Talent scouts to rescue football clubs from debt with technology

Football clubs can curb their financial woes by discovering new talent. Scoutium provides qualified talent scout feedback on 90-minute infrastructure matches, enabling clubs to generate revenue with the new faces they discover

Football clubs in Turkey have been unable to liberate themselves from debt they have carried for decades. Moreover, football clubs are resisting taking infrastructure steps that will change this situation. However, technology startups such as Scotium enable clubs to follow infrastructure investments instantly based on performance technology. More than 250 talent hunters shoot 90-mınutes videos and keep statistics according to the given criteria. Scoutium, a great platform that combines a passion for football with infrastructure, enables football fans to try their hand at being a talent scout, allows players to introduce themselves and helps football clubs find players that suit their needs. Founded by Efe Aydın, Emre Ün and Safa Yerliyurt, Scoutium solves the most important problem of Turkish football – transfer and talent discovery – with its data and experts at an affordable cost.

Moreover, millions of football fans are involved in the process. Thus, the long-term project contributes to the gradual formation of a large ecosystem. Scoutium filters football player evaluations taken from football fans in formats determined by professionals and offers them to clubs. The system also detects those making accurate evaluations among users and those prone with a talent for observation. Users who are found to be appropriate in the interviews register as "Scoutium Observers" and participate in live match tasks and generate income from the system. Moreover, Scoutium Observers can be discovered by clubs and turn their passion for football into a profession.

Allows competitor analysis

The system maintains detailed infrastructure data and analysis of football players in the lower leagues. The clubs are currently relying solely on data-based practices in the Süper Lig; however, startups like Scotium solve data-based infrastructure tracking at an affordable cost, bringing talent hunters and football clubs together in the same environment. Infrastructure matches are followed by experts with video analysis. Finding the talent of the future is not left to chance.

Small clubs also use Scotium, especially those who find competitor analysis expensive. For example, low-budget clubs follow the analysis of Scotium footballers' experts, not only to train players but also to watch opponents. Clubs with low budgets are thereby able to access the competing data of big clubs.

The Altınordu club has been implementing the infrastructure-oriented movement for a long time and doing personal performance and data-oriented work at every stage.

Spending in foreign currency

Continuously changing administrations and repeating the same mistakes by blaming the previous administration prevent the clubs from climbing the ladder. It is almost impossible for football clubs that spend foreign currency and make Turkish lira to get rid of this dilemma without achieving success abroad or exporting football players abroad. Moreover, increases in foreign exchange or interest rates deepen the crisis of football clubs, raising alarms that the Turkish Football Federation (TFF) must make an exemplary infrastructure decision before it runs out of breath. So, incoming management takes precautionary measures, but the infrastructure remains extremely inadequate.

Scoutium CEO Efe Aydın underlined that they are equidistant to all clubs. "As Scoutium, we strive to discover the players who have remained undiscovered, to identify our valuable players from all over and to bring these players to high-level football," Aydın said. "In addition to this, we will continue our cooperation regardless of the name of the club from the Regional Amateur League to the Süper Lig. With this agreement, we have shown once again that we are equidistant to all clubs in Turkish football. In the next period, we will continue to work with all teams from every category in every league."

Major clubs use the system

Aydın noted that more than 350 clubs from all leagues, especially well-established clubs such as Fenerbahçe, Beşiktaş, Galatasaray, Trabzonspor, Başakşehir, Kasımpaşa and Bursaspor, are registered in the Scoutium system. "Among these clubs, we sold player and competitor analysis to 25 of them, including Fenerbahçe and Beşiktaş, and we continue to work with these clubs," he continued. "We provide services to a wide range of clubs from the Süper Lig to the Regional Amateur League. Clubs that continue their infrastructure-oriented activities will start to see the benefits of the system more clearly if they carry out long-term studies. However, clubs need to make mental leaps, and for this reason, the federation should lead."

Neurocess prevents muscular injuries of million-dollar players

Muscular injuries constitute a significant share of athletes' injuries. Neurocess – which prevents the muscular injuries of million-dollar professional players, especially in football, with a small electromyography (EMG) device – has expanded around the world.

It is possible to prevent muscular injuries frequently seen in professional athletes. Neurocess, which enables the prevention of muscular injuries with measurable data through the networked EMG device it developed, ensures that professional athletes healthily continue their sports career. The startup, which received angel investment support of $250,000 last year, will be used to expand this investment abroad. British football clubs, in particular, as well as clubs from Turkey, are using the solution.

