Lega Serie A launches a data-driven innovation initiative to enhance the game of football in Italy

Lega Serie A, one of the top football leagues in the world, is in the midst of a strategic transformation. In addition to being in advanced discussions to sign a landmark deal that will bring in private equity firms into its commercial operations, the leadership team at the Italian entity has been focusing on data for many years. By leveraging data, Serie A is enhancing its product by improving teams’ performances and operations on the pitch-side.

In 2019, Lega Serie A launched ‘Virtual Coach’, a software that analyzes data coming from video tracking systems. Using artificial intelligence technology, it quickly and automatically provides the coaching staff with strategic indications to optimize tactics or counter the opponent’s strategy. Now, every Lega Serie A team has access to a tablet with the software installed. Coaches and their support staff are able to customize the information they want to receive based on their needs and strategies.

N3XT Sports, as the presenting partner of the Outstanding Innovation Initiative of the World Football Summit Industry Awards 2020, got the chance to talk to Michele Ciccarese, Commercial and Marketing Director at Lega Serie A, Niccolò Tomio, Commercial and Marketing Unit at Lega Serie A, and Gilberto Pastorella, Product and Account Manager at Math & Sport to learn more about this innovative initiative, which was shortlisted for the Awards.

The Math & Sport collaboration started in 2019 and it focuses on processing a big amount of data available, extracting information through machine learning video tracking automatized algorithms to support coaches’ competence and experience – before, during and after the competitions – with the suggestions of statistical analysis and the useful help of real-time processing of relevant data to improve game tactics. 

The results have been outstanding as ‘Virtual Coach’ has enhanced the real-time analysis for each club thanks to the possibility for each club to have its tool customized based on their needs.

Innovation can be utilized to address various topics within an organization such as its processes, its structure, or its products and services. Federated bodies such as leagues and federations across different sports are recognizing the digital  & data gap within their members and centralizing the provision of these services.

The leadership team at Serie A decided to pursue a new strategy that brought a renewed focus on club services. In order to enhance the football product itself on the pitch, with coaches, players, and the football staff of teams, the league tapped into the startup ecosystem in Italy. Math & Sport proved a valuable partner as it has developed its technology over five years and started testing it out with clubs during the 2019/2020 football season.

These types of partnerships between sports organizations and startups are increasing in the sports industry and is a positive development for the transformation and modernization of sports. This is happening because tech startups are able to innovate, develop and deploy solutions at a faster rate than sports organizations. On the other hand, sports organizations have strong ecosystems and an existing testing lab composed of assets such as players, matches, venues and others, as well as a pathway for startups to grow commercially. This makes it beneficial for sports organizations and tech startups to partner on co-creating solutions.

We invite you to watch this 15-minute Q&A session with Michele Ciccarese, Commercial and Marketing Director at Lega Serie A, Niccolò Tomio, Commercial and Marketing Unit at Lega Serie A, and Gilberto Pastorella, Product and Account Manager at Math & Sport to learn more about this initiative, how their working relationship started, what are some of the short and long term goals, the learnings that both organizations acquired by working together and what’s N3XT for them.