Guide: how to prepare for a trial or camp — and how to stand out
The weeks before
- Train regularly and arrive fit — a trial is not the place to get fit
- Sleep enough and eat properly in the last two weeks; avoid new, untested boots
- Prepare your football CV and highlight video — see football CV and video
- Know your strengths: which two or three things do you want the scouts to see?
- Settle the paperwork early: documents, consent form for under-18s, travel details
On the day
- Be early, be ready, warm up properly
- Start simple: the first actions should be safe and clean — confidence grows from there
- Show your strengths, but in the team’s interest: scouts want to see decisions, not only skills
- Communicate: talk, organise, demand the ball
- Work rate: sprint back after losing the ball — this is noticed every time
- React well to mistakes: the next action after a mistake says more than the mistake itself
- Listen to the coaches and apply what they say immediately: coachability is one of the most watched qualities
What scouts notice beyond goals
- Speed of decision-making and scanning before receiving the ball
- Body language and attitude, also between the drills
- How a player behaves towards team-mates and coaches
- Consistency over several days, not one highlight
At the SKN Excellence Campus scouts watch all four days — consistency counts more than one good moment.
More about the Campus
- The four days at the SKN Excellence Campus
- Trial match against the SKN St. Pölten first team, and scouts
- Price and what's included
- Accommodation and food
- Who can take part
- Venue: SKN St. Pölten, Austria
- Booking, registration deadline and cancellation
- Organiser and partners
- A day at the Campus: daily times
- Travel and arrival: Vienna airport, train, transfer, visa
- For parents and guardians
- Packing list for the Campus
- Routes to a contract: SKN St. Pölten and Sports Excellence Group
- Guide: how do footballers get scouted?
- Guide: do I need a football agent?
- Guide: football CV and highlight video
- Guide: how to recognise a serious football camp
- Guide: is a professional contract guaranteed after a camp or trial?
- Football camp, trial, academy or tryout: the differences
- Guide: how realistic is becoming a professional footballer?
- Guide: international players, minors and football rules
- Guide: how to recognise fake scouts and dubious offers
- Guide: what happens after a camp or trial — and if you are not selected
- Guide: mental strength, pressure and coachability
- The football market in Austria and Germany: a rough guide for young players
- What the top 1% do differently — and how the Campus trains for it
- Frequently asked questions