Area: Events

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

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Sevilla FC presents Scout Advisor at the IBM Techxchange Summit 2024

Sevilla FC was present this Tuesday at the opening of the prestigious IBM TechXchange Summit, one of the most important technological congresses whose 2024 edition is taking place in Barcelona. An unbeatable opportunity to present Scout Advisor, the innovative Generative Artificial Intelligence (AI) tool that the club will use to identify and characterise players based on the natural language present in the scouting reports generated by its scouts, to an audience of more than 1,500 people.

Built on ‘watsonx’, IBM’s Artificial Intelligence (AI) and data platform for enterprises, Scout Advisor is being developed at the express request of Sevilla FC and complements its AiFootball and AiScouting tools by integrating with them in the future. Elías Zamora, data director of Sevilla FC, was in charge of presenting Scout Advisor on the main stage of the convention, together with the vice-president of IBM, Dinesh Nirmal, who had travelled to Spain and was wearing a Sevilla FC shirt for the occasion. They inaugurated the three-day event.

Scout Advisor makes it possible to automatically identify and characterise players based on textual information from hundreds of thousands of scouting reports. “We have probably the most extensive player database in football and now with Scout Advisor the process of searching and finding talent among so many reports will be much more accurate and faster. Generative artificial intelligence allows us to process the subjective aspects described with human language in its different forms and not only the objective data,” explained Elías Zamora.

The alliance between Sevilla FC and IBM confirms the club’s commitment to technological development, which has made it a reference in innovation in the world of football. In this sense, IBM did not hesitate to propose this collaboration with an entity, Sevilla FC, which it considers to be one of those high-level companies that create value and use technological innovation to transform the business, as admitted both Dinesh Nirmal this Tuesday in Barcelona and Fernando Suárez, director of Software in Spain for IBM, in the presentation to the media last week in Seville.

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Sevilla FC’s successful participation in the WFS in Saudi Arabia

The Asian edition of the World Football Summit (WFS), held this week in Jeddah (Saudi Arabia), has allowed Sevilla FC to present its innovation proposal to clubs, federations, companies and other international organisations. One of the most important strategic pillars of the club, which seeks to increase its competitiveness at the highest level through technology. Sevilla FC offered itself to the world of football as a training and consultancy channel for entities seeking to make a qualitative leap in their growth, especially for clubs and federations in the MENA area.

Jesús Arroyo, assistant general manager of Sevilla FC, was in charge of presenting, under the name ‘A vision of the future through innovation’, this business plan, which has the Innovation Center as its cornerstone. Through it, the club shares its acquired knowledge and experience, which have made Sevilla FC an international benchmark, with third parties who want to train, whether players, coaches or directly with clubs and federations through a strategic alliance. After his presentation, the Sevillista manager held dozens of meetings and interviews with representatives of organisations interested in the proposal. The club has training offers for players through the ‘Soccer Academy’, the ‘Players Academy’ and an innovative project for a team made up of international players to compete in Spain at youth level. Also for coaches, with the ‘Sevilla FC Coaches Academy’, and managers, through various online master’s degrees thanks to synergies with different universities.

Also present at the WFS in Yeda was Elías Zamora, head of the Data Department, who took part in a round table to discuss the importance in a football club of an area that generates tools based on big data. So far, Sevilla FC has developed a series of its own tools to optimise all areas and business units of the club, with the success of Transfer Tracker in the showcase and with interesting new projects that will see the light of day in 2024.

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Sevilla FC will be present at the World Football Summit in Saudi Arabia

Following the success of the Seville edition last September, the World Football Summit (WFS) will once again feature Sevilla FC at this December’s edition, which will be held in Jeddah (Saudi Arabia) next week. The prestigious football industry congress has wanted the Nervión club to present and explain to the whole world its commitment to technological development. A strategic plan that has turned the club into an international benchmark in just a few years.

The assistant general manager of Sevilla FC, Jesús Arroyo, will speak on an exclusive panel entitled ‘A vision of the future through innovation’. In his presentation, the club’s executive will explain to the world why Sevilla FC decided to commit to technological innovation and strengthen its R&D+i department and how it intends to export all the knowledge acquired by creating new business opportunities.

Also participating in the WFS will be Elías Zamora, Head of the club’s Data Department, who has developed a series of proprietary tools to optimise all areas and business units of the club, with the success of Transfer Tracker in the showcase. Zamora will participate in a round table discussion on the importance of having a data department in football clubs today. The WFS will be held over two days, on Tuesday 12 and Wednesday 13.

