The TransferRoom Effect: Understanding Life After Football
When I left Canada at 15 to chase a football dream in Portugal, I thought everything about my future depended on what I did with a ball at my feet. Score goals. Train hard. Earn minutes. That was the entire universe.
But this week, something shifted.
I got to experience football from a completely different perspective — the TransferRoom Summit in Estoril. Not as a player. Not as a trialist. But as someone watching the engine of football run right in front of me.
And it changed the way I think about my future.
Stepping Into the Football World That Most Players Never See
The Summit was honestly overwhelming in the best way. Hundreds of Sporting Directors, agents, scouts, club executives — all in one room, working non-stop. Every table, every handshake, every quick conversation felt like a tiny piece of someone’s future being decided.
This wasn’t the “glamour” of football.
It was the work of football.
Transfers being planned months ahead.
Scouting networks being built.
Academy pathways being discussed.
Clubs fighting for the right players at the right time.
It made me realize something I’d never actually thought about:
Football is massive — and what happens on the pitch is only a fraction of it.
Seeing a Future in Football That Doesn’t End When Playing Does
As players, we rarely think about the moment football ends. Even at 17, you’re trained to believe you're going to play forever.
But watching this world up close for the first time, it clicked:
There are careers in football that last a lifetime — even after you stop playing.
These roles weren’t things I ever imagined myself doing before:
Sporting Director
Scouting & Analysis
Player Recruitment
Club Operations
Performance & Data Roles
Player Liaison
Agency/Representation Work
Football Marketing & Business
And the people doing these jobs looked like they absolutely loved it.
They were living football just as much as the players on the pitch.
Realizing You Can Study Football While Playing It
One of the biggest lessons this week was understanding that education doesn’t have to pull you away from football. You can do both — at the same time — and actually make yourself more valuable in the long run.
Institutions like the Johan Cruyff Institute make that possible.
Before this week, I honestly didn’t think much about football education. Now it feels like a legit pathway:
Football Business
Sport Management
Scouting & Analytics
Leadership & Coaching
Online and In-Person Courses
Designed for players balancing school and training
The idea of studying the game while I’m still playing it — especially here in Europe — felt like someone switched a light on. It means my career doesn’t have to be a single tightrope. It can be a pathway with branches and backup plans that all still lead back to football.
The Moment It All Hit Me
There was one moment where everything clicked: I watched a Sporting Director walk a group through their approach to squad building for the next season. It wasn’t about tactics or formations. It was about planning, people management, budgets, relationships, and strategy.
It was football — just a different kind of football.
For the first time ever, I could picture myself in that world.
Not instead of being a player.
But after.
Or even alongside.
It didn’t make me want the playing dream any less.
It just made the future feel bigger than the pressure of “making it.”
Why This Week Was So Important
The TransferRoom experience didn’t just show me a new side of football — it grounded me. It gave me a new kind of motivation. Instead of feeling like everything depends on one match, one roster selection, one performance… I feel like I’m building something longer-term.
It reminded me that:
Football isn’t linear.
Careers evolve.
Playing is just one part of a much bigger picture.
There’s more than one way to live this life.
And honestly, it took a bit of the fear away.
Because now I know that even when the boots eventually come off, I can still be part of the game.
Final Thoughts
If you’re a young footballer reading this, here’s my honest truth:
Chasing the dream in Europe is tough. The highs are crazy high, and the lows hit hard.
But your life in football doesn’t have to end when playing does.
This week opened my eyes to something I never really understood:
Football isn’t just a career. It’s an ecosystem.
And there’s space for all of us — on the pitch and beyond it.
For the first time since leaving Canada…
I can actually see the full picture.
And that’s something I’ll carry with me for the rest of my journey.