10 Unusual Jobs In Football

Player, manager, referee, coach – if you were asked to name a job in football, we reckon you might be able to reply quickly with one of these. But what about private chef, bodyguard, or barber? These are just three of the many, many, slightly more unusual roles that exist in the game. After all, someone has to make sure players eat well, are kept safe, and captured creatively for the ‘gram, while fans also want to have an amazing match-day experience.

BBC Bitesize Careers caught up with author and creator of Jamie Johnson Dan Freedman, who like many people finds himself working in the world of football without being a player on the pitch. He’s written the book 50 Ways Into Football: Dream Jobs on and Off the Pitch and we couldn’t help but get stuck in and select a few of our favourites.

Take a scroll through the carousel and see how many of these roles you already know…

How many of these footie jobs did you know existed?

Skip image gallery

Image caption,
Bodyguard
For some of the games most elite players, security is an absolute priority such is the level of stardom. Take Lionel Messi for example, he has a full-time bodyguard. Yassine Cheuko, who has a background in Mixed Martial Arts, is never far from the Argentinian player’s side! Job requirements: A good level of fitness, eyes on the back of your head.
Image caption,
Stadium Announcer
Keeping the vibe going on match days can be a tricky task, especially if the home team isn’t performing at their best. But when it comes to a fan’s match-day experience, away from the action the pitch, the stadium announcer is often the unknown star of the show. From pre-match hype-building, to making sure everyone know which players are being substituted, it’s all in the day job. Job requirements: A commanding voice and a decent playlist!!
Image caption,
Tournament Organiser
Tournaments like the UEFA Champions League capture the imagination of fans around Europe and beyond, it’s where the best meet the best. But logistically these tournaments are huge operations, from scheduling to staffing, planning epic ceremonies to keeping on top of player appearances. It all falls on the shoulders of the often unspoken about Tournament Organiser. Job Requirements: An encyclopaedic knowledge of the tournament, some space in your passport for stamps.
Image caption,
Freestyle Footballer
If tactics and formations aren’t for you but you reckon you’ve still got some impressive talent when it comes to ball skills, football freestyling might be for you. It’s a continually growing area of the game, complete with annual world championships. Great Britain’s Liv Cooke is a former world champ! Job Requirements: Top tekkerz, and then some more top tekkerz.
Image caption,
Club Photographer
Imagine getting to be in the dressing room when your team gets the big win, or when a new player arrives at the club, capturing the moment for fans can often fall to the club’s own photographer. Always ready, with camera in hand, they need to expect the unexpected, including turning from being the photographer to being the subject of the photograph. Just ask Martin Ødegaard. Job Requirements: A good knowledge of the ‘gram, plenty of charged batteries.
Image caption,
Football Video Game Designer
Footie video games are big business. Keeping them as accurate and representative to the game on the pitch is vitally important for the people that design and work on making them (and of course for the people who play them). We know the team at EA Sports will be busy doing all of that right now, their next release is expected to drop November this year. Job Requirements: An eye for detail, a willingness to spend a lot of time playing and testing video games.
Image caption,
Barber/Hair Stylist
From Cole Palmer’s high fade, to Marcus Rashford’s latest braid design, it’s often claimed that when players feel and look their best, they play their best too. Whether that’s exactly true or not we’ll leave it up to you to decide. But when it comes to looking sharp, or trying out something a little different on top, one thing is for sure, footballers all have their go-to guy or girl! Job Requirements: Some creative clippers and good chat for when the client is in the chair.
Image caption,
Private Jet Pilot
From jetting off to world cups in far flung locations to needing to make dramatic transfer deadline day journeys footballers cover the miles, and not always on the team bus. There’s often a need to fly, and where there’s a private plane, there’s a private pilot, like this uniformed chap who flew Granit Xhaxa to sign for Sunderland FC in 2025. We reckon it's some way to see the world. Job Requirements: Solid flying skills and a professional attitude, no head in the clouds here.
Image caption,
Agent
When it comes to admin, footie stars leave all of that to their agents, they help strike the best contracts and deals for players and can end up with an impressive amount in their own bank accounts as a result! "Super-agent" Jorge Mendes currently represents Lamine Yamal but has also worked for Ronaldo and Jose Mourinho among others. Job Requirements: A business brain and an eye for deal.
Image caption,
Private Chef
While many pros work closely with nutritionists and chefs during the lead up to match day, eating well doesn’t just stop at the training ground. For those players that are more confident in the box than kitchen, a private chef is often the answer. It’s another role that gets a really unique view into the private world of footballer lives, and another that’s growing in popularity on social searches too. Tasty! Job Requirements: A passion for meal-prep, a decent chopping board or two.

With Jamie Johnson being a hugely popular series of books (and TV drama) we wanted to asked Dan for his top tips for working as an writer in, or out of, the world of football. Here’s what he suggested:

Read lots, especially about subjects you're really interested in: Dan spent loads of time reading football newspapers as a teenager, studying match reports and articles all the time.
Learn to accept rejection: Dan spent three years being rejected by publishers before getting his first break in the industry. Although it was hard, he decided that he would always try to ‘fail better’ each time – looking for feedback for next time.
Know your characters inside out: This one is particularly important if you’re writing fiction Dan recommends knowing your characters so well that they almost feel human.

Explore more from Bitesize Careers Follow Your Passion

Bitesize Careers, in partnership with The Open University, has launched the Follow Your Passion campaign, exploring how you can draw on your passions and interests to find your future jobs.

Kick off: September 2026
Focus: All things football!
Discover more: To find more careers in football, click the link to the Bitesize Careers Follow Your Passion page.

10 Unusual Jobs in Football

How many of these footie jobs did you know existed?

Explore more from Bitesize Careers Follow Your Passion

Discover more from Bitesize Careers