Women’s football has a recruitment gap.
Only a handful of top clubs can afford a dedicated scouting and analysis team. Everywhere else, sporting directors and coaches carry recruitment on top of their day jobs, which means less time per target, thinner due diligence and a higher risk of signings that don’t fit.
Shapovalov Scouting and Recruitment fills that gap. I work as an external recruitment department: a lighter load for your staff, better-informed decisions, and signings that suit your squad and your club.
How I work
I start with a squad audit and a clear brief on your requirements, playing identity and expectations. From there I build a tailored recruitment project:
- Player profiles with specific KPIs
- Shortlists
- Video-backed player analysis
- An assessment of how each player would fit your squad
Where I look
My area of specialisation is Central and Eastern Europe and Africa, markets that most clubs can’t cover well in-house. I also cover other European leagues.
Independent by design
I don’t represent players, take no transfer commissions and have no ties to agents. My only client is the club.
Track record
I’ve delivered recruitment projects for clubs across Europe and the Middle East, including UEFA Women’s Europa Cup semi-finalists and clubs in Italy, France, Germany and Saudi Arabia.
Selected public work
Players I analysed publicly before a step up.
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Aurélie Reynders (OH Leuven)
Scout report published 1 September 2025. Joined Paris FC in July 2026 on a four-year deal, reportedly the most expensive outgoing transfer in Belgian women’s football history.
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Claudia Martínez (Club Olimpia)
Scout report published 6 August 2025. Joined Washington Spirit in January 2026 in a reported $950,000 transfer.
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Clara Luvanga (Al-Nassr)
Profiled in my PSG Féminines recruitment strategy, published 14 June 2026. Joined Washington Spirit in September 2026 in a reported world-record fee for women’s football.
Sample report
This is a player report I wrote for a club in February 2026, shown here with the club’s permission. The KPI levels are relative to that club’s squad.
Thirsa de Meester later joined SD Eibar in June 2026. Transfer report
Thirsa de Meester (2006).
KPIs.
- speed:
- Near-starting XI level
- dribbling and 1v1s:
- Near-starting XI level
- chance-creation:
- Starting XI level
Summary.
De Meester is a quick and nimble right-footed winger with quite well developed left foot. She is agile and can absorb contact - smart use of her body to shield the ball and win fouls. She shows great decision-making with regard to her movement off the ball - dropping deeper, attacking depth with well-timed runs -, and with the ball - often choosing the best positioned recipient, deciding when to dribble, when to pass, reading the rhythm of the game. De Meester’s first touch is quality, and she shows a great variety of directional first touches. Her passes are snappy and well-executed; she can play accurate one-touch passes with both feet. She can create chances through passing - she shows good vision to spot runs in-behind and play well-weighted penetrative passes -, dribbling - when isolated wide, she is a constant threat to both beat the FB wide through her PnP, and inside with her ball mastery and manipulation to deliver the ball into the box -, and movement - depth-threat, movement to receive around the edge of the box. Can consistently get into scoring positions, and has decent inside foot striking technique. She shows intensity and intelligence in dynamic pressing.
Risk assessment.
Unknown contract situation. Genk is currently in the lower half of Belgium-1, so the move could be appealing. It will take a little time to adapt to more physical and aggressive defenders of UWEC / UWCL. Has experience playing as touchline winger, but also shows intelligent movement into the half-space, or dropping deeper to combine - bringing more fluidity and unpredictability into the playstyle.
Tactical fit and recommendation.
De Meester shows the ability to be starting XI player before the end of 26/27. As someone experienced playing both LW and RW, she could earn a lot of minutes, helping with rotation on both wings. This is why I recommend her as a Priority Target.
Ways to work together
I work per project or on a full transfer-window retainer. On retainer, I build your recruitment project and also analyse the players you’re tracking or being offered by agents, giving you an independent second opinion before you commit.
About
I’m Artem Shapovalov, a women’s football scout and analyst based in Bratislava. My background combines coaching, opposition analysis and independent scouting: I’ve coached in the second Slovak women’s league, worked on opposition analysis for FC Petržalka Women, and built my scouting work through public analysis in The Sightings Files, my Substack.
I hold a UEFA C licence, FA Talent ID Level 1 and PFSA Talent ID Level 2. My specialism is Central and Eastern Europe and Africa, and I work in Russian, Slovak and English, with some German.
When you hire Shapovalov Scouting and Recruitment, you work directly with me, from the first brief to the final report.
Contact
To discuss a recruitment project or transfer-window support, get in touch: