Betting exchanges, such as Betfair, give us the ability to trade football in-play and this has completely changed football betting.
Football trading and betting are often lumped into the same category, but they are actually very different approaches.
Rather than place a bet and then hope it wins, football trading means you can let games kick-off and then decide whether or not to bet based on the action on the pitch.
For example, if you plan to back the home team to win, you can make sure that they are creating chances before risking a penny of your money.
There are plenty of other benefits to trading as well. You can take advantage of better prices, reduce liabilities as goals are scored and secure profits before the final whistle.
In this guide, I'll explain how football trading works and I'll share some great resources to help you get started.
What is Football Trading?
Football trading is a way of betting on football where you place back and lay bets on a betting exchange like Betfair. As the odds move before kick-off and during a match, you can lock in a profit or cut your losses before the game even finishes.
This means that you are not solely relying on the final result. You can also often back teams at better prices and avoid the agony of late goals spoiling your bets.
You can think of Betfair trading as a '90 minute stock market'.
Let’s say that Dave is a financial trader looking to buy shares in Coca-Cola.
He checks the financial history of the company, strength of the competition, current market conditions and so on.
Based on all the data he can find, Dave makes an informed judgement about future profit and growth potential.
He looks at the share price and, if it shows some value, he decides to buy.
If Coca-Cola release some good news – perhaps a new flavour that starts selling very well – the price rises and Dave can sell his shares.
The difference between the price Dave bought his shares at and the price he sold them for is his profit.
Switch out Coca-Cola for Manchester City and the same criteria apply.
As a football trader Dave checks previous performance, strength of the opposition, recent form and any other useful statistics that he can find.
In exactly the same way, he makes an informed judgement about Manchester City’s likely performance in their next match and looks for value in the various markets.
It may be that Dave expects Manchester City to score the first goal of the game during the first half. He then has a number of markets he can choose to trade in.
Each of these markets lasts for a maximum of 90 minutes and Dave will know the outcome of his investment either when or before the final whistle blows.
It’s as if a stock market has been condensed into a very small amount of time.
As football traders, we have complete control over our risk/reward.
Here's a quick summary of football trading vs betting.
How do Betting Exchanges Work?
A traditional bookmaker offers punters the chance to back various outcomes.
It might be the home team to win, over 2.5 goals, a particular player to score, or any one of dozens of other options at prices set by the bookie.
But at a betting exchange it is punters who set the prices on both sides of the book.
In other words, you can choose to back an outcome as if you were using a traditional bookmaker or go opposite and lay it.
That's right, you can do what the bookies do!
Backing and Laying Explained
Backing and laying are the two sides of every exchange market.
Backing means betting that something will happen.
For example, if you back Over 2.5 Goals, you need at least three goals in the match.
Laying means betting that something will not happen.
So, if you lay Over 2.5 Goals, you are taking the opposite side of that bet. You want the match to finish with two goals or fewer.
That is what makes a betting exchange so powerful for football traders. You are not limited to one opinion before kick-off. You can back first and lay later, or lay first and back later, depending on how the match develops and how the prices move.
Backing then laying (or laying then backing) is how Betfair traders make their profit.
The aim is to understand which way a betting market is likely to move, how much it might move and when the right time is to enter or exit.
Here's an example of Betfair's Match Odds markets.
The prices to back are blue and the prices to lay are pink.
The gap between the two prices is known as the spread, and the amount of money available at each price shows how much can currently be matched.
As a beginner, you do not need to understand every number on the screen right away.
If you're new to all this, we have explained betting exchanges in much more detail here including back and lay betting, commission, Betfair's Premium Charge and more.
Now let's look at how football trading actually works.
Football Trading Strategies
Most new traders believe that they just need to buy a good football trading strategy and then they will make a lot of money.
Unfortunately, it's not quite as simple as that.
If football trading was as simple as buying one strategy and following it blindly, everyone would be doing it. The reality is different.
The truth is that successful football trading is not only about strategies. Match selection, timing, price, discipline and bank management all play a major role.
For example, lay the draw is a great strategy that's been around for many years.
There's no secret to it... you lay the draw and then, at some point, you back the draw again. You'll also see traders who make money with it and others who don't.
The difference is rarely the strategy itself. It is more often the way the trader selects the match, waits for the right moment, reads the in-play action and manages the trade.
In-Play Football Trading
Most of us now have fast internet connections, mobile devices and access to apps that help us to stay in touch with football matches all over the world.
Because of this, the popularity of in-play trading has risen in recent years.
Almost any betting exchange market can be traded as long as there is enough liquidity.
In other words, there needs to be enough interest from other traders who are also looking to back and lay in the same markets so you're able to get your bets matched.
When I first started trading, there was not a lot of liquidity in the Betfair Correct Score market. However, the growth of in-play trading has made a huge difference.
