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Nearly 100 speakers from all the areas of the football industry gathered at World Football Summit in Madrid

Gustavo Silikovich, General Manager of River Plate and San Mamés Stadium, winners of the Industry Awards.

The Spanish company ThermoHuman, winner of the best startup award in the StartCup by GSIC.

Madrid became, for the second consecutive year, the world capital of football industry with more than 2,000 people attending World Football Summit. Over two days, more than 90 speakers, including the most prominent clubs, federations and companies working in the football industry shared their views on relevant topics such as TV rights, investments, taxation and competitive advantages, fan engagement and monetization, or cybersecurity and Football Leaks.

Renowned international experts attended the congress, FIFA General Secretary, Fatma Samoura, Javier Tebas, President of LaLiga, Jaume Roures, Founding Partner of Mediapro, Victor Montagliani, FIFA Vice President and President of CONCACAF, Pedro Proença, President of Liga Portugal, Julio Senn, Managing Partner of Senn Ferrero Asociados, Rayde Luis Báez, General Director of WWP, Oliver Seitz of Johan Cruyff Institute, Don Dransfield, Director of Operations of City Football Group or Greg Carey, Director of Goldman Sachs.

Experts stressed that the major challenges facing the football industry are turning fans into customers, taking into account the large number of fans that football clubs have and monetize the passion towards the team. For these experts, in addition to the traditional income streams, the future is to convert stadiums into week long meeting points, turning them into entertainment centers that interact with the fan and offer personalized options.

For finance and tax specialists, the industry is experiencing a good moment thanks to the improvement in management and the increase in revenue that encourages investors to bet on the big leagues. For his part, Julio Senn has asked for “changes in the Spanish regulatory system that will allow certainty and legal security for both players and clubs.”

In addition, there were spectacular presentations such as the Wanda Metropolitano by the CEO of Atlético Madrid, Miguel Angel Gil, the FC Barcelona Innovation Hub presentation by Javier Sobrino, in charge of the clubs strategy, or a keynote by Peter Vesterbacka, one of the founders of the company Rovio, creator of the famous game Angry Birds.

During WFS, the second edition of the StartCup by GSIC took place, an international startup competition co-organized by WFS and the Global Sports Innovation Center, a global center based in Madrid led by Microsoft. Close to 70 startups from 25 countries applied to the competition and during WFS, the 7 finalists were able to pitch their project. Of the 7 startups, there was only one Spanish, ThermoHuman, an infrared thermography company with applications to sport that won both the jury and the publics award.

Marian Otamendi, director of WFS highlighted “We are very satisfied with the level of the event in this second edition as we were able to attract close to 2000 attendees, 35% of these coming from abroad and representing 65 countries, with the presence of more than 200 football clubs. Thanks to the sponsorship of LaLiga, we have multiplied the international interest of World Football Summit and we already have offers from important cities, both Spanish and foreign, who want to host WFS in their cities in 2018″.

WFS Industry Awards Winners

WFS17 celebrated an innovative event within the industry, the WFS Industry Awards, which recognize and reward, for the first time in history, the work done by professionals in the international football landscape.

The winners of the five categories were Gustavo Silikovich, General Manager of Club Atlético River Plate as Executive of the Year. Mastercard and its sponsorship of the UEFA Champions League in the category of Best Marketing Initiative. GolStats, specialized in using VR to analyze the game, as the Best Football Industry Supplier. Gol & Paz, with its initiative “Cambiando el Juego“, a social transformation tool which is building peace in Colombia, and San Mamés in the category Venue of the Year.

The award ceremony took place at Palacio de Neptuno, followed by a Gala Cocktail that gathered football club executives, agencies, sponsors, associations, NGOs and institutions working in the world’s leading sport.

The football industry chooses its best representatives of the year in the categories of Executive of the Year, Venue of the Year, Best Marketing Initiative, Best Football Industry Supplier and CSR Activity of the Year.

This year, for the first time, World Football Summit, Spain’s international congress on the football industry will host the WFS Industry Awards that reward the daily work done by football industry professionals that make this sport a real economic engine.

With this project, WFS continues to consolidate as a platform for the football industry with this pioneering initiative at an international level which counts with a jury of first level professionals.

Among the Executive of the Year nominees we find profiles such as Hans-Joaquim Watzke, CEO of Borussia Dortmund; Gustavo Silikovich, General Manager of Club Atlético River Plate; and Tiago Craveiro, CEO of the Portuguese Football Federation.

