From the dressing room before kick-off to the final whistle under European lights, Scott Groult is responsible for capturing the moments that define a season at Lille OSC.
At just 30, the Lead Photographer at LOSC has already built a career at the heart of elite football – blending sporting culture, creativity and discretion to shape the club’s visual identity. A former youth player who studied Sports Marketing before travelling the world with his camera, Scott’s path into professional football photography was driven by persistence and passion.
In this edition of Industry Insider, he shares what life is really like working inside a top European club – from matchday pressure and media strategy to emotional nights in the UEFA Champions League.
Tell us about yourself, what do you do in your current role and what roles have you done previously?
I’m Scott Groult, 29 years old and Lead Photographer at Lille OSC since July 2020.
Inspired by football, hip-hop and fashion culture, I became a photographer after graduating with a Master’s degree in Sports Marketing in Paris. Before that, I played football from the age of five and progressed through Sport Studies up to the excellent U17 category. Football was always my priority growing up.
After finishing my studies, I travelled around the world for a year with my camera. That experience changed everything – I got the bug and decided I wanted to become a professional photographer.
With that goal in mind, I contacted the Fédération Française de Football and Paris Saint-Germain to try and create opportunities. After consistent perseverance, I had the chance to join Lille. My first mission was to upgrade the club’s image on social media, and that is how my adventure started.
Today, I work in permanent contact with the Media Team, our photo agency partner, players and staff. I cover everything – home and away matches, training sessions, pre-season stages, commercial shoots, media days and transfer windows. As a member of the Media Team, we work closely together on the club’s social media strategy.
What three words would you use to describe your role?
Quality. Creativity. Discretion.
Quality – When you work in a big club and directly with players, you have no other choice but to deliver quality work.
Creativity – A football season follows a similar rhythm every year – pre-season, transfer window, training, match – repeat. I challenge myself to always bring something new, to find different angles and perspectives. I look for inspiration not only in football, but also in fashion and other sports.
Discretion – It is very important to do your job with discretion. As club media, we have to be transparent. You can be close to players, but you must never forget that you work for them.
“Normal” isn’t a thing in sport – so what does an “average” week look like for you?
A normal week usually includes three morning training sessions. After each session, I select and edit my photos, then upload them to our internal cloud. The players and our community manager have access to it.
The best part of the week is matchday. For me, a match represents around seven hours of work. I arrive two to two and a half hours before kick-off to photograph the stadium, dressing room, player arrivals and warm-ups. During the game, I send photos live. After the final whistle, I spend at least another hour editing and delivering the pictures – sometimes more, depending on the result.
Thanks to European competitions like the UEFA Europa Conference League, we also travel across Europe and discover new stadiums, which makes every season different.
How did you end up where you are right now? When did you know you wanted to work in sport?
Football has always been part of my life. I studied Sports Marketing because I knew I wanted to work in sport, but I did not know exactly in which role.
It was during my year travelling around the world that I realised photography was what I wanted to do professionally. Combining football and photography felt natural. After that, I worked hard to create opportunities, contacted clubs and federations, and kept pushing until I earned my place.
What is your number one focus when it comes to your work?
My number one focus is to deliver the best job possible. If the players and the club are happy with my pictures, then my job is well done.
I always challenge myself to create strong memories through my images.
What’s the most important lesson you’ve learned in your career so far?
Football is a very specific industry. There are many unwritten codes, as well as financial and sporting pressure. Behaviour is extremely important.
You have to earn your place with the staff and players. If you earn their respect, it becomes much easier to work, and opportunities will come naturally.
What are you most excited about in the sport industry?
The most beautiful thing sport can offer is emotion. Only sport – and especially football for me – can create emotions like that.
One of my strongest memories in Lille was actually a defeat. Last season in the UEFA Europa Conference League, we lost on penalties against Aston Villa. Even though we lost, the atmosphere in the stadium and the way the team played was incredible. That is what makes sport so special.
If you could change one thing about the industry, what would it be?
Football is often described as a reflection of society. What I regret is the violence around the game. We must not forget that it is a sport and a spectacle.
I am in stadiums every week and sometimes I feel desperate seeing certain behaviours. Respect is sometimes lost, and that is sad.
Sport is a hectic industry – what do you do to switch off?
A football season takes a lot of energy. There is always a match, always news, always something happening.
To disconnect, I travel two or three times during the season. It is important for mental health. Even when I travel, I often visit stadiums or look for a match to watch – football is never far away.
If you were to give one piece of advice to someone wanting to do your role, what would you say?
Thanks to Instagram, many people can call themselves photographers. That is a good thing, but working as a professional photographer in sport is very difficult. Positions are limited and competition is high.
Working in sport is a dream, but it demands time, energy and sacrifice. You might have a European away game during the week and another away match at the weekend. That means little time at home.
If you want to enter this industry, be ready to give everything and always aim to be the best. There are many people who want your place.
Working in professional football is often seen as a dream – but as Scott explains, it demands discipline, resilience and constant self-challenge.
From earning the trust of players and staff to delivering real-time images under pressure, his role at Lille OSC goes far beyond taking pictures. It is about storytelling, responsibility and capturing emotion at the highest level of the game.
For those looking to break into elite sport, his message is clear – be prepared to give everything, respect the industry’s codes and never stop pushing your creativity.
How to connect with Scott Groult…
Instagram – @scottyfrenchhh
Website – scottyfrenchh.com
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