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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Liverpool’s Bold New Move: The Game-Changing Partnership Set to Revolutionise the Club’s Future

Staff Writer

Liverpool Football Club has kicked off a major new era by signing a multi-year global partnership with Trimble, a leading technology company set to revolutionise the club’s infrastructure and day-to-day operations.

The partnership will debut with a massive redevelopment of the Liverpool FC Academy — a project that promises to transform the way future Reds stars train and develop. The upgrade will feature a new full-size indoor pitch, an outdoor pitch with stands, and state-of-the-art medical and sports science facilities designed to nurture the club’s next generation of talent.

Using Trimble SketchUp®, the redevelopment will create a world-class environment for young players to learn, train and thrive. This collaboration ties directly into Liverpool’s broader vision to drive innovation, boost performance, and ensure its facilities continue to meet the demands of the modern game.

Beyond the infrastructure improvements, Trimble’s brand will also feature across Anfield and LFC’s digital platforms — reaching one of the largest audiences in global sport. With more than 215 million social followers, 12 million YouTube subscribers, and a staggering 583 million cumulative TV viewers across all competitions during the 2024/25 season, Trimble is set to gain enormous worldwide visibility.

Ben Latty, Chief Commercial Officer at Liverpool, said:
“Trimble’s technology and expertise will play an important role in how we continue to evolve our facilities to meet the needs of the modern game – starting with the redevelopment of our Academy.

“Innovation has always been central to the club’s approach, and this partnership brings a fresh perspective to how we design and deliver spaces that support our players, staff and fans. We’re delighted to welcome Trimble to the LFC partnership family.”

Rob Painter, President and CEO of Trimble, added:
“Our collaboration with Liverpool Football Club is a pivotal step in expanding our global reach.

“LFC, much like Trimble and its dedicated customers, embodies excellence and a relentless passion for continuous improvement. We’re confident that this unparalleled exposure will propel the brand further with extended global resonance.”

Liverpool’s latest move isn’t just another sponsorship deal — it’s a statement of intent. By joining forces with Trimble, the club is doubling down on innovation, investing in the future, and ensuring its young stars have the best possible platform to shine for years to come.

Growth Lighting Company Rhenac Launches New Product, The RML 400

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Image Credit: Rhenac

Rhenac, a growth lighting specialist company have released their latest product in their unique Complete Light Spectrum line, the RML 400, which delivers turf care across a 400 spm area using UV-C lighting equipment.

The RML 400, like all in the CLS range, is designed for businesses who want to maintain their sporting pitch with efficient and sustainable means — with industry-leading LED technology attached to a lightweight-rig design, the RML 400 provides state of the art turf growth under simulated conditions.

The LED system on the product stimulates natural sunlight using Rhenac-patented technology, which is backed by years of research and development in plat research at the Technical University of Munich (TUM) and used by several elite stadiums.

CEO of Rhenac, Horst Theisen explained the RML 400 lighting is not just about one monochromatic light: it’s much more.

“It’s about creating balanced light recipes that replicate natural sunlight and adjusting temperature to support every stage of turf growth,” he said via press release.

“Red light stimulates germination and shoot growth, while blue light promotes root development, shear strength, leaf structure and density. White light enhances overall turf health and vitality, while far red drives length growth.

“The ability to create bespoke recipes with this mixture of light, combined with infrared heating, ensures the optimal conditions for turf recovery, resilience and consistent playability.”

Rhenac prides itself on solving problems for their clients by using their already existing technology and adapting and personalising it in various ways.

Rhenac’s range of pitch care products and projects can be design specifically for stadiums and other customers, resulting in CLS equipment varying from compact frames for smaller pitches, to inbuilt structures and lighting for major venues.

Rhenac GreenTec

Rhenac sources their research and development through their engineering hub Rhenac GreenTec, founded to study and stay up to date in plant growth within climate chambers without natural light, to then use the data to update their products range.

Modern stadiums and training centres use Rhenac products to keep their pitch’s health and growth consistent all year round due to constraints like parts being under shade from stands, the demanding of training and play, as well as weather.

The results seen by those using the CLS range estimate a 100-percent boost to root growth with double the biomass, 40-percent fewer input requirements to the pitch, and 30-percent more playable hours, all done chemically-free.

The RML 400 is also equipped with analysers and real-time sensors that look deeper into the maintenance of the turf to help venue managers and grounds people to understand more about the reaction of the pitch to the light and its circumstances.

Alongside its advanced lighting technology, the RML 400 benefits from Rhenac’s collaboration with Turf Lighting Solutions who pioneer in single-row aluminium mobile lighting which ensures an easy-to-handle rig that’s practical for ground people to transport, deploy and store.

The RML 400 also includes intuitive controls, light sensor automation, smart remote operation from pitch side, using data-driven resources to ensure long-term reliability.

Turf Lighting Solutions

Turf Lighting Solutions is a subsidiary and partner of Rhenac who specialises in the development and design of the lighting and lightweight rigs (which TLS brought over with the partnership), delivering more than 600 rigs to 120+ stadiums, clubs, and sports venues worldwide.

TLS also designed and created some of Rhenac’s products like turf fans used to control temperature and improve airflow and spray cannons and air blowers for targeted treatment.

The company also consults and advises venue managers towards tailored services for each pitch’s unique conditions, and full lifecycle support from the initial enquiry to ongoing maintenance and optimisation.

Together, Rhenac have operated for over a decade with several decades of knowledge and industry experience from their team.

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