Soccer Player Job Description, Key Duties and Responsibilities  

This post provides detailed information on the soccer player job description, including the key duties, tasks, and responsibilities they commonly perform.

(You will be able to download the soccer player job description template in pdf below.)

It also highlights the major requirements you may be expected to fulfill to be signed up as a soccer player with a team.

What Does a Soccer Player Do?

A soccer player is an athlete who takes part in professional soccer games at a high level, to play soccer matches for their team, both in regular league competitions and international competitions.

The soccer player job description entails attending training, working with coaches and medical staff, acting as a team ambassador, and participating in matches.

It also involves undergoing thorough physical training, understanding game tactics, and mastering technical skills, like passing and shooting.

Soccer players can work with other players and coaches in training and games, and even alone by practicing individual drills and physical conditioning.

A soccer player’s responsibilities can be as simple as attending training and games, respecting teammates and coaches, and maintaining basic physical fitness, or as complex as understanding and implementing complicated game tactics, maintaining peak physical condition through challenging routines, and adapting to complex game situations in real-time.

Also, mentally preparing for highs and lows with self-motivation and resilience and performing under immense pressure are part of what the soccer player’s duties involve.

They are also expected to practice footwork regularly, work actively within the team to develop game strategies and tactics, and maintain a high level of physical fitness.

Soccer players use basic tools like shin guard, ball, and cleat along with advanced technology, such as VR headset for cognitive training, GPS vest for performance tracking, and smart soccer ball for skill development.

Other tools they use include rebounders, agility ladders, cones, and communication platforms to analyze data and improve play. 

Soccer players may also be asked to execute passes and shots with precision and make quick decisions on the field.

They may take part in community outreach programs and attend press conferences and promotional events outside of game time to promote the sport and the team.

Soccer players typically report to their club’s coaching staff, such as the head coach and assistants, for training and game management, and to their club’s administrative staff for operational issues, like finances and contracts.

Players report to the referee for any official proceedings on the field during a match.

In larger soccer operations, players mostly report to the head coach who handles the day-to-day match and training matters, and eventually to the sporting director or a similar role like the technical director or director of football who supervises the club’s overall sporting strategy, long-term vision, and recruitment.

The sporting director ensures that signing of players align with the club’s playing method and vision.

Where Do Soccer Players Work?

Soccer players work mostly for clubs on the football pitch, which is the playing field, but they also work in various other locations for training, travel, and recovery, such as training ground, gym, stadium, and hotel.

They are in high demand for playing reasons in countries like the United States, Saudi Arabia, and countries in Europe like Spain and Germany.

Soccer Player Training

There’s no global formal education requirement to become a professional soccer player; however, aspiring athletes usually attend college programs or high-performance academies to balance elite training with academic education, providing a pathway to a future career.

These academies provide advanced facilities, professional coaching, a focus on physical, mental, character development, and structured programs, ultimately preparing players for both soccer and post-soccer life.

Soccer Player Job Description Example/Sample/Template 

The soccer player job description may consist of the following duties, tasks, and responsibilities: 

• Attend regular training sessions to develop individual skills, work on team tactics and strategy, and maintain peak physical situation like speed, agility, and stamina 
• Participate in matches at a high level for a national team or club, playing to win games and entertain fans
• Practice, improve, and apply technical abilities, such as passing, dribbling, shooting, heading, and defending
• Work closely with teammates, coaches, and specialists, like physiotherapists to develop and execute plays
• Study game formations, strategies, and tactics to make quick decisions under pressure and read opponents’ moves
• Represent the team and the sport by taking part in advertising, media events, community outreach, charity work, and interviews
• Adhere to strict fitness regimes, follow dietary and lifestyle advice from nutritionists, and rest to recover from severe physical demands
• Use the system of stretching the defense and attacking the goal to create scoring opportunities and score goals
• Maintain high levels of stamina, speed, and strength through rigorous exercise, training, recovery routines, and nutrition
• Work effectively with coaches and teammates, communicating clearly on the field to manage strategies and movements
• Develop resilience to perform consistently in high-stake situations and adapt to the dynamic nature of the game
• Maintain self-control and an attitude of a sports person under pressure from fans, media, and opponents
• Attend and actively participate in scheduled practices and training sessions, and represent the team professionally, demonstrating respect for officials, opponents, and the game
• Serve as playmaker, connecting defense and offense, distributing the ball, and control the space between the lines
• Mark opponents, organize the defensive structure, and perform well under pressure and in high-stakes games.

