Football Pro AM
You have the ability. The question is whether the right people get to see it.
Most coaches in youth football have never coached in the professional leagues, played at the highest professional level, or have the contacts to get you started on your journey. Don Shanks knows what it takes.
Fifteen years in the professional game — many in the English First Division (now Premier League), coached by some of the biggest names of their day — Bobby Robson, Dave Sexton, Tommy Docherty, and Terry Venables, and capped for England Youth Under 19s internationally. Since then, he has spent decades as a coach and scout — recognising and recommending players who went on to make it at the top level. That experience is what Don Shanks brings.
Your goal. Your route.
Not every player is chasing the same dream. Some want a professional contract. Others — particularly players in the United States — are looking at the college scholarship route as their pathway into the game at the highest level they can reach. Some want both on the table.
The professional route
The professional game is not out of reach — whatever your age, and whatever anyone has told you before. The Second Chance page on this site shares the stories of players who took a different road before reaching the top — released, overlooked, written off, or simply finding success a different way than expected. The road is harder for some than others. Don won't pretend otherwise.
The college scholarship route
For players anywhere in the world, a full college scholarship in the United States can be a realistic and valuable destination — and one that requires the same serious preparation as the professional route. Don has coached youth players in the United States and understands what American college coaches are actually looking for. There is more on this in the College Pathway section.
What Don does
Don works with players at all levels — assessing their game, identifying where they need to improve, and giving honest guidance on what it takes to progress. He has spent decades doing this: as a freelance scout, as a QPR scout under then manager Trevor Francis, and as someone who watched Jarrod Bowen at Hull City and Eberechi Eze at QPR when both young players had already been rejected by several clubs. Don told managers and scouts at the time that they were the best players in the Championship by a mile and would go on to make an impact in the Premier League. His advice went unheeded — it took years for their talent to be recognised by others, but both are now full internationals worth millions. It's a pattern Don has seen play out again and again: talent overlooked early, then proven right years later.
He is not an online course. He is not a YouTube channel. He is someone who has played and coached at the highest level, who has been in the game for fifty years, and who has the eye for a player to know when something's there.
Take the next step
Whether you're chasing a professional contract or building towards a college scholarship, just starting out or coming back after being told your chance has passed.
If you think you have the ability and the determination, get in touch. Don will give you an honest read on where you stand.