Area: Events

This section is where we describe the various innovation events in which we participate.

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Launch of the 10th Edition of the Master’s in Big Data Applied to Football Scouting

This initial session served as an institutional meeting point between the students and the faculty, providing an overview of the academic objectives, methodology, and key areas of focus for what is a particularly significant edition, further consolidating the program’s trajectory following the success of previous cohorts.

The master’s program maintains its strong commitment to academic excellence and specialized training, equipping participants with advanced knowledge in Big Data, machine learning, data analysis, and video analysis, as well as proficiency in key tools such as R and Python, all of which are essential for modern decision-making processes in professional football.

Throughout the program, students will develop competencies related to talent identification, the optimization of scouting processes, and the interpretation of analytical models, contributing to more efficient and strategic information management within sports environments.

As part of this new edition, the Sport Data Forum will take place on March 26 at the Ramón Sánchez-Pizjuán Stadium, bringing together professionals, experts, and industry stakeholders to discuss the latest trends in innovation, technology, and data analytics applied to sport.

With this tenth edition, the program reinforces its position as a well-established academic initiative, making a significant contribution to the development of highly qualified professional profiles and to the advancement of digital transformation within the football industry.

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We’ve reached 30 million followers on social media!

Sevilla FC continues to strengthen its position as one of the most influential clubs in Spain and across the European digital landscape. The club has recently reached a new communication milestone by surpassing 30 million followers across its official profiles worldwide.

In just two years, Sevilla FC has grown its digital community by 10 million users, consolidating its place as the fourth Spanish club with the largest social media following, behind only Real Madrid, FC Barcelona and Atlético de Madrid. This sustained growth is the result of a clear strategy that uses social media as a direct channel for connection, information and entertainment for fans, while also driving the international expansion of the Sevilla FC brand through tailored plans for each market.

Driving Digital International Expansion

Sevilla FC maintains an active presence across the main social media platforms, with particularly strong growth on TikTok and Facebook in recent years. One of the key drivers behind this development has been the club’s internationalization strategy, which uses the digital environment as a vital tool to reach new audiences. Currently, the club communicates in six languages—Spanish, English, Arabic, Chinese and Portuguese—and has a strong footprint in strategic markets such as China, where it has already surpassed two million followers on local social networks, as well as in India, Mexico, the United States, the Middle East, Africa and South America.

Sevilla FC+, A Further Step in the Club’s Digital Transformation

As part of this process, the launch of Sevilla FC+, the club’s on-demand digital content platform, has provided an additional boost to its communication strategy. Since its launch, the platform has surpassed two million views, confirming fans’ strong interest in this new format.

Sevilla FC+ completes the club’s digital media transformation and offers content that is free, registration-based, or subscription-based. Club members have access included after renewing their season ticket for 2025-2026, simply needing to activate the service, while other users can choose from the available subscription plans.

Among the platform’s most notable content are live broadcasts, which have reached peak audiences, especially for preseason matches aired exclusively. Youth academy competitions also play a key role, available both through the subscription and in a pay-per-view format, along with the program El Partido.

The platform also features a carefully curated selection of premium on-demand content, including original productions such as the documentary Jesús Navas: Sobran las Palabras and 16, a series focusing on the club’s history, identity, and fan base. Users can also access historic matches, press conferences, and interviews, adapting to new digital consumption habits. This initiative was recognized with the award for Best New OTT Platform at the SportsPro Media Awards.

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Sevilla FC’s Presence at WFS Riyadh 2025

Sevilla FC continues to strongly pursue its internationalization strategy and was one of the key participants at the World Football Summit Riyadh 2025. The club took part in one of the event’s roundtable discussions to present its international sporting projects.

Specifically, the club’s head of this area, José Collado, participated in a forum alongside Grintafy, Lenovo, and HPE to explain how Sevilla FC uses artificial intelligence in the development of its academy players. The visit also served to further strengthen ties with the main stakeholders in Arab football.

Strategic collaboration agreement with Grintafy

As a clear example of this commitment, Sevilla FC took advantage of its presence in Riyadh to announce the signing of a strategic agreement with Grintafy, the leading football talent discovery platform in the Middle East. The objective of this partnership is to support, train, and enhance young football talents in Saudi Arabia through the exchange of technical and administrative knowledge.

This initiative aligns with the objectives of Saudi Vision 2030, which promotes youth empowerment and the development of sport as a driver of social progress and international projection. In this context, both entities will work jointly on the implementation of training programs, camps, development activities, and coordinated actions that contribute to strengthening the football ecosystem in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and the wider region.

Sevilla FC has maintained a strong and ongoing relationship with Saudi football for several seasons. This is reflected, among other aspects, in the incorporation of players Abdullah Aljirafi and Khalid Aljirafi into its academy. Currently, Abdullah Aljirafi is the top scorer for Sevilla FC “D,” averaging one goal per match, and also ranks fourth in the top scorers’ table of his category, establishing himself as one of the standout talents in the competition.