The three candidates Industry Awards finalists for the Venue of the Year are the Mercedes-Benz Stadium, a modern multi-sport space that hosts the Atlanta Falcons from the NFL and Atlanta United F.C. of the MLS; the new San Mamés, premiered by the fans of Athletic Bilbao in 2013, and the emblematic Estadio da Luz of SL Benfica.

The ambition of their projects and their commitment to football as an ally to improve their brand image have led Banco Santander and their campaign “Santander Fútbol Pasión“; Mastercard and their UEFA Champions League sponsorship; and Mahou, and its campaign “Partido de las Estrellas”, to make it to the Industry Awards finalists  for Best Marketing Initiative.

 The Industry Awards finalists for Best Football Industry Supplier are 3D Digital Venue, 3D interactive solutions in 360º for stadiums; GolStats, specialized in the analysis of the game using VR; and MolcaWorld, branding experts and architects of the brand new image at Balaídos and the Ramón Sánchez Pizjuán stadiums.

One of the essential components in any sport is its social vocation. World Football Summit has highlighted the work of several organizations with its CSR Activity of the Year: Gol & Paz – Cambiando el Juego, and its ability to bring together organizations, companies and government entities with initiatives that promote peace using football as their main tool; AFE – Reminiscencia, the project aimed at bringing back the best memories of the elderly with cognitive impairment; and Red Deporte y Cooperación – Fútbol sin límites: for its idea of using football as a bridge towards a better education, health, integration or job access.

The award ceremony will take place at a gala cocktail to be held on the evening of Monday, October 16^th, at the Palacio Neptuno in Madrid, which will bring together football club managers, agencies, sponsors, associations, NGOs and institutions who work in the football industry.

Vitelsa anuncia la incorporación como patrocinador de la edición 2017 de la convención internacional sobre la industria del fútbol “World Football Summit”. Este evento tendrá lugar en Madrid los días 16 y el 17 de octubre, donde más de 60 ponentes internacionales expondrán su visión de la industria del fútbol y para el que se espera una asistencia superior a las 2.000 personas de más de 70 países distintos.

Fundado en 1983, el Grupo Vitelsa  cuenta con una trayectoria de más de treinta años en el diseño e integración a nivel nacional e internacional de soluciones y servicios audiovisuales, TIC y de Seguridad. Su alta especialización y extenso conocimiento tecnológico le permiten el diseño y puesta en marcha de complejos proyectos “llave en mano”, basados en soluciones avanzadas propias y de terceros gracias a sus acuerdos con fabricantes líderes a nivel mundial.

Su propuesta de valor adquiere un valor diferencial gracias a la especialización de su equipo humano, su experiencia y su capacidad de aplicar de forma innovadora las más avanzadas soluciones tecnológicas a los proyectos de sus clientes, habiendo desarrollado numerosos proyectos tecnológicos para el equipamiento audiovisual y de seguridad en infraestructuras deportivas de primer orden.

Asimismo el Grupo Vitelsa, en el marco de su política de Responsabilidad Social Corporativa, revierte anualmente una parte de sus beneficios en el patrocinio de diversas iniciativas de Deporte base que comparten sus valores éticos, tales como el espíritu de equipo, la colaboración y la capacidad de superación.

Actualmente el grupovitelsa cuenta con cobertura comercial y técnica directa en toda España y una amplia experiencia en proyectos internacionales desde sus oficinas de Madrid, Sevilla, Barcelona, Valencia, Bilbao, Las Palmas de Gran Canaria y Santa Cruz de Tenerife.

The Jury selected the finalists from more than 70 projects who submitted their candidacy. 

The 2017 edition of the World Football Summit (WFS), is the international convention of the football industry which will be held at the Teatro Goya in Madrid, on the 16^th and 17^th of October, and will count with the participation of more than 2,200 accredited professionals coming from 70 countries, among companies, football clubs and institutions, both national and international.

In the context of the congress, WFS and the Global Sports for Innovation Center of Microsoft summons the WFS StartCup by GSIC awards, a contest of innovative startups with applications to the sports industry and football. More than 70 high-profile startups from 25 different nationalities, registered to the competition.

The GSIC team, together with WFS, selected the following 8 finalists:

 A new concept for inner city, stackable football pitches with the idea of promoting a sense of community and healthy living.

 The first tool for real-time cognition training with LED-lights on the pitch.

 A highly innovative and advanced daily fantasy football management game, now available for football clubs that want to improve their digital strategies.

 Wellness ring, mobile App and Cloud UI to improve sleep and recovery from daily mental and physical load in clinical level accuracy.

 Spiideo make sports video recording and analysis easy and accessible for coaches, analysts and players.