Soccer Player Requirements: Skills, Knowledge, and Abilities for Career Success 

The soccer player requires certain skills, industry knowledge, and a number of personal attributes to be successful on the job and career and to qualify for hiring by most recruiters/employers, including: 

• Technical Skills: To succeed in the career, players must master fundamental soccer skills, such as dribbling, passing, shooting, first touch, and heading. Dribbling allows you to trick and navigate defenders and maintain possession, while short and long exact passing keeps the game flowing. To score goals, you need to shoot accurately into the net.   A good first touch sets up the next move efficiently, while heading is striking the ball with the head.

• Physical Fitness: Soccer requires top physical condition that demands players to focus on speed, strength, and stamina. Agility, physicality, and endurance are key attributes that help soccer players make quick movements and maintain performance throughout the game.

• Tactical Awareness: Soccer players shouldn’t only know how to play but also need to understand the game more. They need to utilize tactical understanding to study the pitch and anticipate an opponent’s next move or find open space to receive a pass. This will help them think ahead and outmaneuver their opponents.

• Warm up Drills: In any soccer training session, warming up is the first essential step that gets the body ready for high-intensity activities and minimizes the risk of injury. Therefore, for soccer players to improve physical fitness and prepare for the challenges ahead, they need specific warm-up drills.

• Dynamic Stretching Exercises: A soccer player needs dynamic stretching exercises to improve ball control and flexibility. Players get encouraged by each drill to focus on stretching while moving and gradually increasing the range of motion. These exercises warm up the muscles and get the mind ready for a focused training session.

• Agility Ladder Drills: Soccer players need agility ladder drills to improve footwork, coordination, and quickness. Coaches often use these drills to evaluate and develop a player’s speed and accuracy with and without the ball. A player at the beginning of the ladder faces a series of quick, complicated foot patterns that challenge and enhance agility.

• Jogging and Footwork Drills: This combines light cardiovascular activity with ball control techniques and arouses in-game movements, to enhance the player’s control and stamina under less intensive conditions. It’s a perfect way to change from a static warm-up to the dynamic demands of a soccer training session. The coach wants to ensure that players are mentally and physically prepared. The purpose for these targeted warm-up exercises is for players to improve the necessary skills required for peak performance, and to demonstrate the seamless integration of strategic thinking, technical skills, and physical fitness.

• Passing and Receiving Drills: It’s very important for soccer players to master passing and receiving to set the foundation for ball possession and team coordination strategies. These drills are designed to improve passing accuracy and encourage players to keep the ball close and ensure smooth transitions during game play.

• Shooting Drills: The shooting drills are very important in soccer training sessions for improving energy and accuracy behind every shot. These exercises assist younger players and professional athletes in practicing shooting and building the confidence required to face goal-scoring opportunities. It also highlights the use of both the left foot and right foot to become versatile attackers.

• Soccer Dribbling Drills: The dribbling skills are an exciting way players showcase their ability to skillfully control the ball while moving swiftly past opponents. They utilize it as an opportunity to create thrilling moments on the field.

• Defensive Drills: Being the backbone of a strong soccer team, defensive drills are essential for maintaining possession and controlling the game flow. Young players use defensive drills to learn the fundamentals of defense, such as communication, positioning, and tackling.

• Goalkeeping Drills: Goalkeeping drills help Soccer Players develop the unique skills they need as goalkeepers. Some of the exercises under goalkeeping drills include reaction time drills, positioning drills, distribution drills, and cross catching drills.

• Conditioning Drills: Conditioning can be applied when a player’s speed, stamina, and the overall physical performance on the field need to be improved. Soccer players need to go through conditioning drills to enable them to survive the physical demands of the game.

Download soccer player job description template (pdf).

Soccer Player Job Description for Resume 

If you have worked before as a soccer player or are presently working in that role and are making a resume or CV for a new job, then you can create a compelling Professional Experience for your resume by applying the sample soccer player job description provided above. 

You can express the duties and responsibilities you have carried out as a soccer player in your resume’s Professional Experience by utilizing the ones provided in the above soccer player job description example.

This will show to the recruiter/employer that you have been successful working as a soccer player, which can boost your chances of getting the new job, especially if it requires someone with some soccer player work experience.

Conclusion 

This post has provided detailed coverage of the soccer player job description, highlighting the major responsibilities and duties that they typically perform.  

Individuals seeking to pursue a career as a soccer player will find this post helpful in learning about what they do.

Also, clubs needing to make a detailed and effective job description for recruiting a competent soccer player into their team will find this article useful in creating one. In fact, they can apply the soccer player job description template provided on this page in making one for their team.