The growth and importance of the internet and social media cannot be understated in pretty much any walk of life, and the two are taking over sport as well. Leading the way in football, is Fieldoo.
As the leading sports industry, every dimension of soccer demands that talent be found for premier club opportunities. Globalisation of the sport leads to the globalisation of the market and the only way to act in this context is through a network of players, clubs and market opportunities. When we look at the fact that every move is a calculated manoeuvre to drive club ranks, we see that the foundation to this success lies in finding elite talent. Considering the interconnectivity of all things modern, clubs must consider their online possibilities as they drive business forward.
Premier leagues regard social media as central to their brand, and it comes as no surprise that their lower-ranking counterparts are following suit, with Richard Arnold, the group managing director of Manchester United, commenting that “[clubs] are a mobile-first media organisation”. A club’s social media presence is now necessary to enhance its competitive index and in the age of reputation, a club’s brand is not necessarily bigger than the sum of its (player) parts. The influence of tools such as Facebook and Twitter are now deemed acceptable platforms through which players enhance the relationship between fan, club and athlete.
Even though fans engage in a player’s fame and rise to the top, they don’t necessarily witness their beginnings. When we consider this, the only additional way to increase the industry’s transparency is by redefining the scouting paradigm. By merging the necessity of social media with international talent, there is an unprecedented tactic that is changing the landscape of modern scouting. What is typically a behind-closed-doors affair of secrecy, strategy and skills, is now as available to the masses with: “The Fieldoo Challenge”. Each generation redefines the athletic standard and the industry now has a tool that responds to its challenges and opportunities.
Union Deportiva (U.D.) Almería, a second division Spanish team, recently partnered with Fieldoo in aims of scouting their next player in “The Fieldoo Challenge”. Fieldoo is a professional career platform that connects players and intermediaries, secures club contracts and mitigates the challenges that are normally found in the scouting and talent acquisition process. They do not target the Ronaldo’s and Neuer’s, but the remaining 95% of the professional football industry that generates about $4 billion a year. Fieldoo’s strategy does not treat players, clubs and intermediaries as separate entities, but facilitates their relationships to advance the game at every competitive level: providing the transparency that players need to exhibit their skills and the visibility that agents demand for talent recognition. Social platforms are a channel of communication for premier leagues, but with this partnership, social media is also evolving to shape amateur players’ careers.
All amateur and professional players are welcome to apply – with the best players advancing through a series of progressive rounds. Every week from Nov. 1 – Dec. 20, 10 semi-finalists will be announced based on a thorough review of their experience and statistics by Fieldoo’s and U.D. Almería’s expert staff. Finalists are then announced on Dec. 29, with the final players chosen by Almería and flown to Spain for a week-long professional trial. Should players’ skills be successfully exhibited and deemed desirable by the club’s executive staff, a professional contract will mark the beginning of the player’s competitive career.
In 2013, Fieldoo collaborated with Josep Maria Minguella, Messi’s first agent, for a similar competition, “The Minguella Challenge”. After screening more than 10,000 applications, they flew two players to Spain for a week-long professional trial in Spain. With Minguella’s eye for skills and Fieldoo’s talent base, both finalists received contracts with second division Spanish teams. Minguella agrees with the industry’s evolution stating, “Internet has totally changed the way of football agent’s job and transfer industry. There are no more boundaries and limits; you can see, observe and connect with way more players. Thanks to Fieldoo, an agent’s job is easier and more effective.”
Social media is now central to every football club’s fanbase. Fans want to support the player before he becomes the star, root for the team as they scout their best players and know which clubs to invest in before sponsors do. Fans want to set the trends, not follow them and “The Fieldoo Challenge” sets the stage for this precedent. Should this trend continue, social media and talent websites will be a resource to driving and generating higher quality transfers and matching specific talent with placement opportunities. The internet should not treat players and agents as separate entities, but merge talent and technique to enhance the soccer industry’s future generation of players. Social media should not only expand football’s growth and capabilities, but shape previously inaccessible contacts into a community-centred talent base. Moving forward, the internet will be a reference in harnessing players and improving talent acquisitions, but also serve a guide as to how platforms, such as Fieldoo, shape individual and team promotion. The essence of social media is that it evolves with the global community.
Websites like Fieldoo revolutionise the ways in which the modern player and agent communicate. Looking at how clubs are utilising technology to interact with their fans, online platforms even the playing field and restructure the power dynamics in sports representation. It is easy to know how to mark a field and get the physicalities of sports ready (you can find more tips here), these are the old-school ways! But in the new day and age, technology is there to use, not only to interact but also to help with the organization and representation of sports as well. There is a particular divinity in social media and when you consider how quickly football developments appear, talent scouts can now be be omnipresent, omnipotent and all-knowing.
If you are interested in applying for the trial, visit www.fieldoo.com
Written by Lucka Strojnik
