Every Academy player’s route to professional football begins with when they are first scouted. From humble beginnings, playing football for fun with their local grassroots team to suddenly getting the chance to showcase their ability at a Premier League club. A moment that can change the course of a young player and their family’s lives.
With over 30 years’ experience in the business, West Ham United Senior Academy Integration Officer Jim Hampsheir knows a thing or two about the art of scouting. A West Ham United fan himself, Hampsheir knows there’s nothing better as a Hammer than seeing one of our own make it into the first team, adding to the long list of famous West Ham United Academy graduates.
With approximately 40 per cent of schoolchildren playing football in the UK, there is as much science as there is instinct when it comes to unearthing the next generation of Premier League footballers. Having worked with his fair share of talented West Ham youngsters, many of whom he played a part in identifying, Hampsheir gives us a glimpse into the process of talent spotting for one of the most renowned Academies in English football.
Networks and building relationships
A good scout is only as good as their network. There’s only so much football a scout can watch, so it’s essential that a talent spotter has strong relationships at the clubs in the areas where they are looking to unearth talent. With over three decades of experience, it’s fair to say Hampsheir has built a few relationships along the way.
He said: “If you’re looking at bringing in players for pre-Academy, you're basically looking for the lads who are standing out or have high potential. As you get to the older age-groups, you get more specific profiling. In other words, a club might be looking for a player with specific attributes, this could be a left-sided defender, or someone particularly good at getting crosses in.
“Recruiting for a Category One Academy, a good scout must have a clear understanding of the standard, so your judgement can be trusted.
“Networks are a key component in this process. Building a network is so important. You want to have people who you can trust around the country or locally referring you players. If someone in your circle refers a player, it means something. You just need to get across and take a look.
“You make really good relationships as a scout. I still see Ben Johnson's parents, who are lovely people, and Paul Earthy (father of George) too! All the parents of the players I’ve helped bring in, I've got a good relationship with, and I can pick the phone up to them at any time.
“Even some of the lads who have moved on, I like to talk to them and see how they're getting on. Boys like Josh Cullen (Burnley), Lewis Page (St Albans City) and George Dobson (Wrexham). It’s very pleasing seeing players with great attitudes getting their chance in professional football, whether that be here or elsewhere in the pyramid.”
Instilling the Academy values
Behind every young Academy player signing their first professional contract is a long, arduous journey, full of ups and downs, sacrifices, blood, sweat and tears. As many young players and families will know, getting scouted is just the first step. Once they come through the doors at Chadwell Heath for the first time, it’s up to them to capture the opportunity and showcase the values that the Academy cares about so deeply.
Hampsheir continued: “Everyone’s different when it comes to development. Both boys and girls can go up and down, developing in different stages and at different ages. Some players are fast maturers, and others are slow. But through experience, you can more or less sort them into the right categories and try and not let talent slip through the net.
“Although you’ll have some players who are more advanced than others, nine times out of ten, a young player won’t have all the ingredients yet. And that's when we as an Academy need to develop them, always with the West Ham values in mind: Togetherness. Hard Working. Exciting. Respect. Attitude+.
“I can’t understate how important attitude is. From the players I’ve seen, I remember Rio Ferdinand, his attitude was the best I've ever seen. And then Declan Rice and Ben Johnson - it's no surprise that these guys got their opportunities in the first team and went on to have great careers.
“Attitude paired with ability goes such a long way. These players would put extra training in and help pick up the cones after training.”
All the way to the top
It’s well documented that the number of players who make it through the ranks right the way to the Premier League is very few and far between. And although it’s true that some players are introduced to academy or professional football altogether much later due to different speeds of maturity, sometimes you know right from the off.
Hampsheir said: “I remember it being pointed out to me that from the FA Youth Cup-winning side from 2023, most of them had come through my department from an early age.
“It shows that the pre-Academy is a very, very important part of the Club, because you can teach the best players, or the ones who can develop at younger ages, the West Ham way and get them to love the staff and the Club.
“I mean, there are some top players in that group. Little George [Earthy] was like a Rolls Royce on the pitch, and he hasn’t changed! From day one, the way he plays, he’s full of energy and has a great attitude. He can receive, pass, read the game, track back… He hasn’t changed at all!
“Someone said to me through a contact to go and watch him. I think he was six, playing in U7s. It was just around the corner from my house. I was just standing there watching, and I thought, ‘Oh my God, straight away, you can see who he is.’
“Not everything came off that he was trying to do, but he was an absolutely silky player. I spoke to his dad, a West Ham fan. I still get on really well with Paul now. We had him in the pre-Academy, and again, like a lot of the others, he's been here since then and kept progressing. He’s a great player and a great lad. Hopefully he can be a great player for West Ham for many years to come.
“It was a similar situation with Lewis [Orford], whereby Martin Prudence asked me to watch some of the players at Upminster Park Rovers. When you're looking at players like him and George, having looked back now, those sorts of players more often than not go right the way through. Lewis has done really well this season and made his first-team debut, which is great.
“We’ve got some great youth players here. George and Freddie [Potts] will hopefully come back into the fold this year, Lewis is already here, and Kaelan [Casey], who will be playing on loan in the Championship this year, what a great player he's been, is also coming through that FA Youth Cup-winning side.”
The final hurdle
The final hurdle in any young footballer’s journey is often the most daunting. After years of development, dedication and sacrifice, breaking into a Premier League first team demands way more than just talent. The right manager, the right moment and the right position can make all the difference. As well as talent and hard work, it requires timing, opportunity and, as Hampsheir puts it, a bit of luck.
He added: “When you get to that final reckoning, getting in the first team or moving on to opportunities elsewhere, there is quite a bit of luck involved. If someone likes you, and if there's a position there, it's down to the management then.
“You need a manager who understands that sometimes the younger players need time to develop and need to make mistakes. When you look at Declan’s (Rice) pathway when he came in, it wasn’t one bite of the cherry. He gave a few goals away, he came in and out of the team. Ollie [Scarles] played over a dozen games last season, also coming in and out of the team. They need minutes to build their confidence. It helps massively having an arm around them, protecting them.
“I think Graham Potter is a good fit for this Club, because he’s a manager who understands the youth team and developing young players. It’s not for everyone. But I believe that under him, hopefully, he can bring some of the lads from that Youth Cup side into the first team by the next couple of seasons.”
