In non-league football, opportunity has always depended on who you know. That’s never been a secret. But in recent years, another issue has crept in alongside it — young players being asked to pay for access. Pay for trials. Pay for introductions. Things that, at their core, should never come with a price tag.
Billy Cove was seeing it first-hand. And rather than simply shaking his head at it, he decided to step in.
What followed was the Free Agent Showcase — a simple, community-led idea that has quietly grown into one of the most effective connectors in grassroots football. It isn’t glossy. It isn’t corporate. It doesn’t sell false promises. It just does what it says on the tin.
Three years on, it has helped hundreds of players and staff find their next opportunity.
“I just didn’t like seeing kids taken advantage of”
The Free Agent Showcase wasn’t born from a grand plan. It came from frustration.
At the time, Billy was managing at Step Seven. Like most managers, he was regularly contacted by young players asking about trials, availability and opportunities. That part was normal. What wasn’t normal was what some of those players were being asked to do in order to get a chance.
“I kept getting messages from lads saying they’d been asked to pay £30 or £50 to someone claiming to represent them,” he told Fen Regis Trophies. “All that money just for a training session at Step Six or Five. I didn’t like it. It felt wrong.”
Many of those players were academy releases — talented, uncertain, and suddenly without a clear path. When someone offered them a supposed route back into the game, it sounded tempting, even if it came at a cost.
Billy had built up a strong network over the years in non-league football. Managers, players, coaches and staff — people who trusted him. So instead of watching it continue, he thought about what he could actually do.
Players began sending over the basics: age, position, location, playing history, and the level they were aiming for. Billy posted them. Clubs saw them. Conversations started.
“I’m not guaranteeing anyone a contract,” he said. “I’m just presenting an opportunity.”
The first post went out in June 2022. From there, the momentum never really slowed.
From a Handful of Posts to a Football-Wide Network
What surprised Billy most wasn’t how many players got involved — it was how quickly the idea grew beyond them.
Initially, the Showcase was dominated by players coming out of academies and looking to re-enter senior football. That made sense. But before long, the scope began to widen.
“One day I posted a physio,” Billy said. “That one went mad.”
From there, it gathered pace. Analysts. Coaches. Managers. Kit men. Groundsmen. Media staff. Slowly, the Free Agent Showcase became exactly what the name suggests — a place for anyone in football looking for an opportunity.
“It’s a one stop shop, really,” Billy said. “If you’re in football and you want an opportunity, that’s what I’ll do.”
Clubs benefit just as much as individuals. Recruitment in non-league has always been quick, informal and heavily reliant on word of mouth. The Showcase offers something more direct.
“Managers now know who’s available on their doorstep,” he explains. “It puts players straight in front of the people who need them — in their catchment area.”
Keeping it Real
Despite how much it has grown, Billy has been clear about one thing: the Free Agent Showcase isn’t a business.
“I think the minute you try and turn it into one, it loses its appeal,” he said. “It was raw at the start. People bought into it because it was genuine.”
That mindset explains why he’s turned down approaches from a scouting agency interested in buying the account.
“I think they just wanted the network,” he said. “Change the name, make it theirs. That’s not what it’s about for me.”
The only change he has introduced is a £3 charge per advert — not to profit, but to make the workload sustainable.
“It got to the point where it was either give it up or make it sustainable,” Billy explains. “That’s all it is.”
More Than Exposure — Real Advice
Because Billy has lived the game as both a player and a coach, his role often goes beyond simply posting listings.
Players regularly contact him looking for guidance — asking whether an offer makes sense, or which environment might suit them best.
“I’ll give my opinion,” he said. “Whether they take it or not is up to them.”
One message comes up time and time again: game time matters more than status.
“If you’re 18 and not in and around the first team at an academy, you probably won’t be,” Billy said. “The earlier you get into senior football, the better. If you’re good enough, you’ll be found again.”
It’s a difficult truth for young players who want to hold on to the identity of being an academy footballer.
“Game time eclipses everything,” he adds.
A Non-League Journey of His Own
Billy’s perspective comes from lived experience.
He started late, playing youth football in East London before spells at Millwall and Leyton Orient. From there, non-league football became his world.
His most enjoyable period came at Leyton Pennant — now Walthamstow — where he scored 47 goals in a single season. That form earned him a move to Maidenhead United, where he played a key role in a promotion-winning side.
Football has a habit of coming full circle. Billy is now assistant manager at West Essex, whose home ground is Walthamstow — the same place where he enjoyed the best years of his playing career.
“It’s quite romantic, really,” he said.
Recognition That Hits Differently
Billy has won promotions and football trophies aplenty. He’s picked up goal-scoring awards, player honours and management recognition. But none of them compare to what came recently.
The Free Agent Showcase has been nominated at the Football Content Awards, reaching the finals for Best in Non-League, and has also been shortlisted for the Equality, Diversity and Inclusion Awards.
“For something like this to be recognised in football — that eclipses everything,” Billy said.
“This was my idea. My baby. I do everything myself. To be a finalist alongside some of those accounts… it’s unbelievable. That’s the proudest thing I’ve ever achieved in football.”
Three years on from a simple decision to help a few young players, the Free Agent Showcase continues to do exactly what it set out to do: connect people, remove barriers, and keep football honest.
In a game often accused of forgetting its grassroots, that may be its biggest win of all.
By Aaron Gratton
