Hottest Trends in FootballTech
Investment crosses $100m till August 2021
Transfer windows usually are a rollercoaster ride of emotions for football / soccer (referred to only as football from now on) fans, swinging wildly from hopeful optimism to back-breaking disappointment to wide-eyed elation based on the latest tweet from your favourite news source. But there are transfer windows and there are transfer windows and summer 2021 will surely be remembered as the latter. Now that the dust has settled on all the millions spent and ‘HERE WE GO’ a la Romano transfer announcements, at least for a few months, we thought it was a good time to look at the latest investments and trends in the fast growing FootballTech space.
FootballTech Report
In November last year we released the first ever FootballTech Report outlining the latest innovations and featuring innovators in the world of football. It was great to see some of the biggest names making serious investments of time and resources in this space. And steadily there are more clubs, leagues and federations adding onto that list, not just in Europe but all over the world. It seems like FootballTech as a topic is moving off the bench and into the starting XI of any business conversation.
Raising the bar in 2021
Let’s start with a top corner belter, the investment numbers. 2020 ended really strongly with the December announcement of $61m (€50m) raised by OneFootball to fuel their acquisition of Dugout, a deal that saw OneFootball get direct access to clubs like Arsenal, Bayern Munich, FC Barcelona and Juventus who were among Dugout’s founding shareholders. This deal took the total funding in startups focussed only on football to over $100m in 2020. But 2021 has been smashing records in SportsTech and FootballTech wasn’t going to be left behind, with the $100m mark already crossed by August 2021! And this figure does not include undisclosed deals such as by fan tokens startup Chiliz (behind socios.com). Top deals came from a mix of NFTs (Sorare & RealFevr), training solutions (Toca Football & Jogo) and fan engagement newcomer Gloria. Expect plenty more action before the year ends, especially from Sorare who are rumoured to be raising a $500m+ mega round. This will definitely have a major impact on the space.
Trending the right way
After that quick look at the numbers, here are our picks for the three hottest trends in FootballTech
1. NFTs in Football
So much has happened since NBA Top Shot launched in January of 2021. Whether it’s sports teams, leagues or players themselves, everyone seems to have jumped on this bandwagon. But has all the air fizzled out of this bubble? Recent numbers suggest that it might have in sports but the NFT market overall is definitely super hot. The aforementioned Sorare mega round and announcement of LaLiga’s collaboration with NBA Top Shot maker Dapper Labs might just be the fire to help this bubble turn into a balloon.
Notable companies:
- Sorare: The clear leader
- RealFevr: Features top Portuguese players
- Fantastec SWAP: Features Real Madrid, Borussia Dortmund and Arsenal men’s and women’s teams
2. Personalised at-home training
We’ve talked about this one for a while. It is clear that there is a huge untapped market for training of youth and amateur footballers. And it seems like personalised at-home training devices and apps are trying to address exactly that. Using the latest technology in sensors, AR / VR and interactive video, players at any level have access to content that will help them ‘train like the Pros’. Catapult became the latest big name to launch their consumer subscription service.
Notable companies:
- GetMetrix: Training on mobile using A/R, backed by Kevin De Bruyne
- Jogo: Combines hardware and software to create personalized training
- B-42: Performance and injury comeback programs
3. Innovative fan engagement
Apart from NFTs, there is plenty of innovation in trying to engage with fans in a deeper way. Staying in the blockchain / cryptocurrency world there is Socios which talks about empowering fans by allowing them to pay for the right to ‘take decisions’ (by buying $CHZ). The jury is still out on that one. Apart from that, there is always buzz around video content, be it behind the scenes or the personalised game watching experiences. And the inevitable digital sports fan metaverse, LaLiga has taken a step in that direction.
Notable companies:
- Mylads: Combines physical collectibles with AR
- Gameface: Real-time animation of games
- Greenpark Sports: Building digital superfan avatars
90mins to go
It is clear that we are very much in the early days of innovation in FootballTech. There is so much experimentation going on with formats and solutions, whether it is focused on the athletes or the fans, and this is great to see. Only time will tell which of these companies attract their own $100m+ ‘transfer’ fee. Not to worry, Team STX will keep a track of all that.
In the meantime, I’m just happy that fans are back in stadiums and I’ll once again get to put on my favourite jersey and let out a big ‘Siiiiiiiiiii!’ sitting with a packed capacity crowd. Cannot wait.
Rohn Malhotra is a Co-Founder at Berlin based SportsTechX: the leading provider for data & insights about SportsTech startups and the surrounding ecosystem. You can get in touch via LinkedIn or email.