In addition, the club has strategic agreements with the Saudi Arabian Football Federation through its Future Falcons program, and during the past season it hosted the final of the prestigious Al-Abtal tournament at the Ramón Sánchez-Pizjuán Stadium, reaffirming its commitment to youth talent development and to strengthening sporting ties between Spain and Saudi Arabia.

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Sevilla FC showcases its commitment to digital innovation and fan engagement at WFS 2025

Sevilla FC has once again taken center stage at the World Football Summit, one of the leading international events in the football industry. In the 2025 edition, held in Madrid, the club participated in one of the forum’s panels, highlighting its commitment to technological innovation in managing its digital relationship with fans.

The club’s Director of Digital, Jara Cisneros, took part in a session focused on fan strategy, knowledge, and engagement, alongside Pedro Parellada, CEO of DruID, and Roger Forns, Director of Innovation and Technology at RCD Mallorca.

During her presentation, Cisneros detailed the digital interaction strategy the club has developed in collaboration with DruID. The main goal of this initiative is to provide fans with the best possible user experience within Sevilla FC’s digital ecosystem, facilitating access to the club’s various products and services, including season ticket and match ticket purchases, official merchandise through the e-commerce platform, and the new audiovisual platform Sevilla FC+, among others.

Sevilla FC has also been a pioneer in implementing a digital identification system based on a membership number and a personal PIN, allowing fans to activate their accounts and access all available services. Starting from the 2025–2026 season, this system also provides access to Sevilla FC+ subscription content, including live matches, documentary series, and historic games that form part of the club’s legacy.

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Sevilla FC joins the 11th Aspire Academy Global Summit 2025 in Philadelphia

Sevilla FC took part in the 11th edition of the Aspire Academy Global Summit 2025, held on October 7th and 8th at Subaru Park Stadium in Philadelphia (United States), home of Philadelphia Union from Major League Soccer (MLS). The club’s participation in this prestigious summit reinforces its commitment to football innovation and the continuous training of its professionals, consolidating its role as a global benchmark in talent development and football knowledge.

The Aspire Academy Global Summit brought together representatives from more than 50 clubs and football federations worldwide, along with coaches, academy directors, and performance experts, with the goal of sharing experiences, methodologies, and new trends in both youth and elite football.

Over the two-day summit, participants attended masterclasses and keynote sessions led by renowned figures such as Rafa Benítez, Gareth Southgate, Wilfried Nancy, Alessandro Nesta, and Carly Lloyd, who discussed key topics including leadership, team management, competitive performance, women’s football, and the adaptation of players to the modern game.

In addition to the lectures, the program featured round tables and practical workshops focused on areas such as integrating technology into player development, workload optimization, academy management, and data-driven analysis for improving player performance.

As an active member of the Aspire in the World Fellows community, Sevilla FC continues to strengthen its collaboration with academies and clubs around the globe, promoting the exchange of knowledge and the continuous improvement of its youth development model. This global network, which includes institutions such as Liverpool FC, Paris Saint-Germain, Ajax, and FC Porto, aims to foster international cooperation in football research and innovation.

Through its participation in Philadelphia, Sevilla FC takes another step forward in its institutional and sporting growth strategy, reaffirming its commitment to a methodology-driven and science-based approach that prioritizes the comprehensive development of both coaches and players. This philosophy has established the club as a reference not only for its sporting achievements but also for its ability to evolve and adapt to the future of football.

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Sevilla FC takes center stage at Technology Day Sevilla

Sevilla FC has once again showcased its commitment to technological innovation, this time in its own city, as one of the speakers at the Technology Day Sevilla event organized by ABC and IBM. In this context, the club’s Chief Technology Officer, Elías Zamora, and Fernando Suárez, Director of Software at IBM for Spain, Portugal, Greece, and Israel, presented the joint work to develop the Scout Advisor tool.

In this regard, Sevilla FC’s data department, in collaboration with IBM’s Client Engineering team, developed the Scout Advisor tool. This solution leverages natural language processing and watsonx foundation models to explore and analyze large volumes of information stored in the club’s player scouting report databases, with the aim of assessing potential signings. The system integrates both quantitative information —such as height, weight, speed, goals, or minutes played— and unstructured qualitative content, including textual analyses found in more than 200,000 scout reports.

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Sevilla FC attends the Technical Meeting on Coach Training in Spain

Sevilla Fútbol Club took part in the historic “Technical Meeting” held at the Ciudad del Fútbol on July 15, 2025. The event was organized by the Royal Spanish Football Federation (RFEF) under the leadership of its president, Rafael Louzán. Representatives from the Spanish National Sports Council (CSD), UEFA, and numerous public and private training centers for sports coaches (TD and TDS) in football and futsal also participated.