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The technological commitment of Sevilla FC, a successful example showcased by LaLiga.

Sevilla FC, represented by Elías Zamora, the Director of the Data Department, held a meeting with international media at LaLiga headquarters in Madrid. A session that took place last weekend in which the club showcased its commitment to technological development and innovation. The strategy pursued by the organization has been pivotal in the sporting successes achieved during the 21st century and has been diversifying it into other areas of the football business.

With the title Sevilla FC: A Benchmark in Innovation and Data Area Development, LaLiga highlighted Sevilla FC’s performance as a success example in these fields, where it has become an international reference in the world of football. Elías Zamora explained the complexity of the football business model and how the acquisition and interpretation of objective data-based information can aid economic growth: “We aim, through technology, innovation, and Big Data, to extract valuable information to create new products and services that can generate economic income from various sources”.

The club’s already developed technological projects were brought to light and sparked the interest of all the media representatives present, hailing from three different continents. These are the cases of ‘AiFootball’, ‘AiScouting’, ‘AiRadar’ -to detect early talent in other leagues through technical and tactical parameters adapted to the philosophy of Sevilla FC -, ‘AiTicketing’ -that allows predicting attendance at upcoming matches based on their previous behavior -, ‘AiFans’ and ‘AiSponsoring’. Furthermore, ‘Transfer Tracker’, a project developed in collaboration with LaLiga Tech following an initial prototype conducted at Sevilla FC called ‘AiTracking’ and has been a worldwide success.

In this technology conference, Miguel Ángel Leal, Director of the Office of Technology and Innovation at LaLiga, and José Luis Quintero, Head of Customer Success at LaLiga Tech, also participated. Both of them discussed the technology they use in their fight against piracy, the evolution of Mediacoach, which helps minimize the risk of injury in football, the OTT LALIGA+, and the technological aspect of LaLiga Impulso, aimed at accelerating the development of clubs to increase their profits.

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Sevilla FC hosts ECA knowledge-sharing conference

Sevilla FC is hosting this week a European Club Association (ECA) knowledge exchange conference, which will take place both at the Ciudad Deportiva José Ramón Cisneros Palacios and at the Estadio Ramón Sánchez-Pizjuán. On this occasion, the subject to be dealt with is the methodology followed by the club in its youth academy, one of the most fruitful on the national scene. It will take place over three days, from Tuesday to Thursday, through theoretical and practical training sessions given by Sevilla FC staff, members of the ECA since its creation in 2008.

To do so, the participants will use the training sessions of the teams of the different youth categories. The first two days will be held at the sports facilities, precisely for this purpose. In addition, this Tuesday Sevilla FC will host UD Almería at the Ramón Sánchez-Pizjuán in the seventh LaLiga matchday, which means that the Sevilla stadium will be able to host the final matchday on Thursday. On that day, all the participants, at the end of their final sessions, will get to know the inside of the stadium and all the special features of the Stadium Tour.

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Sevilla FC, the protagonist at the Sport Summit Leaders in Argentina.

Sevilla FC has been present this week at the prestigious ‘Sport Summit Leaders’ congress held in Argentina, where it was represented by Juan Esteban Gómez, the club’s coordinator for digitization and continuous improvement. He did so by sharing with the attendees the innovation and data management model for professional football carried out by Sevilla FC, which was described by the event’s moderator as “a success story and a model to follow,” considering the results achieved

Since 2019, when the ‘Innovation Center’ was launched as a meeting point for the innovative proposals that the club offers to the sports industry, the number of projects that provide added value through work processes has been increasing. “We need to generate capital gains and new business lines, which is why the project is not just a one-time need,” said Juan Esteban, before gradually explaining the work that is being carried out. “Making mistakes is allowed, but not trying is not,” he added when explaining the creation of three key areas: R&D&I, Data, and Innovation Center.

The R&D&I area comprises four pillars: Medicine and Sports Science, Data Football, Analysis and Digitalization, and Performance. All with the aim of “contributing to the achievement of the sporting goals through the pursuit of excellence by means of research, development, and the implementation of technology and methodologies that improve the first team’s results,” in the words of Juan Esteban. Another concept conveyed referred to the importance of sharing knowledge: “If we want to innovate, it’s foolish to think that we have all the knowledge ourselves; we should invite people and companies that want to become part of our organization.”

