How La Liga is successfully approaching digital transformation

Digital transformation is a key part of the future of football.

Spain’s La Liga competition continues to be at the forefront in this area, with administrators guiding clubs to embrace new digital tools to communicate with fans, streamline services and acquire new data.

La Liga recently shared its technological expertise with Spain’s Chamber of Commerce, to produce a paper for the country’s small to medium-sized businesses.

In the paper, businesses are provided with an explanation of the underlying principles of digital transformation and are encouraged to adopt various technologies in their operations.

The resource will also be further useful for La Liga clubs themselves, to expand on the growing culture of digital transformation in their processes.

Since 2013, La Liga has identified technology as a pillar of future growth, assisting clubs with various digital transformation projects.

The ultimate aim for the organisation is to ensure all 42 clubs (in the first and second tier) move towards the same direction.

Minerva Santana, La Liga’s director of innovation, strategy and technological transformation, explained in the La Liga Newsletter: “The first step is to generate awareness at all levels, but especially at the level of leaders and decision makers, the relevance of digital transformation as a lever for competitiveness and value generation.

“From there, it’s useful to have a self-evaluation process to work out which point in the digital transformation process a business is at,” she added.

“This creates a baseline from which you can establish objectives and a strategy. Once the objectives and priorities are established, it’s important to build a plan and to seek support internally and from external partners.”

Recent examples that have been successful and referential in world sport include, RCD Mallorca adopting technology that is wearable and remotely monitors player’s workouts; Osasuna introducing intelligent shinpads into their club academies; Real Sociedad developing smart scarves and shirts, using wearable NFC tags; Celta de Vigo installing remote video technology at their training complex and Valencia CF creating a seat delivery service which allows fans to order food and drink from their seats at the stadium.

In Spain’s second tier, La Liga Smartbank, clubs are increasingly ambitious when it comes to technological growth. Clubs in that division have grown their online presence by 23 percent since July of last year, which is a growth rate far higher than any other second tier in Europe’s top leagues.

UD Almeria, CF Fuenlabrada and Cádiz CF have recorded growth of over 85 percent, year-on-year.

“This shows that an increased focus on digital helps clubs to reach a wider fanbase,” Santana added.

“In the last year, La Liga clubs have recorded some of the highest growth rates in Europe when it comes to digital adoption, particularly within digital communications.

“Our focus is to continue building on what has been achieved and to continue working with clubs of all sizes to embrace new digital tools that will help evolve their business and support the growth of the entire competition.”

La Liga has formed alliances with technology giants such as Microsoft, building dedicated teams of technology experts in innovation, as well as data analytics.

These teams have continued to stimulate growth opportunities for clubs, through the sharing of resources and expertise.

“At La Liga, we’ve created a portfolio of digital services and integration programmes that allow us to respond to the concrete needs of each club,” Santana claimed.

“We’ve built an ecosystem in the areas of innovation, digital and data that we’ve made available to clubs to help them with their business objectives.”

Examples of this include platforms that are shared with clubs to help them build apps and websites, the use of the Sandbox tool for analysis of match data in the cloud and much more.

“The new technologies that come from digital transformation provide the flexibility to adapt to constantly evolving behaviours and consumption habits, so the appearance of new products and services, as well as the appearance of new models, will be more frequent,” she said.

“This will make the competitive environment more complex but richer.

“At La Liga we have always conveyed the importance of digital transformation to clubs and its impact on competitiveness. The success we are seeing is creating a drive for new innovation across the competition and this is something we will continue to support,” Santana concluded.

For more information on the local scene, read our piece on why digital transformation is vital for Australian football here.

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ESA’s Game-Changing Technology for Injury Recovery and Player Growth

Elite Skills Arena (ESA) has created cutting edge technology that is revolutionising injury rehabilitation and player development in football.

ESA is a company that designs and provides advanced football training technology used by top clubs and academies around the world. 

Founded by Eddie Mitchell in 2014, ESA creates innovative tools that help coaches track performance and develop players more effectively.

By combining smart tech with insights from leading coaches, ESA delivers data-driven solutions that improve training and sharpen key skills on the pitch.

When the company first settled on the idea of a circular wall with moving targets, the plan was to create an indoor space where players could work on their technical skills.

What started as a simple concept quickly took shape—so much so that the very first prototype was built in a backyard just to see if it would work.

That early test led to the launch of the first product and the creation of the now-iconic arena that remains a core part of what ESA offers today.

Currently, ESA offers three main product lines: the ICON range, the Wall range, and the Wireless range.

Each one has seen great success with professional clubs, academies, major organisations for marketing and events, and advanced training centres around the world.

Today, ESA products are used on six continents, and they’re getting close to a major milestone—1 million games played with their equipment.

But there’s one product in particular, the Wireless Circuit, that’s revolutionising injury rehab and player development in football.

Now ESA first tested the Circuit concept at Ipswich Town and Southampton Football Clubs in the UK.