The main outcome of the day was the announcement of the creation of a joint working group between the RFEF and the CSD, with the aim of establishing a more coordinated, transparent, and inclusive model for coach training. This group will be responsible for continuously monitoring the UEFA 2025 Recognition of Competence (RoC) Process, with the goal of improving professional access and facilitating international mobility for Spanish coaches.

During the meeting, prominent UEFA members — Josef Zahorsky, Kris Van der Haegen, and Ennio Bovolenta — expressed their support for the initiative, viewing it as an opportunity to strengthen consistency and quality in technical training. On behalf of the CSD, Secretary General Ricardo Laso de la Vega conveyed the organization’s commitment to actively collaborate in aligning Spanish regulations with European standards and ensuring the legal practice of the profession both nationally and internationally.

Coaches’ unions and associations were also present and described the initiative as a significant step forward in improving the working and academic conditions of future coaches. The RFEF reaffirmed its commitment to providing clear and up-to-date information on current training processes, with the goal of promoting rigorous and standardized coach education.

In this context, the enrollment period for the Intermediate and Advanced levels of the official Technical Degree in Football opened last June at the CAED Sevilla FC – Innovation Center. This officially accredited program is fully aligned with the new training frameworks established by the RFEF, CSD, and UEFA.

Interested individuals can find more information and begin the registration process through this link.

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Data in Football: An Essential Tool for the Coaching Staff

The importance of data in football has been the central topic in various roundtable discussions. Sergio González, an expert in analysis, emphasized that data is here to stay and its integration into the coaching staff is essential. A good understanding between analysts and coaches allows for determining what information is necessary to improve performance. He also stressed the need for analysts to actively engage and filter relevant data to facilitate decision-making.

Daniel Del Valle, on the other hand, highlighted the importance of convincing the coach of the value of data. In his opinion, the proper use of information can make a key difference at critical moments of a match. He also reminded that artificial intelligence does not replace human work but serves as a supportive tool.

Jesús Galván, a representative from Sevilla, explained that the club’s players are familiar with data from the youth categories. They aim to understand their strengths and weaknesses, using information as a way to improve their performance. He also noted that data is a useful tool to motivate players and establish a dialogue with them, as long as it is interpreted properly.

From a different perspective, Miguel Do Carmo highlighted the challenge of training coaches in data usage. According to his experience, once coaches understand the available information, they can request specific data according to their needs. However, he warned about the importance of synthesizing the information and providing reliable data without imposing work methods.

Omar Bautista, for his part, emphasized that the data strategy is the foundation of the work at his club. The collection and analysis of information have become key pillars for decision-making and optimizing player performance.

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Video analysis has become an essential tool for football professionals.

Former footballer Carlos Marchena spoke about how video analysis can help convince players about performance improvement. “The image leaves no room for doubt,” he stated. “Sound is also very important—observing how much time you spend talking during training sessions,” Marchena continued, referring this time to the work of coaches.

Reflecting on his past, Marchena recalled that video analysis was not commonly used in his early days as a player. “Video was not worked on before; there was no trust in it. Full matches were played without analysis. But video is a tool that helps a lot, especially when you come to understand it with maturity,” he added. Now, in his academy, he actively uses video to record matches, later analyzing and observing the behavior of both coaches and players.

José María Cruz followed up by addressing the accessibility of video analysis tools. “I see the process as very accessible, especially for amateur teams. Self-financing tools and content creation allow for cost-effective, creative, and innovative storage solutions.” Beyond that, he highlighted the importance of providing meaningful feedback. “It’s not just about sending a document; an in-depth analysis must be conducted. Educating players on the correct use of the tool and creating content to enhance performance is crucial,” he added.

To conclude, Javier Pichel emphasized the evolution of processes and how video analysis has become a fundamental method for improving player performance. He encouraged all teams to take advantage of technological advancements to enhance their performance, regardless of the club’s size, as these technologies are increasingly accessible.

Video analysis is no longer a tool of the future; it has firmly established itself in the present, where technology provides added value to football, significantly enhancing the performance of both players and coaches.

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The Sport Data Forum 2025 Addresses the Evolution of Data-Driven Sporting Directorates

The development of young prospects is a fundamental aspect of any strategic plan within a sporting directorate. Romeo Jozak, technical director of Future Falcons, is well aware of this. Speaking at the Sport Data Forum 2025, he highlighted the significant investment that will be made in the coming years to foster the growth of young footballers in Saudi Arabia. He emphasized that the country has immense potential but that it is crucial to educate these players professionally in Europe.

Jozak also mentioned the challenges of managing information in such a vast country and how they are working on data organization to optimize player performance. In this regard, he stressed the great career opportunities for young Spanish analysts, who can contribute their expertise in data analysis and football development.

