, plus next steps for further observation
Rules I follow
- No app ratings or platform valuations: the assessment is my own
- Match statistics are used sparingly, to check something I observed — never instead of watching
- Separate the player's choices from the team's plan before judging either
- In a single-match report, conclusions describe that match and are marked as needing more games
- No claims about career patterns that I can't verify
How I work
I start with context: the team's shape, the player's role in that match and the game state. Then I watch the whole match and note actions by minute. Only at the end do I look at the match numbers, to confirm or correct my notes — not the other way round.
The claims that stay in a report are written so that they can be tested: "doesn't track the full-back's runs" can be counted on video; "he's an intense player" can't. That is the bridge to Claim-to-Evidence, which tests a report's claims against league data and my own video coding.
Context
I write player reports (several matches) and match reports (one match) in English, in the usual format of a recruitment department. The versions published here are adapted from the originals.