- Platform would act as common framework for the industry
- Players set to benefit from commercialisation of data
- Sports technology industry has huge demand for information
Global soccer players’ union FifPro is creating a centralised player data management platform to give its members greater control over how their personal information is used and commercialised.
The widespread adoption of sports science, analytics and other technologies within soccer means clubs, federations and partners now collect huge amounts of performance and fitness data during training sessions and competitive matches.
This information, used for coaching, scouting and fan engagement purposes, is both hugely valuable and highly sensitive. Yet, players have traditionally had little visibility over what has been collected or what purposes it is being used for.
FifPro’s proposed ‘player-centric’ platform would act as a single repository for an individual’s data across their entire career. Players would be able to see what information has been collected and dictate how it is used – whether it’s for coaching, match operations, employment or commercial matters.
‘Professional players are a highly mobile and often international workforce and therefore require a centralised system to manage and control their personal data,’ FifPro said.
‘Therefore, the centralised platform will also help to centralise data collection, data flows, and data networks that are currently fragmented, and overcome barriers that exist between clubs, leagues, and national teams to benefit players and their careers.’
The platform would also serve as a common framework for the entire soccer industry, facilitating easy data transfers and aggregation, as well as preventing data from being siloed away in obscure systems or at a single club.
This database would be hugely valuable to sports technology companies, especially those in the fast emerging field of artificial intelligence (AI).
‘While player data collection is a new frontier for professional football, the abrupt acceleration of next generation artificial intelligence – in the economy, in the workplace, and in the personal lives of players – underlines the need to swiftly address challenges, opportunities and questions at the intersection of people’s lives and technology,’ added FifPro.
‘The centralised player data management platform will serve as a catalyst to advance a broader industry dialogue regarding the use of technology and the purpose and context of player data collection and its application. Common challenges such as data standards, accuracy and labelling of data should be negotiated and agreed to help the industry to unlock the common benefits of technology and innovation.’
SportsPro says…
Much of the data collected in soccer is essential for coaching, fitness and performance. But players are now increasingly aware of privacy issues and the commercial opportunities of this information, which is used by broadcasters, betting companies, commercial scouting platforms and video game manufacturers.
It’s a similar situation to the 1990s, when players argued for greater control over their image rights and for compensation when their likeness was used in merchandise or video games. If a third party is going to profit from a player’s intellectual property, then why shouldn’t the players themselves?
A centralised platform that gives players 360-degree visibility will allow them to opt in to such activities and to see where they should be compensated.
But there is another factor. There are concerns among some soccer players that the data collected is inaccurate, which could lead to problems. For example, if a scouting platform has an incorrect statistic, such as height, then a player may miss out on a transfer because a club might believe they are too short. Visibility means this data can be corrected – or potentially obscured.
Ultimately, soccer players are individuals and employees, and therefore should benefit from the same freedoms and privacy protections as other industries, even if this is harder to achieve in such a high-profile profession. But FifPro should also be aware of how a centralised database of the world’s soccer players would be a hugely attractive target for a cyberattack. The organisation needs to ensure its own security measures are up to scratch.
