The journey from a football player to commercial director of the technological startup
Asier, before we start, can you share with us a bit about yourself and your professional experience?
I have always been someone who looks for new and exciting opportunities. I left home to study and play football in the US when I was 18, to then come back home to continue my studies and my football career. As I finished my studies, I retired from football due to a knee injury, so I decided to try something new. I moved to Toronto, Canada where I worked for a year and then moved to Manchester in the UK, where I’ve always wanted to live due to my English background. During my time in Canada, I learnt about Futboltek and I got in touch with them, and here I am, two years later, being a part of this exciting journey that we are in.
What is sport for you? And how did your passion for sports come to life?
Sports has always been a big part of my life. Without sports, I wouldn’t have had the chance to study in the US, which changed my life completely, so who knows what I would be doing right know. Given my passion for sports and football, to now be able to work for a company that operates in the sports industry is everything I needed at this point of my life.
You are a commercial director in a football technological startup Futboltek…Can you explain to us the features of the working of this startup?
Life at Futboltek is exciting. As a Comercial Director, my role involves getting to know new people all the time and constantly opening up potential opportunities internationally, which is always exciting. Building rapport with potential clients or partners is key for us, as we believe in doing business in a way where clients and partners almost become colleagues.
What do you think about the usage of technologies in sport trainings and its’ utility?
Sports is changing. You look at how much it’s changed in the last five to ten years and you can only imagine what a regular training session for a footballer could look like in ten years time. Technology is the reason for this change, and technology is something that has come to stay and it is only going to be more and more present in the day to day life of any athlete. That is exactly where we want to be, we want to be the leading company for technological solutions for sports training.
How did you understand that you want to develop your career especially in that way? How did you build your professional path in the sports industry?
I’ve always known that football, as any other sport, is constantly changing, so when I learnt about a local company doing what they were doing, I just instantly knew I wanted to be a part of it somehow, as I thoroughly believed in what the company was trying to do.
I haven’t particularly built up a professional career in sports, it was more of an opportunity that presented itself. I had always tried to help the company in any way I could up until that point, so when the company grew and they needed someone to lead the commercial department, I was, I guess, the perfect candidate due to my thorough understanding of the company, my football background and my language skills. It was the perfect match for both parties I would say.
What professional tips do you have for new students who are trying to find their path in the sports industry?
Just be around the place where you want to be and try to help in any way possible. I started doing work for Futboltek in any way I could, trying to help the company grow outside of Spain, without any guarantee of economic reward. I did it purely out of passion and belief that eventually it would pay off, and in the end, it did, as I am now part of a team that I identify myself with and in which I have full belief.
What professional goals you have for the next 5 years?
It’s hard to set specific goals in a start-up company, because every year is unlike any other. Previous years don’t serve as a point of reference for what is to be expected in the coming years. Of course we believe that in 5 years time Futboltek will be a well renowned company worldwide in technical ability training specifically. We have lots of exciting projects that we hope to be able to carry out, which will open a whole new range of opportunities that it even makes it hard for ourselves to put a limit to as to how much we will be able to grow. That is the excitement of the start-up company and that is what makes this journey so much more enjoyable in my opinion.
