The answer to more effective and diverse talent pathways in global football is for partners across the whole pyramid to embrace tech as a tool for collaboration, not just a service.  

There is a huge gap in the global football talent market: thousands of promising players each year go unnoticed because scouting networks can’t cover every inch of the football pyramid.

This means significant lost income for small clubs and academies around the world, with those in underrepresented regions acutely affected. While not as adverse for professional clubs in more lucrative leagues, they stand to miss out on players who could solve their specific talent needs. 

This lost opportunity represents a huge waste of human and financial potential and, in our view, it’s completely unnecessary given recent advances in technology and data science in football.

So, what can we do to address the waste? There are three steps to realising the full potential of global football talent for all stakeholders: players, academies, clubs, and investors.

1. Fix the pricing system for scouting and player assessment technology

The one-size-fits-all subscription model for AI and data performance analysis tools has been shown to be restrictive for many partners across the football pyramid, especially smaller clubs and development academies in underrepresented markets. We see a future where a wider range of flexible pricing models, including value and success-based pricing, will enable more clubs and academies to participate meaningfully in the talent chain. This will put more talent on the global radar and incentivise and enable more stakeholders to embrace AI, video, and data tools.

2. Smarter use of AI and data tools

Currently, it is primarily bigger clubs that have access to AI and data analysis software as part of their scouting and player development capabilities. However, many struggle to use it to produce the desired outcomes. We need more effective deployment of talent analysis tools to ensure clubs can identify the right players for their specific playing philosophy and squad needs. This means fine-tuning talent platforms based on professionally developed criteria for each position, expert input from coaches and former top players, benchmarking players against their peers, and managing performance metrics to provide clear development plans.

3. An ecosystem approach to foster collaboration in football

All the technology will not unlock the full value of global talent on its own. Perhaps the most crucial step in solving the talent gap in football is to build a collaborative ecosystem of partners across the entire football pyramid. This holistic approach must also embrace the full lifecycle of player careers, involving coaching, player development, career management, education, health, and financial support. Currently, many scouting networks rely on closed-loop arrangements between feeder clubs and academies and larger teams, or one-off bilateral relationships. This limits accessibility to the pool of talent as well as the possible pathways for players. By adopting a more collaborative approach, all stakeholders can unlock greater value for all.

Is your club or academy looking to harness the power of AI-enabled data analytics for talent identification, team performance, coaching, and player transfers? Contact us to get started with a full trial.