Helping athletes' competitive edge

Major clubs in Turkey do not have much experience working with such entrepreneurs; however, if you trust entrepreneurs and intend to implement the program, you are to see success. Neurocess develops EMG technology, which improves training performance and reduces the risk of disability by tracking the muscular activities of professional athletes throughout their training. The athlete shares the data provided, such as the amount of muscle contraction, strength, fatigue and balance, simultaneously with the coach. The athlete and coaching staff are then able to take precautions for possible injuries. Athletes can thereby be pushed to their limits without the risk of injury.

Fiber optic internet in your home in 2020

Türk Telekom CEO Ümit Önal, who promised to speed up the work to bring fiber optic internet to offices and homes, vowed to bring it to residents of Turkey within one week of their request, he said at the news conference held at the end of the year.

Fiber optic infrastructure is an essential factor in increasing the value of both offices and homes. Underlining that they would continue their investment efforts in this regard, Önal promised that they would continue to work in 2020 toward the goal of bringing fiber optic internet to every neighborhood in Turkey. Önal committed to delivering fiber internet within a week to homes in Istanbul. "We will continue to work with our full strength to carry broadband internet penetration to 70% in Turkey," Önal said. "We promise to bring fiber to the streets where they live in a week, to the customer who does not have the infrastructure for it in Istanbul, next year and who requests the infrastructure. I believe that this promise gives clues about what kind of year 2020 will be in terms of the importance Türk Telekom attaches to customer satisfaction."

Fiber optic difference in transformation

Önal further stressed that as Türk Telekom, they would maintain their presence in every step of the national technology transformation without slowing down their infrastructure investments. "We will continue to connect Turkey to the future by creating value for the country," he promised. Now, in return for that message, the teams are bringing the connection to the doors of offices and houses in a fast transformation effort. Highlighting that fiber infrastructure will provide basic infrastructure for smart homes and offices, Önal added that it would be an important step for 5G transformation. After the fiber infrastructure reaches the apartments, the Türk Telekom team offers fiber connection in offices and homes with the appropriate tariff. This offers the chance to use the connection speed wirelessly more efficiently than through traditional means.

Social entrepreneurs meet on digital platform

The power of social startups to create social influence also increases depending on the network of relationships they establish. That is why digital platforms that bring social startups together become important. The digital platform of the Turkish Social Entrepreneurship Network, sosyalgirisimcilikagi.org, which was established to increase awareness of social entrepreneurship, increase the collaboration of social enterprises with public and private sector organizations, as well as among themselves, and to develop the capacity of the sector has been opened.

The digital platform, sosyalgirisimcilikagi.org, one of the most important activities of the Turkish Social Entrepreneurship Network project carried out under the leadership of the Vehbi Koç Foundation in collaboration with Koç University's Social Impact Forum (KUSIF), Ashoka Turkey, the Social Innovation Initiative Association (SIID), the Innovative Solutions for Sustainable Development Association (SKYÇD), TED University, the Mosaic Foundation (Bosnia-Herzegovina) and Social Enterprise U.K. was introduced to the public at the event held in Impact Hub Istanbul. The digital platform was established to increase the visibility of social startups operating throughout the country, to meet and cooperate with social entrepreneurs and organizations that support this field, and to disseminate correct information in the field of social entrepreneurship. It invites all actors and social entrepreneurs to participate in the ecosystem.

Finding common ground

Focusing on attempts to develop solutions to social and environmental problems, social startups generate income through commercial activity by developing a sustainable business model. Social startups that invest profit in activities aimed at reaching their missions again are classified as an income-generating, yet not-for-profit organization. Sometimes common ground can be created for common problems. Social startups create social impact and value by developing solutions to problems while at the same time creating economic value with business models. Social startups, which make up 10% of all businesses in the European Union, provide employment opportunities for 11 million people. The Turkish Social Entrepreneurship Network project aims to raise the awareness of social entrepreneurship and to increase the number of social entrepreneurs in our country.

The digital platform sosyalgirisimcilikagi.org, one of the most important outputs of the Turkish Social Entrepreneurship Network project, is open to the participation of all individuals and institutions that aim to contribute to the social entrepreneurship field in Turkey. The members who are easily included in the platform will be aware of the activities and informative content of the Turkish Social Entrepreneurship Network, as well as the activities and content in this area throughout Turkey and the activities and shares of other members of the platform.

Institutions and people will be able to ask questions and answer questions from other people and institutions through sosyalgirisimcilikagi.org, which contains reference content in the field of social entrepreneurship. The platform, which will be enriched with the contributions of participating institutions, aims to enrich the social entrepreneurship ecosystem in Turkey and provide the cooperative environment needed in this field.