Following the lives of some of football’s ‘forgotten players’

It is easy to forget that lower down the pyramid, in a summer when Premier League clubs have signed for a record-breaking sum of $2.4 billion, is not true.

A high percentage of players are signed for free for non-transferable clubs, and frequently not directly from those organizations.

Instead, they are free agents. Players frequently engage in trial work with clubs in an effort to secure a contract.

It’s essentially a job audition.

Former Newcastle and Wales left-back Paul Dummett said: “Being out of clubs is a difficult time for people who have families.”

Periods on trial can be much shorter for more well-known players, but some free agents can go months or years without a club.

Former Chelsea and Liverpool midfielder Isaac Christie-Davies said, “I don’t think many people can go months without making money, especially for themselves or their families.”

A trialist is a non-contract player who trains with or plays for a club despite being unsigned for them.

They are not allowed to play official games for the club they are trialing for, but they can play friendlies for them.

Their identities will typically be kept a secret by the club on team rosters and match reports, typically during pre-season friendlyties.

Scottish League Two side Dumbarton faced Stirling Albion and Stenhousemuir in a trial squad that included entire squads of trial players in June.

Christie-Davies looked for a new club for more than a year, including a League One club before being unsuccessful.

The 27-year-old said, “I felt good and was in good shape, but there were some decisions that were perhaps not even up to the manager.”

“When you go on trial, they may sign you or not, but it’s not always as simple as they want you to.

Football is frequently a lucrative sport, especially in the world’s top leagues, but the financial rewards are much lower down the football pyramid.

No contract means that players don’t have a regular source of income, just like anyone without a job wouldn’t receive a regular pay check from their employers.

The financial strain is greater the longer people have no employment, especially those who have families and children.

These issues arise because players who begin the pre-season at clubs don’t have the same level of fitness as those who play on the field.

Dummett had no club until November after leaving Newcastle at the end of the 2023-2004 campaign. He signed a short-term deal with Wigan, but after only five games and two months, he made the move to Carlisle United.

Before joining Wigan, Dummett did some training with Newcastle’s Under-21s last season, but he felt unprepared as a result of his first professional summer without a club.

When I went to Wigan, I wasn’t match fit, according to Dummett, who didn’t have any full pre-season games.

Then, I really didn’t get to work out or get the minutes in. I didn’t play much in the end.

Dummett eventually dropped out of Carlisle, where a problematic season only worsened.

Dummett added, “I ended up pulling my hamstring in the first game and then crashed my car.”

Should players become free agents and not have their own training schedules soon enough, it has traditionally been up to the players to decide.

Players and agents would have the authority to set up trials. Some players would work together in small groups to improve their chances of landing a contract and keep others in shape.

The Professional Footballers’ Association has organized individual camps for players without clubs since the summer of 2024.

Through a trusted network, the goal is to help players get fit and make the moves that are best for them.

Around 120 players showed up for the camp during its first year, with 90% of the participants signing on to new clubs.

Attendance rates for this year are on par with last year’s high, and 44 players have already signed for new clubs.

Former Chelsea, Reading, and West Brom midfielder John Swift, who left the Baggies at the end of last season, said, “I signed up right away.”

There is no point sitting at home and going to the gym alone if you’re the kind of person who prefers to talk to or almost chooses to go to a club.

Before signing a contract with Portsmouth, Swift spent the first two weeks of the camp.

The PFA’s out-of-contract camp also participates in friendly games against other teams, with nine games so far against Newport County, Leyton Orient, and Everton Under-21s.

Dummett and Christie-Davies, who both traveled more than 350 miles per week on round trips, decided to enroll in the camp this year after missing it in 2024.

Dummett’s motivation for signing was former Newcastle team-mate Dwight Gayle’s acceptance of his new contract at Hibernian.

When Dwight was last here last year, Dummett said, “I really know him. I was speaking to him.”

On the back of this camp, he received a good move. I’m hoping I can.

Christie-Davies is still a free agent, but he is optimistic about the best move.

He said, “It’s been difficult for me to not have anything sorted yet, but I actually feel fine.”

I believe I am aware of this self-assurance and believe that I will have the right opportunity to succeed.

“I am certain that the outcome will be the best thing for me.” Just be patient and observe what that means.

Dummett, who has regularly attended camp during the season’s opening weeks, has also not yet found a new club.

The former Newcastle defender said, “At the moment, I’m trying to continue training as long as I can.”

“I’ll look into it if something comes up that makes me want to go.”