Scott Walker – Raised In The EFL

This week the EFL celebrates Youth Development Week, with the aim to showcase the importance of the EFL and its Clubs in developing careers on and off the pitch.

If you have ever booked a matchday event for your child or sports team, or visited a Junior Grecian event, the chances are you will have met Scott Walker. For over twenty years Scott has worked at the Exeter City Community Trust and his experience emphasises that there is more to the impact of the EFL than simply players on the pitch.

It began for Scott playing for Alphington Under 11’s, where he heard about trials taking place at Exeter City. “Mike Radford was the head of the youth section at the time and I was offered a schoolboy contract at the age of fourteen, before gaining YTS terms at sixteen. It was a little bit of a surprise, but Mr Radford walked through the door with a contract under his arm and a signed football and he was offering me a two-year apprenticeship.”

A cricket ball in the face, knocking out two front teeth, the day before Scott started his apprenticeship was not the ideal start to life at Exeter City, but he looks back at the time fondly. “The two-year YTS period was an unbelievable experience, I still keep in contact now with all of those guys, it was a time I will never forget.”

Scott was offered a six-month deal by then City Manager Peter Fox before departing the Club with the aim of developing his skillset in the coaching aspect of football. “I enjoy working with children and involving myself in engaging activities, I knew I wanted to do that alongside a semi professional football career.”

And what a semi professional career it was. Scott played for Newport County, Chippenham Town and Weston Super Mare before a £3,000 move to Truro City. A six-year spell in Cornwall included a trip to Wembley in 2007 as City won the FA Vase Final in front of over 25,000 people. Scott finished his career at Weymouth, before turning his full focus to the Community Trust.

“I was twenty-one years old when I contacted Jamie Vittles, football in the Community was starting to get off the ground and Jamie was taking over the reins. I was his first signing! It has certainly changed from what started as a bag of balls on the shoulder to the wonderful organsiation it is now. When I retired at thirty-four, my full focus turned to the philosophy, values and positivity that we provide here.”

Whilst the Community Trust focus is on participation, the EFL and EFL Trust support is vital in providing opportunity to those who have come through the Academy system and not progressed to professional football. “Ultimately, football in the community is about providing a platform for players to give back. There is an option for players who do not progress to engage with the local community, we can provide something of a safety net for them.”

With a strong partnership with Exeter College and strong participation options for those wishing to ally football with education, a platform has been established to provide opportunity off the pitch. “What we have demonstrated are that we have chances for people who receive that rejection at elite level to be supported as they look at life away from the professional game.”

Louis Morison, Michael Lilley, Ben Watson, Danny Harris, Alex Pope, the list of former Grecians who have gone on to work with the Community Trust is substantial. Scott is eager to point out that the opportunities offered can lead to pathways back into the professional game. “Young men such as Brad-Lee Miller and Ben Whatmore, who found a real interest in coaching, have decided to continue their development and progress back towards the professional game and Exeter City Football Club.”

With enthusiasm and positivity that continues to greet hundreds on every matchday, a drive to see young coaches reach a high standard of professionalism and a willingness to highlight the opportunities on offer at Exeter City Community Trust, Scott Walker is a strong example of how the EFL’s support effects the game beyond the professional game.