UK-based Iterpro is the first company to provide a business intelligence solution in the football industry, that gives clubs, federations and leagues a centralised system for asset management.
Iterpro’s system aims to improve the communication between each football club department.
As the role of each department within a club continues to grow, so does the use of the accompanying technology.
For example, there are GPS businesses with accompanying software, medical and financial software specifically used for football clubs, tracking technologies, performance analysis tools and much more.
A range of athlete management software businesses also exist, which collect important information but are reliant on experts at the clubs to make sense of the data.
Because of the use of all of this specialist software, communication problems exist between departments.
Iterpro’s goal as a company is to simplify and display the most relevant information to the most relevant departments.
If a sports scientist within the organisation completes a detailed report on the squad, it makes sense to want the manager and other departments to have an easily readable overview of the report.
Showcasing the right information to the right people is extremely valuable.
Dr. Alberto Calicchio, Head of Medical at the AC Milan Academy said: “Iterpro has almost eradicated communication problems between staff members, and simultaneously expanded the opportunity to share data remotely with other departments. This, together with the possibility to analyse data and performance statistics, has been a huge step forward for us.
“What I like the most is that every step, from medical and rehab to the return to play process, is easily understandable by an external figure. It’s not only for doctors and sports scientists.
“In practical terms, the manager, or eventually the Director, can check the players’ status in every moment, even if he doesn’t come to our training ground in Vismara. This is vitally important for us.”
AC Milan renewed its partnership with Iterpro in December 2019 for a further three years.
Other clubs in partnership with Iterpro include Serie A sides Bologna FC and Torino FC, as well as Serie C side AC Monza.
Simon Barjie, Performance Manager at AC Monza said: “Since Iterpro was implemented at Monza we noticed that we became way more time-efficient: being able to collect and interpret data in order to give prompt feedback to the coaching staff – as well as individual players – has been something extraordinary.
“We now have a clear general overview, but at the same time a specific real-time snapshot of the squad, which allows us to effectively share information between departments (coaching, performance, medical).”
Iterpro’s focus on communication allows club partners to make better decisions, faster. This is a vital element in the football landscape.
Andrea Tedesco, Assistant Manager at UC Craivoa said: “Sharing information is progressively becoming crucial in football since important decisions need to be taken in a very limited amount of time. Iterpro has revolutionised the way we work.”
Iterpro continues to work with its partners and third parties to build new features to expand its system.
They have an integration with Wyscout, which gives scouting departments access to information from every professional league in the world.
Other features include a transfer dashboard on the Iterpro platform, which can be used to run simulations on the transfer window. This gives clubs the understanding on how these transfers will affect club budgets. Therefore, this data is of benefit to both the scouting and finance departments.
In the finance department, Iterpro’s system gives partners the chance to use data from player management to asset management. Every transfer and wage payment are a significant investment, with a player being the main financial asset for a club.
Player contracts are recorded on the Iterpro system, with a contract and clause builder functionality also incorporated. The finance department has the ability to receive alerts when a player is getting close to triggering a certain clause, such as an extra payment for a performance related bonus.
An app has also been designed for partners, which showcases the same data as the platform version. It is presented in a more condensed way however, with directors and key personnel at clubs finding it extremely convenient.
Finally, Iterpro offers clubs, leagues and federations further opportunities to expand revenue streams with their system. Recently, a league approached the company asking how their member clubs could reduce insurance premiums to focus on other financial benefits.
With a firm focus on product development and growth of the company, Iterpro has partnered with a significant player in football finance to enhance its offerings. The company has recently hired workers with experience in the financial side of professional football.
The time could be approaching for Australian clubs to consider Iterpro as a worthwhile investment.
