SocaLoca: Revolutionising talent identification and tournament organising

Staff Writer

SocaLoca co-founders Lionel Foy and Sayf Ismail are providing more opportunity for footballers across the world with their innovative platform.

The concept was born in 2016 when the two first met, and now the SocaLoca app is used by national federations in Belize and Cameroon for tournament organising.

There are two main goals of the platform. Equalising talent identification and becoming a hotspot for football tournaments and data.

Foy and Ismail recognised that the pathways for footballers in some countries weren’t as equal as others. Smaller or less resourced countries and continents simply don’t have the infrastructure that the big footballing powers do globally.

The app operates in a similar way to statistics platforms like FotMob or Transfermarkt, where player profiles and stats are collated for fans and other interested parties to view. However, there is also a self-management aspect to it.

Footballers can download the platform and build their own profile, showcasing their achievements, statistics, results and more for anyone to see. This goes from juniors all the way up to seniors.

This gives those players from lesser resourced regions the opportunity to be seen and scouted like any other player, from when they’re first starting out to battling their way up through the footballing pyramid.

Co-founder Arif Sayuti.

While there are concerns around the data-sharing implicit to the platform, measures have been put in place. Players aged between 7 and 12 must be registered by their guardians and have a limit on what information can be displayed on their public profiles.

The global interconnectedness that an app like SocaLoca offers is unlike anything seen in world football to date.

The other side of the platform is its use in tournament organisation. This links in with the player profiles, where players are registered within tournaments and competitions and have their results and statistics linked to their profiles.

SocaLoca’s Competition Management Module has already seen successful use in Uganda, Belize and Cameroon, and can be used by anyone on the platform.

Football Federation Belize is now using the SocaLoca app to organise and run all regional competitions, while Cameroon’s national football academy is now a partner of SocaLoca.

Results and statistics in countries all over the world are now available to recruiters and talent identifiers, making it easier for those who would be otherwise overlooked to get their chance.

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UEFA reaffirm partnership with Oceania Football Confederation

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Image credit: UEFA.com

Last week, UEFA signed a Memoriam of Understanding (MoU) with Oceania’s football governing body to continue its commitment  to football in Oceania.

 

United through football

While being two governing bodies separated by distance, the MoU stands as a symbol of unity and collaboration which supports mutual growth.

The agreement will run until 2031, displaying both parties’ commitment to long-term development through football.

“Europe and Oceania are connected by a shared belief in the importance of investing in people as the foundation of football’s future,” said UEFA President, Aleksander Čeferin, via press release.

“This Memorandum of Understanding brings together UEFA’s experience in elite development and education with OFC’s clear focus on nurturing young talent and strengthening football leadership.”

Furthermore, OFC President, Lambert Maltock, also expressed his confidence in the agreement to support players and pathways alike.

“Our partnership with UEFA reflects a shared commitment to developing the game at every level – from grassroots to elite,” said Maltock.

“By investing in our people and working collaboratively, we are building a more connected, capable and globally competitive football ecosystem for Oceania.”

 

What the agreement promises

Continuing UEFA’s recent MoUs with CAF (Africa), Concacaf (North, Central America and the Caribbean) and CONMEBOL (South America), the partnership will seek to address several key aspects. These include:

  • Youth football opportunities – supporting OFC’s annual boy’s and girl’s U15 tournaments.
  • Knowledge exchange – reciprocal observer programmes at club finals and national team tournaments.
  • Football development – delivered through the UEFA Together programme.
  • Coach education – sharing of technical expertise and learning activities.
  • Refereeing – opportunities to referee youth tournaments, courses and technical programmes.

Moreover, the agreement outlines a commitment to ensuring football remains a tolerant and inclusive sport, capable of uniting communities and empowering individuals.

Therefore, the MoU between UEFA and the OFC is symbolic of aligned values, principles and vision for the future of football in both regions.

 

Final thoughts

An alliance of this nature – especially in these uncertain times for global cooperation – is vital.

Football has the power to unite like nothing else.

So governing bodies must recognise the value of connecting across cultures, countries and continents, not only for what it can do for football, but how it can promote fundamental values within the sport as a whole.

Project ACL: The initiative leading the way on injury research

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Image credit: FiledIMAGE / Shutterstock.com

Launched in 2024, the research project recently welcomed two US-based organisations: the National Women’s Soccer League Players Association (NWSLPA) and National Women’s Soccer League (NWSL).

 

About Project ACL

Led by FIFPRO, PFA England, Nike and Leeds Beckett University, Project ACL aims to research ACL injuries and understand more about multifactorial risk factors.

After piloting in England’s Women’s Super League (WSL), Project ACL will expand to the NWSL in the US, reflecting the global importance of the project’s research and outcome.

“We are incredibly excited to bring the NWSLPA and NWSL to Project ACL,” said Director of Women’s Football at FIFPRO, Dr. Alex Culvin, via official press release.

“Overall, we believe that player-centricity and collaboration with key stakeholders are central to establishing meaningful change in the soccer ecosystem and that players, competition organisers and stakeholdersaround the world will benefit from Project ACL’s outputs and outcomes.”

Interviews with over 30 players and team surveys across all 12 WSL clubs provided the project’s research team with valuable information about current prevention strategies and available resources.

Furthermore, the project tracks player workload and busy schedule periods during the season through the FIFPRO Player Workload Monitoring tool, therefore gaining insights into the link between scheduling and injury risks.

 

Looking to the data

Project ACL’s partnerships with the WSL – and now the NWSL – are immensely valuable for the future of player welfare in women’s football.

Although ACL injuries affect both male and female athletes, they are twice as likely to occur in women than men. However, according to the NWSL, as little as 8% of sports science research focuses on female athletes.

In Australia, several CommBank Matildas suffered ACL injuries in recent years: Sam Kerr was sidelined from January 2024 to September 2025, Ellie Carpenter for 8 months after suffering the injury while playing for Olympique Lyonnais, and Holly McNamara came back from three ACL’s aged 15, 18 and 20.

And this is just the tip of the iceberg. The 2025/26 ALW season saw several ACL incidents, including four in just two weeks.

 

Research, prevent, protect

Injury prevention and research are vital to sport – whether professional or amateur.

But when the numbers are so shocking – and incidents are so common – governing bodies must remember that player welfare comes above all else. Research can inform prevention strategies. Prevention means players can enjoy the game they love.

The work of Project ACL, continuing until 2027, will hopefully protect countless players across women’s football from suffering long-term or recurring injuries.

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