- FIFPRO Europe and member unions were present as part of FIFPRO Player IQ Tech’s commitment to be at the forefront of technological advancements in the football industry
- FIFPRO Europe and European Leagues held a joint workshop on technology and data, sharing member perspectives on fundamental principles and discussing areas of common interest
- SportsInnovation is a leading sports industry summit which showcases the latest technologies aiming to shape the future of football
FIFPRO Europe and four member unions were present at SportsInnovation 2024 in Dusseldorf, Germany on 20-21 March as part of Player IQ Tech’s commitment to stay at the forefront of technological advancements in the football industry – including the emergence of new technologies which are likely to impact players’ working environments.
Hosted at the Merkur Spiel-Arena, the home of 2. Bundesliga side Fortuna Dusseldorf, SportsInnovation is a leading sports industry summit which showcases the latest technologies and visions for the future of football, paying particular attention to topics such as broadcast and content, sports performance technology, and smart stadium innovation.
The event was co-hosted by the Deutsche Fußball Liga (DFL), D.SPORTS and Spielmacher and boasted live games, showcases and panel discussions with speakers from prominent sports bodies such as the NFL, NHL, UEFA and FIFA, football federations, and Bundesliga clubs such as Bayer 04 Leverkusen and RB Leipzig.
In parallel to the innovation summit itself, FIFPRO Europe and European Leagues held a joint workshop on technology and data, sharing member perspectives on fundamental principles and discussing areas of common interest. This included the rapidly advancing player data landscape and the need to ensure that appropriate structures are implemented to protect both the fundamental rights of players and the commercial interests of domestic leagues.
Member unions from England, France, Denmark and Finland participated in the focused workshop alongside a number of leagues from European League’s Data Strategy group.
One of those participants was Michael Sahl Hansen, the Executive Director of Danish player union Spillerforeningen, who found the two-day event an insightful experience.
He said: "It is imperative that player unions continue to evolve and enhance their knowledge across emerging topics like technology and innovation. Player IQ Tech continues to actively support us in doing so and we learned a lot from listening to the array of excellent presenters at the summit. The joint workshop with European Leagues was a refreshing opportunity to explore domestic issues within our league while also hearing about the experiences of other leagues and unions in approaching similar issues."
Alexander Bielefeld, FIFPRO’s Director of Global Policy for Men’s Football, was similarly positive about the experiences and pointed to the importance of such events in facilitating dialogue and collaborative relationships between football industry stakeholders.
He said: "I’d like to thank the DFL and European Leagues for the opportunity to participate and we look forward to continuing our dialogue around areas of common interest which impact both players and domestic leagues.
"SportsInnovation 2024 provided us with an invaluable opportunity to support our knowledge development and facilitate collaborative discussions with a broad range of industry stakeholders. The discussions are important to convey player-centric perspectives regarding the use and added value of advanced tracking technologies on player performance while highlighting the common interest and solutions that benefit all football stakeholders."
What is Player IQ Tech?
Player IQ Tech addresses the urgent need to facilitate an effective understanding of emerging technology and its application to the working environment of players including the potential impact on their personal and commercial interests.
It provides player unions with a consistent framework to enhance their knowledge and expertise, engage with fellow unions and industry experts, and ultimately manage player-centric technology and innovation in the football industry.
Player IQ Tech integrates and collaborates with player unions to facilitate knowledge sharing and the creation of collective assets to address future challenges and opportunities in the workplace driven by innovation and technology.
Player IQ Tech sits within Player IQ, FIFPRO’s knowledge Centre. The knowledge centre acts as a central hub for showcasing a variety of player-centric research, data-driven tools and forward-looking thought-leadership from recognised experts on the future of the football industry. It can be explored further HERE.