The representative of Sevilla FC also explained projects that have been implemented and are the result of the organization’s technological commitment., one of these projects is AI FOOTBALL, which aims to search for and characterize players; AI RADAR, which has become a “lighthouse” for tracking the market; AI TRACKING, which has subsequently been commercialized with LaLiga Tech as TRANSFER TRACKER, a service for all clubs worldwide that helps determine the corresponding training rights for your players; AI TICKETING, an AI-based platform that predicts stadium attendance at Ramón Sánchez-Pizjuán; AI FANS, currently in development to better understand and interact with fans; and AI PATROCINIOS, which enables sponsor scouting.

Juan Esteban concluded by emphasizing the importance of people with an inspired focus to build work processes based on continuous improvement supported by technology.

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Pablo de Olavide University recognizes Sevilla FC on its 25th anniversary.

Pablo de Olavide University is celebrating its 25th anniversary, and throughout the 2022/23 academic year, it has been commemorating its first quarter-century of existence with a special program of activities. A calendar of actions that culminated on Tuesday at its headquarters with a recognition event for entities that have initiated and developed various projects of academic, social, cultural, and research nature. Among these entities is Sevilla FC, the only club in Spain that holds an entire Academic Chair at a public university, precisely at Pablo de Olavide University, named ‘University, Business, and Sports.’ Specifically, Sevilla FC was recognized in the ‘Culture and Sports’ category. Through these awards, UPO aims to highlight the work of entities and companies that promote the professional development of students and, therefore, contribute to the economic and cultural progress of society based on the synergy between businesses and the university.

The event, held at the UPO’s Auditorium, in front of the José Ramón Cisneros Palacios Sports City, featured the presence of José Castro, president of Sevilla FC. “It is a true honor to receive this recognition. We always say that we must be more than a football club, using our potential to contribute to making a better society. For several years, we have been driving the establishment of the Sevilla FC Chair to promote innovation, knowledge, and employability from within the university, because not fewer than ten students from UPO have already joined our club. I don’t want to forget the Manuel Blasco Garzón award, through which we promote university excellence, the ‘Never Give Up’ runners-up, the 20 training scholarships granted, and our participation in the economic and social council,” said the highest authority of Sevilla FC.

Likewise, Juan Esteban Gómez from the R&D&I department was also present. A department that has recently been featured in the ‘Tesis’ program on Canal Sur Televisión, where the work of Sevilla’s Innovation Center was showcased. This platform is used to promote research, dissemination, training, employability, and entrepreneurship activities, including collaborations with universities and, especially, this Sevilla Chair at Pablo de Olavide University.

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El Ramón Sánchez-Pizjuán, escenario de lujo para los cursos formativos propios y de LaLiga