These days, you can get large stakes matched even in some smaller leagues on a Saturday afternoon when the biggest leagues are playing.
That opens up so many more correct score trading opportunties.
We use 3 correct score strategies at Goal Profits, plus team member Bryn Roberts is having huge success with our Assured Soccer Profits strategy.
Does Trading Need Lots of Time?
We're often asked how long it takes to trade football as opposed to betting.
Quite obviously, trading takes a bit more time than betting, but you don't have to sit in front of your screen the whole time.
Once your trading position is open, what do you have to do?
You're usually waiting on a goal so you can go watch TV, read a book or do some housework. A score site such as Flashscore will tell you when a goal goes in.
Download the Flashscore app and go outside to wash the car if you want. With the Betfair app on your phone, you might not even need to come back inside the house!
And no, you don't need to watch the football matches you trade.
Our Live Stats Module (LSM) tracks the in-play stats for hundreds of football matches all over the world. Shots, corners, dangerous attacks, attack ratings - it's all there.
Goal Profits members know exactly which football matches have plenty of action and which teams are actively trying to score. What an advantage that is!
Our Live Stats Module (LSM) is the best in-play football stats tracker available online. It’s ideal for beginners but essential for professional traders.
An entire football match is only 90 minutes and many Betfair trading techniques focus on either the first or second half which immediately cuts that in half.
For example, I save time by only researching second half trades in matches that have a favourable half-time score. I can easily do that during half-time thanks to Team Stats.
And our Live Stats Module tracks all the action during the first half, so I don't even need to login until half-time!
Football trading does take more attention than set-and-forget betting, but it does not have to mean watching matches all day.
One of the advantages is that trading gives you more control than traditional betting because you can react to what is happening in-play. However, it still carries risk and it only works when you have a clear plan, discipline and sensible bank management.
If you really want to be a successful football trader you will find a way to make it work for you, just as every professional trader did.
Football Trading Mindset
Professional Betfair traders avoid losses as much as possible. While you may argue that all bettors, traders and gamblers do that, it's subtly different.
Avoiding a loss is not the same as trying to win a bet.
It's a strange concept for most who are new to trading because their mindset is geared up towards winners, winners and more winners.
A simple football betting system usually has two outcomes; win or lose.
When you trade, however, there are always 3 possible results; win, lose or scratch.
A scratch trade is one in which you neither make a profit nor a loss.
But remember... every time you make scratch, you have won your stake back and had a free bet.
Scratch is a winning trade and once you see it that way, trading becomes much easier.
In order to be profitable on Betfair, you literally have to take money from other traders who are aiming to do exactly the same to you.
It's a ruthless game of cat and mouse!
If you log in on a Saturday afternoon looking for entertainment, you will lose money. Of course you will have winning days, but overall you will lose.
The winners will be those who have more discipline and patience.
Even the best Betfair strategy in the world will fail if you don't have the patience to use it at the right times!
Football Trading Guides
New to football trading?
These guides explain the key concepts in more detail:
A beginners guide to the basics of exchange trading. This explains how backing and laying work, with simple examples to show the difference between them.
Learn about the main betting exchanges available to UK traders, including liquidity, commission and how to avoid the Betfair Premium Charge.
Learn why prices move before kick-off and during football matches. Understand the factors that cause odds to shorten or drift and it matters when trading football.
It's an exciting way to trade football on Betfair, but how does it work? Learn about correct score trading, how to find target score trades and profit expectations.
See how the Live Stats Module tracks in-play football action, highlights attacking momentum and alerts you when matches meet your trading criteria.
Research teams, trends and match data before placing a trade. This guide shows how you can use Team Stats to make more informed football trading decisions.
Learn how to manage the mental side of football trading, from profit expectations and FOMO to handling losses, losing runs and emotional decision-making.
Learn how to trade football with Goal Profits. Follow structured training on the tools, strategies and mindset needed to become a confident football trader.
Why Goal Profits?
Football trading can feel overwhelming when you are trying to research matches from a huge fixture list and then monitor them in-play.
This is where Goal Profits aims to simplify the process.
We provide everything you need in one place.
Find Matches Faster
The Today’s Qualifiers section helps traders quickly identify matches that fit specific football trading strategies and filters, saving hours of manual research each day.
Track Your Results
With our Results Tracker you can log your trades in seconds with no spreadsheets needed. See what's working and what isn't, so you know where to improve.
Monitor Games In-Play
The Live Stats Module allows you to track matches in real time using live in-play statistics and alerts. See when teams are pushing for a goal so you know when to enter and when to stay out of the market.
Learn Proven Strategies
The Goal Profits Academy contains tutorials, strategy guides and real examples to help traders better understand how football trading works in practice.
