16-year-old goalkeeper Emyl Leclercq impressed at our West London event and was subsequently scouted by Championship club Fulham and invited in for a trial!

We caught up with Emyl to get a better understanding of his footballing background and to understand why he chose to attend our event and how his trial with Fulham went.

So Emyl, first of all, congratulations on your brilliant trial with UK Football Trials and being scouted by Fulham! You are obviously a talented player, could you please tell us your football history?

“I started playing football for my local team in France, La Brède FC. Although all of my teammates dreamed of becoming excellent strikers, I immediately wanted to be a goalkeeper. I guess I really liked diving! Over the years, our team grew stronger and we even won a few trophies, so it was great.”

“My good performances eventually got me noticed and I transferred to the French club Chamois Niortais FC when I was 15, following a series of trials. Here, I was lucky enough to train with coaches who were former professional football players, such as Gregory Malicki. I currently play for the Chamois Niortais Under 19s.”

Wow that’s a great! You were clearly performing very well for your grassroots team! So what was the reason you decided to come to our trial? 

“It is very tough to make it as a professional football player. I might succeed in my current club, but I might not. With my family we considered it was best to not put all our eggs in the same basket, so we looked for other options. That’s when we found UK Football Trials”

So how have you found your trial with Fulham and how did it differ to what you are used to in France?

“It was such a great experience. The club’s infrastructures were nothing like the ones I’m used to back home. You can really feel that you’re entering the world of professional football. I got to train for a whole week with the Under 18s and Under 23s team, participating in many drills and short matches. Football in England is very physical and I was very impressed with the goalkeepers’ footwork especially.”

You sound like you are making the most of this brilliant opportunity! How has it been left with Fulham? Have you received any feedback or has any decisions been made?

“Unfortunately I won’t be joining Fulham, as I was told they are more than content with their current goalkeepers. Nevertheless, I was informed that they’d be keeping an eye out for my performances and we will let them know when I come back to England for more trials as per their request. They seemed confident I would eventually join a professional English club, based on my level. So that’s very encouraging!”

Well-done Emyl, that is amazing news! What advice would you give to other players who think they have the talent but need an opportunity to get scouted?

“Honestly, I am lucky enough to have a proactive family that fully supports me, and I think that’s one of the main reasons I got noticed. Many players have the talent, but very few eventually become pro. In my case, we actively searched for trial opportunities, and I did quite a few trials in France before trying yours in England. I guess I’d advise other players to keep trying because all you need is for one club to notice you and it can change everything!”

Once again, everyone at UK Football Trials would like to firstly congratulate Emyl on his great success at both our trial and with Fulham, and secondly, we would like to wish him the best of luck in the future.