El Ramón Sánchez Pizjuán se ha convertido en un escenario de lujo para la celebración de eventos de todo tipo. Un marco ideal que brinda oportunidades como la celebración de jornadas formativas de los distintos cursos que el Sevilla FC, a través de su Innovation Center, ofrece cada año. Esta semana, sin ir más lejos, el templo sevillista acogió la jornada final del Máster de Periodismo Deportivo que organiza junto a la Universidad de Sevilla y otra presencial del Máster en Big Data aplicado al Scouting en fútbol que patrocina junto a la Universidad Católica de Murcia y el Sports Data Campus. Es este último uno de los másteres estrella del programa que ofrece la entidad en su continua colaboración con las universidades y que tanto valor añadido aporta a la marca Sevilla FC. El Máster en Big Data aplicado al Scouting cumple ya cuatro ediciones con más de 200 alumnos que han perfeccionado sus conocimientos y han podido crecer profesionalmente en un sector que aglutina a directores deportivos, analistas y scouts. En esta visita al Sánchez-Pizjuán, realizada el jueves, participaron los alumnos tanto de la III edición, que recibieron sus correspondientes diplomas, como de la IV, que empezó este marzo y finalizará en 2024. Profesionales de distintos departamentos del Sevilla FC, referencia nacional e internacional en el uso del dato y desarrollo tecnológico aplicado al fútbol, fueron quienes impartieron las sesiones formativas. El invitado de lujo fue el nuevo director deportivo del Sevilla FC, Víctor Orta, quien ya participó en las anteriores ediciones como referencia mundial en la materia. Al día siguiente fue el turno para el Máster en Periodismo Deportivo, que cerraba así su curso académico número diez. Organizado por la Facultad de Comunicación de la Universidad de Sevilla, a través del Centro de Formación Permanente, y patrocinado por el Sevilla FC, este máster se cerró con una conferencia magistral a cargo de Ismael Medina, periodista de Movistar. Lo hizo nada menos que en la sala de prensa del Ramón Sánchez-Pizjuán, que además lleva el nombre de un ilustre periodista deportivo como José Antonio Sánchez-Araújo. Al acto asistieron Pastora Moreno, directora del máster, Enrique López, director de Formación Continua y Complementaria de la US, y el vicepresidente segundo del club, Fernando Carrión, quien destacó el compromiso de la entidad con los medios de comunicación: “El Sevilla FC ha tenido presente siempre que hay que caminar de la mano de la comunicación, de ahí la apuesta decidida, desde los albores del presente siglo, por tener un Departamento de Comunicación potente, acorde a la entidad, creciendo con ella y sensible a las nuevas tecnologías y la actual digitalización de la información. Para nosotros es un orgullo poder colaborar con la Facultad de Comunicación a través de este máster desde su primera edición, formando a periodistas”. Nueva visita de LaLiga Business School Pero el templo sevillista no sólo se convierte en un ‘aula’ de lujo para los cursos y másteres propios, sino que asiduamente es elegido por LaLiga Business School para celebrar jornadas especiales de muchas de sus ofertas académicas. Si en abril hubo visita de los alumnos del Máster de Derecho Deportivo y en mayo de estudiantes provenientes de Hong Kong, estos días han sido los del Máster en Dirección, Metodología y Análisis en el Fútbol. Dichos alumnos tuvieron la oportunidad de conocer el club desde dentro y su gestión en las distintas áreas y departamentos: captación en cantera -dirigida por David Martín Valle, scout de escalafones inferiores del Sevilla FC-, dirección deportiva -por Fermín Galeote, miembro de dicho departamento- y el uso del dato para el scouting por Jesús Olivera, responsable de Data Football en el club.
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Sevilla FC showcases its technological muscle at the ‘Football Forum’ in Budapest

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.

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The Sports Data Forum returns to the Ramón Sánchez-Pizjuán

The Sports Data Forum returns once again. Sport Data Campus, the Catholic University of San Antonio in Murcia, and Sevilla FC, through its Innovation Center, have been working for months on the organization of this third edition, with the collaboration of Big Data International Campus, Football Data International Forum, and Eniit Innova IT Business School, and the main sponsorship of Hudl. As in previous years, the format will be hybrid, alternating between on-site and remote sessions, although the entire event will be fully streamed. The kickoff will take place at the Ramón Sánchez-Pizjuán Stadium on March 24th with an on-site session featuring the welcome keynote by Víctor Orta, sporting director of Leeds United. Following this, various presentations and roundtable discussions will cover topics such as professional game analysis and the latest trends in Big Data and Artificial Intelligence applied to football. The day will conclude with a closing keynote session by Ramón Rodríguez Verdejo, sporting director of Sevilla FC.

The event will continue over different days and weeks until its definitive conclusion on June 19th. During this time, various themes will be explored, including Big Data and Sports Management, AI applied to Sports, Digital Transformation and Innovation in Football Clubs, Data Ecosystem in Women’s Football, Big Data and Basketball, Big Data and Handball, Technological Entrepreneurship in the Sports Industry, and Professional Elite Analysts. Sessions in English and Portuguese are included, as well as a day dedicated to students. In all these sessions, club professionals will take the lead and share their experiences and knowledge with the students. For more information and registrations, you can visit this link. The club will soon provide information on accessing invitations through its Innovation Center LinkedIn page.

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The club, at the VII Jornadas de Emprendimiento y Deporte of the faculty of education sciences.

The VII Conference on Entrepreneurship and Sport, organised by the University of Seville, is taking place this Thursday at the Faculty of Education Sciences. Sevilla FC was represented at the event in the figure of José María Cruz Gallado, the club’s head of R+D+i, who was responsible for opening the day’s programme of conferences. Specifically, he participated in the talk entitled Innovation and entrepreneurship in sport: Challenges and current changes. Other corporations from the sports sector, in different fields, that participated were Decathlon, Snap Fitness, O2 Centro Wellness, Widitrade, BeOne Fitness & Sport and Areafit.