One of Future Falcons’ main objectives is to identify and distribute talent to elite leagues, with the goal of having 30 competitive players in the national team over the next 10 years.

The Balance Between Technology and Experience

Eduardo Covelo, former head of methodology at RC Celta de Vigo, took the stage to emphasize the importance of correctly interpreting data within the sporting context. He pointed out that data and technology should complement, rather than replace, experience and intuition. For Covelo, success lies in striking a balance between these two factors, avoiding an excessive dependence on analytics.

He also stressed that while technology has made talent identification faster and more efficient, the real challenge today is not only spotting talent but also developing it. He predicted that, over time, many intangible aspects of football would be measured with precision, creating new opportunities in sports management.

Another speaker, Luis Helguera (sporting director of UD Las Palmas), explained that the divide between data analysis and subjective interpretation of the game no longer exists. In his view, the real challenge is finding professionals who can handle data but also understand the game from within.

For this reason, he encouraged data specialists to expand their knowledge by taking coaching courses and learning traditional football methodologies. This, he said, would allow them to interpret analytical information more effectively. He also emphasized the difficulty of finding hybrid profiles, individuals who can combine technological expertise with a deep understanding of the game, a growing need in club sporting directorates.

The three experts agreed on several key points regarding the evolution of data-driven sporting directorates, particularly in their belief that data is essential, but without passion and context, it loses its true value.

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The Video Analysis Revolution in Football

In modern football, information means power, which translates into an advantage over others. In a sport where every detail matters, video analysis has become a fundamental tool for coaches. Roberto López states that “The language that the coach understands is video. That is why this tool is so important, as all data is linked to video.”

The customization of this tool for each club is key—it’s a competitive advantage. Sports analysis consultancies work directly with clubs to offer personalized dashboards tailored to each team’s specific needs. It is not just about transforming data into information but about providing real value to coaching staff.

Highly qualified professionals work alongside coaching teams, ensuring that the tools are fully functional and adapted to the coach’s needs. However, the use of artificial intelligence in data analysis requires caution. It is essential to apply sound judgment when evaluating AI-generated insights, as AI can also make mistakes. Therefore, it is crucial to have experts who can interpret the data correctly.

The football of the future will depend on how today’s tools are used. The key lies in combining human expertise with data analysis to optimize strategies and enhance team performance. Despite all technological advancements, football remains a sport of chaotic nature, where passion and uncertainty are an essential part of its magic.

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Sergio Fernández protagonista en el SDF25

El Sport Data Forum 2025 continúa con una ponencia sobre Dirección deportiva: un modelo integral basado en innovación y sentimiento en la que participaron Sergio Fernández, director deportivo del Club Deportivo Alavés, y Pablo Sanzol, miembro de la secretaría técnica del mismo club. En esta sesión, se abordaron las estrategias clave del Deportivo Alavés en cuanto a la dirección deportiva basada en la innovación, el rendimiento y el sentimiento de pertenencia.

Sergio Fernández explicó el modelo del Deportivo Alavés, estructurado en tres pilares fundamentales: Rendimiento, Innovación y Sentimiento. Destacó cómo, tras su descenso a Segunda División, el club llevó a cabo un análisis profundo de los errores cometidos con el fin de no repetirlos en el futuro. A partir de esta evaluación, definieron su enfoque en nichos de mercado estratégicos para la búsqueda de jugadores.

Una de las claves del modelo del Alavés ha sido focalizar la captación de futbolistas en una franja de edad entre los 20 y 24 años, segmento que ha demostrado ofrecer los mejores resultados de rendimiento para el club. Como muestra de su evolución, Fernández destacó que actualmente cuentan con solo tres jugadores cedidos, en contraste con los nueve que tuvieron en la temporada en que descendieron, lo que refleja una gestión más estable y planificada de la plantilla.

Por su parte, Pablo Sanzol detalló el proceso de trabajo dentro de la secretaría técnica del club, basado en tres fases fundamentales:

En cuanto al ajuste de información, los datos de los distintos proveedores se adaptan a su propio Index Alavés, en una fase inicial totalmente cualitativa. En relación a la valoración de los jugadores, se evalúa en función de unos parámetros específicos establecidos por el club. Para la realización de los informes, se analiza en profundidad el desempeño y la proyección de cada jugador. 

Además, Sanzol subrayó la importancia de conocer los modelos de juego de cada liga para orientar el scouting hacia competiciones que mejor se alineen con la estrategia del Deportivo Alavés.

Durante la mesa redonda, los ponentes compartieron algunas de las ideas más relevantes en su metodología de trabajo La ponencia dejó claro que la innovación y el uso de datos juegan un papel crucial en la planificación deportiva del Deportivo Alavés. La aplicación estratégica de esta información no solo optimiza la toma de decisiones, sino que también permite al club maximizar su competitividad dentro de su contexto deportivo.