But it was FC Barcelona who asked for a wireless version, eliminating the need for connecting cables.

The Wireless Circuit is made up of lightweight, cable-free modules — the Rebound, Pass-Through, and Gate — each featuring LED lights and vibration technology to give instant performance feedback.

Using motion sensors, the modules track passing, movement, and dribbling, while built-in modes recreate tactical game scenarios, making it a powerful tool for both training and recovery.

Since its introduction, the Wireless Circuit has been used extensively by Barcelona’s medical team during pre-season and injury rehabilitation.

Stars like Lionel Messi, Luis Suárez, Sergio Agüero and Ronald Araújo have benefitted from its data-driven approach, which benchmarks fitness levels and reduces the risk of re-injury.

The club has used the Wireless Circuit for the later stages of rehabilitation which has allowed players to build up match sharpness without being exposed to the danger of full-contact training.

Following the success at FC Barcelona, the Wireless Circuit has been making waves in the global sports world, having been nominated for Best Technology for Injury Prevention or Rehabilitation at the prestigious Sports Technology Awards.

With more than 50 installations across the globe, it’s quickly becoming a go-to choice for clubs and academies looking for reliable, cutting-edge solutions.

With injuries on the rise in elite football and top players spending more time on the sidelines, Premier League clubs are paying closer attention.

Leicester City FC, who’ve been interested in ESA technology for a while, recently added the Wireless Circuit to their sports science program to help monitor player fitness and support injury recovery.

After a successful demo in September 2023, they’ve started using the Rebound, Pass-Through, and Gate modules to help keep first-team players healthy and make rehab smoother and more effective.

Now the Wireless Circuit could offer substantial benefits to soccer clubs and organisations in Australia due to its unique combination of technology, portability, and proven performance outcomes.

Clubs from grassroots to A-League level can often face challenges in managing injuries, especially with limited access to advanced rehab facilities.

The Wireless Circuit enables low-risk, high-impact recovery by allowing players to rebuild match fitness through targeted, non-contact drills. This is particularly valuable in a sport where muscle and ligament injuries are common.

Also, with clubs becoming increasingly data-focused, the Wireless Circuit’s built-in motion sensors and instant feedback allow coaches to track a players movement, passing and dribbling

This gives coaches a more scientific, structured approach to player development, something especially useful in youth programs and academies.

So, as football continues to evolve, ESA’s Wireless Circuit stands at the forefront, offering a smarter, safer, and more effective way to train, recover, and develop the next generation of players.

Superloop Scores Major Goal with Football Australia Partnership

Football Australia (FA) has today inked a landmark deal with telecommunications heavyweight Superloop (ASX: SLC) in a massive boost for the prestigious Hahn Australia Cup competition.

The telco challenger has secured naming rights as the official category partner for the Cup and also committed to revolutionising the sports broadcast capabilities through cutting-edge AI technology.

Superloop founded in 2014, is an Australian telecommunications company and internet service provider (ISP) that offers high speed connectivity to consumers with NBN deals and new AI connectivity.

The Hahn Australia Cup will benefit enormously from Superloop’s involvement as the telco giant looks to bolster its brand presence among the football market.

The multi-faceted deal will see Superloop deliver bespoke connectivity solutions, including business-grade NBN internet and mobile data services and AI technology cameras distributed to fields around the country.

This will support not just live broadcasts but also real-time collection of match and player statistics.

Football Australia CEO James Johnson described the collaboration as a pivotal moment in FA’s digital transformation.

“In today’s connected world, high-speed, reliable internet infrastructure is paramount. Superloop’s expertise and technology will allow us to deliver a more dynamic and engaging live streaming experience to fans nationwide, while unlocking cost efficiencies and new revenue streams for the sport,” Johnson said via FA official press release.

Already, Darwin Football Stadium has been kitted out with Superloop’s dedicated high-speed NBN connectivity, powering 4K resolution streams of all Men’s and Women’s Premier League fixtures.

The agreement blends well for Football Australia’s recent centralisation of live production and distribution for over 3,500 matches annually, spanning state leagues to flagship national competitions.

Superloop Group Executive for Business & Wholesale, Daisy Stampfer, highlighted the company’s commitment to Australian sport.

“We recognise the transformative power of connectivity in sports broadcasting and are committed to delivering the high-performance network solutions that will power FA’s vision for the future of football streaming.”

“Our exclusive sponsorship of the Hahn Australia Cup and our connectivity partnership with Football Australia underscores our dedication to supporting the growth and innovation of Australian grassroots sport,” Stampfer said via official FA press release.

This is a huge new step for Australian Football at all levels giving all clubs in the country and competitions support with the streamlined viewership nationally to enhance the game at little cost for the clubs.

For businesses such as Superloop, the football community is an untapped industry for them to help develop, market and stand out.

The footballing environment creates great publicity for the company and enduring respect in the community for future endeavours.

The strategic relationship promises a new era of digital engagement with the beautiful game, from suburban pitches to national showcases.

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