Budapest is not only the capital of Hungary but during this week it is also the capital of European football with the celebration of the UEFA Europa League final between Sevilla FC and AS Roma. The Club is present in the city of the Danube not only for its sporting merits, but also for being a reference in technological development in football. Not in vain, it was invited prior to the semi-finals for the ‘Football Forum Hungary 2023’, which was held at the Groupama Arena in Budapest on Tuesday and which dealt with all the current issues in professional football, serving as a meeting point for the exchange of information and knowledge.
Sevilla FC’s presence at the congress was by no means testimonial, but rather played a leading role with two presentations given by Juan Esteban Gómez Llamas, head of digitalisation in the Football R&D&I Department. In the first of these, he explained the Club’s commitment to innovation through its Innovation Center. Specifically, he focused on the use of data for player recruitment and talent development, with tools such as ‘AiFootball’, developed exclusively by Sevilla FC.
In addition, Juan Esteban Gómez participated in a second presentation, together with the delegate and head of business development of LaLiga in Hungary, Jesús Pizarro Bravo, focused on technological development in general. An aspect in which Sevilla FC has been an international reference for several years now. In addition to delving into the origin of this strategic commitment of the Entity, the presentation showed as an example the creation of ‘Transfer Tracker’. A tool devised by Sevilla FC, aimed at optimising economic income from training rights (FIFA’s solidarity mechanism) and which has been marketed internationally through LaLiga Tech. An unprecedented milestone at club level.
“The VII Youth Academy Meeting concluded this Tuesday at the Ramón Sánchez-Pizjuán with the presentation of the technological model implemented by Sevilla FC in its youth ranks and the anticipated updates expected in the coming months as part of LaLiga’s National Youth Academy Optimization and Improvement Plan. Sevilla FC is a pioneer in the development and utilization of technological tools aimed at optimizing all processes related to youth development. Additionally, through LaLiga’s Impulse Plan, the club envisions a series of investments for the future.
The two-day congress served as a platform for the club to showcase key aspects of using various technological tools in everything related to the youth academy. In the words of José María Cruz Gallardo, head of the club’s R&D department, ‘It is an honor that we have been chosen as a reference in terms of technology, work processes, and infrastructure. The player recruitment and development process is multifactorial, and we try to translate all of that into variables that we can analyze, quantify, and transform into a 360º view of the player. Everything is aimed at helping make the best possible decisions within the youth player development process, that is, within our youth academy’s strategic plan.'”
All LaLiga Santander and LaLiga SmartBank clubs, present in this seventh edition, exchanged information, experiences, and advancements within a joint project through which LaLiga aims to position Spanish clubs ahead of the rest of their European competitors. Special interest was shown in articulating a legal advancement that provides protection to clubs regarding young talents who, with a simple change of residence, leave their training teams.
“The future of Spanish football lies in the youth academies,” emphasized Monchi, the sporting director of Sevilla FC, on the first day. The key to improvement is sharing methodologies and information to seek feedback that aids in self-reflection, correction, and growth. “Nothing is luck, and the example is in this season. Initially, there was no bad luck, and now it’s not a matter of good luck either; it’s about reflecting, self-critiquing, and achieving the desired improvement,” explained Monchi.
