Max Woodcock: Crewe Alexandra and Scotland star on academy life and what’s to come
Once they lace their boots or kick a ball for the first time, many children around the globe, let alone the United Kingdom, dream of growing up to become a professional footballer, and dream of having a childhood similar to the one 17-year-old Max Woodcock has had.
Woodcock is a second year scholar at Crewe Alexandra and a Scotland U18 international. Born and raised in Congleton, Cheshire, his hometown has played a huge part in kickstarting his career in football.
The winger began his footballing journey at age six, playing for his local team Vale Juniors. Playing with his friends, Woodcock’s aim was to be scouted at an early age to begin his quest to reach the professional stage.
Excelling in Congleton, it came as no surprise that it didn’t take long for a club like Crewe Alexandra showed interest in Woodcock, since his older brother, Ross Woodcock, was also making a name for himself with The Railwaymen.
Max Woodcock was scouted by Crewe at the tender age of five, making his first step towards his dream, albeit greater steps were beckoning in the future.
Woodcock: “My first memories of kicking a ball would not even be taking penalties in the back garden with my older brother, it’d be he passed me the ball and I kicked it back, I was that young.
“I played for Vale Juniors as a five, six, seven year-old kid and I remember being asked to go and train with Crewe when I was five-years old. Just to train with them, nothing major.
“I got to the age of eight and I was still training with them and at U9’s they ask you to sign, so I was just about to turn nine and I signed for Crewe.
“So I have been at Crewe since I was nine-years-old officially, but I have actually been there since I was five.”
Crewe Alexandra, as an academy, has been heaped with praise. From the opportunities they provide their players, to the graduates that have gone on to have very successful careers.
Danny Murphy, Ashley Westwood, Nick Powell and Dean Ashton are just a handful of names to have learnt their trade at the Mornflake Stadium.
Hoping to find his way onto the list of illustrious names to graduate at Crewe, Max Woodcock has been full of praise for the experiences he has had during his time at the club.
“It’s a great academy, they give you chances. It’s one where you look at as an academy player and think ‘i’ve got a good chance of making it through and making a future for myself.’
“There has been some great memories, playing at some great training grounds and some really good stadiums. I could point out Hillsborough, Vicarage Road against Watford, and Ashton Gate. So some really good stadiums, so they’re always great memories.
“Another memory, at Crewe we have been going on tours, so I have been to Bilbao, Madrid, Amsterdam, Valencia and Prague. We go there and play against all different teams so it’s a good experience to play against different teams from different countries.”
Alongside the opportunities Crewe have provided Woodcock, external opportunities have fell to the feet of the winger, in reward for his development and talent in recent years during his scholarship.
2022 saw Woodcock achieve what could only be described as a childhood dream - his first call up to represent Scotland.
“I got my Scotland call-up when I was just going into the second year of my scholarship in September. It was a massive shock to me, like I knew I had been doing well.
“I had always been in and out of Scotland. I was offered to go and train with them when I was 15 but I broke my hand unfortunately about a week before I was meant to go, so I thought that was my chance gone.
“I remember being on my phone and it came up on Twitter, the squad was out, and I saw my name on it! It was a massive shock but also a really proud moment for myself and my family.
“Obviously going there and just making my debut for one was massive, I remember walking out at the stadium and saying ‘i’m playing for my country here.’ It was nervous but more exciting, I was buzzing to play.
“I did alright in my first game and came on against France in my second game, that was tough, they were a really good side. And then in my third game against Estonia, we won 4-1 and I scored and that was just an unbelievable feeling.
WATCH: Max Woodcock’s first goal for Scotland against Estonia
“I remember my Dad was there in the crowd and it was just such a proud moment for me and my family. I spoke to my family about it and they all said what a proud moment it was for all of us, I was just buzzing really!”
The summer of 2021 saw Woodcock be offered a scholarship at the club he had been with for eleven years at the time - an endorsement to enrol a 16 year old on a two year apprenticeship programme.
Leaving school and playing football full-time, the forward has not looked back since accepting the offer, believing he has progressed significantly over the last two years, achieving things upon his wildest dreams.
It can be very easy for players to settle for what they’ve got and what they’ve achieved, taking it all for granted. But with Woodcock, that is far from the case. Acknowledging the honour it is to be a full-time footballer and the millions around the world wishing they could be in a position similar to his.
“I’d say my scholarship, over the last two years has been really good, really enjoyable for me, played a lot of games against a lot of good teams. Obviously playing for Scotland too. It’s been a brilliant two years, I think I have just progressed even more so yeah i’ve really enjoyed it.
“I’d say its just been really good to be in football full-time. You’re lucky, you’ve got something a lot of people want, something a lot of kids want when they’re younger so you’ve got to be grateful for that and work hard to get better and better. That’s what i’m doing now.”
Despite achieving so much already during his academy journey, Max Woodcock knows exactly what he wants - whether that’s in the short term or achievements he is seeking further down the line.
Dreams of playing on the biggest stage, at the highest levels can be said by many unrealistically, but with international caps under your belt at the age of 17 - Woodcock has the justification in abundance as to why he is dreaming so high.
“My aspirations moving forward would be to first of all get a professional contract at Crewe and hopefully in the next couple of years, sort of make a name for yourself and get into the first-team and establish yourself as a first-team player and then hopefully after a couple of years playing as a professional at Crewe, look to move on to a higher league and a bigger club. That’s essentially what I aspire to do, play as high a level as possible and if I can do that then it’ll be brilliant.”