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.