Project Overview
The TalentTECH project modernises talent development in football academies by integrating AI-powered scouting, wearable performance tracking, and video analysis into everyday coaching and management. It equips coaches, scouts, and sports managers with practical digital skills so they can use data to identify, monitor, and support young players more fairly and effectively.
Using the Playmaker digital platform, blended training, and real-world pilots, TalentTECH helps smaller and less-resourced academies access tools normally used only by elite clubs. The project promotes digital transformation, better coaching quality, and more inclusive talent pathways in European football.
Project Objectives
- Digital Upskilling: Train coaches, scouts, and managers to use AI scouting systems, performance analytics, and video tools confidently in their daily work.
- Evidence-Based Talent Development: Embed data-driven decision-making in talent ID, training design, and injury risk management, reducing subjectivity and guesswork.
- Inclusion and Equal Access: Open up advanced sports technologies to smaller academies and underrepresented groups, with at least 30% participation from women and other marginalized communities.
- Capacity Building for Academies: Strengthen organisational capacity through structured curricula, practical resources, and expert support so digital tools become part of standard academy practice.
- European Cooperation and Sustainability: Build a transnational network of academies, federations, and tech providers to share good practice and sustain TalentTECH methods beyond the project.
Key Tools and Deliverables
TalentTECH Digital Training Curriculum
The TalentTECH curriculum provides a structured learning pathway that helps football professionals integrate modern sports technologies into talent development.
- Technology-Integrated Player Development: A modular curriculum on AI scouting, performance analytics, wearable data, and video analysis, combining theory with practical exercises tailored to academy roles.
- Role-Specific Learning Paths: Clear pathways for coaches, scouts, and managers, including youth-focused content on data-informed training, workload management, and long-term player development.
Interactive E-Learning & Case Study Package
The E-Learning & Case Study Package turns the curriculum into engaging, hands-on learning experiences that can be accessed anytime through the Playmaker environment.
- E-Learning Modules: At least five interactive online modules on AI talent ID, performance dashboards, wearable tech, video analysis, and VR/AR applications, with quizzes, scenarios, and multimedia elements.
- Real-World Case Studies: Practical examples showing how academies use technology for scouting, injury prevention, and tactical decisions, with key lessons and reflection questions.
Implementation & Playmaker Portal Toolkit
The Implementation & Playmaker Portal Toolkit helps academies move from learning to doing by providing step-by-step guidance and a dedicated digital hub.
- Implementation Guide & Video Demos: A practical manual plus at least five video demonstrations on setting up tools, interpreting data, and embedding tech into training routines and scouting workflows.
- Integrated Playmaker Learning Hub: A fully functional section of the Playmaker web portal hosting all TalentTECH resources, progress tracking, and interactive features, supported by live and online training sessions for academy staff.