 ThermoHuman is a tech startup focused on injury prevention in sports and health with Infrared Thermography.

 The only Automated Cloud Content Creation Platform for Digital Content Creation.

Yonoton (Finland) – Yonoton is an app for better concert and sport events experience. Food, drinks and merchandise: in-seat delivery or quick pick up.

The selected startups will have 3 minutes to present their projects to the attendees of the World Fooball Summit, among them, the jury will select the winning startup, which in addition to becoming a member of the Global Sports for Innovation Center, will have the opportunity to contact investors and venture capital companies attending the event.

The jury is formed by executives of companies linked to the world of startups such as: WAYRA, Sports Investment Partners, Microsoft, Barrabés, Investors Partners, or the Madrid Business Angels network.

WFS will once again be the ideal platform for the most innovative startups focused on the world of sport and football. After the success achieved in the first edition where 38 aspiring startups presented their technological solutions applied to football, the WFS StartCup by GSIC, will once again show how the sport is evolving and in constant transformation.

El Jurado ha seleccionado a las finalistas entre los casi 70 proyectos que se presentaron al concurso. 

Los días 16 y 17 de octubre se celebrará en el Teatro Goya de Madrid la edición 2017 de World Football Summit (WFS), convención internacional de la industria del fútbol, que cuenta con más de 2.200 profesionales acreditados de 70 países distintos, entre empresas, clubes de fútbol e instituciones, tanto nacionales como internacionales.

En el contexto del congreso, WFS y el Global Sports for Innovation Centre de Microsoft convoca los premios WFS StartCup by GSIC, concurso de startups innovadoras con aplicaciones a la industria del deporte y el fútbol. Al concurso se han presentado cerca de 70 proyectos de alto nivel, con startups de 25 nacionalidades distintas.

El equipo del GSIC junto con WFS seleccionaron a las siguientes 8 finalistas según un criterio de:

Un nuevo concepto para el interior de las ciudades: campos de fútbol apilables con la idea de promover un sentido de comunidad y una vida sana.

La primera herramienta para obtener un conocimiento en tiempo real del entrenamiento con luces LED en el campo.

Un juego de gestión futbolística diaria muy innovador y avanzado. Ahora disponible para los clubes de fútbol que quieran mejorar sus estrategias digitales.

Anillo wellness, aplicación móvil y Cloud UI para mejorar el sueño y la recuperación de la carga mental y física diaria con la precisión de niveles clínicos.

Grabación en video de deportes con análisis de datos para entrenadores, analistas y jugadores.

 Empresa pionera en la aplicación de la termografía infrarroja para la prevención y seguimiento de lesiones en el ámbito del deporte y la salud.

 Plataforma con contenido Cloud para la creación de contenido digital.

APP creada para disfrutar de una mejor experiencia en eventos deportivos. Comida, bebida y material promocional con entregas en el asiento o rápida recogida.

Las startups seleccionadas dispondrán de 3 minutos para presentar sus proyectos a los asistentes al World Fooball Summit, y entre ellos el jurado seleccionará a la startup ganadora, que además de pasar a ser miembro del Global Sports for Innovation Centre, tendrá la ocasión de entrar en contacto con inversores y empresas de capital riesgo asistentes al evento.

El jurado se conforma por directivos de empresas ligadas al mundo de las startups como son: WAYRA, Sports Investment Partners, Microsoft, Barrabes, Socios Inversores, o el Madrid Business Angels network.

WFS volverá a ser la plataforma ideal para las startups más innovadoras enfocadas en el mundo del deporte y del fútbol. Tras el éxito conseguido en la primera edición donde 38 startups aspirantes presentaron sus soluciones tecnológicas aplicadas al fútbol, la WFS StartCup by GSIC, volverá a mostrar cómo se transforma y evoluciona el deporte rey.

Dani Oses, elite performance coach and Franchise owner of 3 Anytime Fitness Gym in Sant Cugat, Reus & Sabadell (Barcelona), talks to us regarding the importance of the hard work completed by Pro Footballers, behind the scenes in the gym.

 During the many years that I have assisted elite athletes with their physical preparation and gym work before, during and after their respective seasons, I have seen them displayed in newspaper & magazine articles and training in the most varied of places.

We are accustomed to seeing soccer players training on the pitch, on the grass, running, jumping, doing sit-ups, shooting at goal, team game exercises etc … Curiously, other elite athletes, such as motorcycle riders or Formula one drivers, we can even see them training in the snow before the season begins, but very rarely do we have the opportunity to see them in their facet closest to any of our activities: their hours in the gym, which exist and are many!

If we take a moment to remember, it is possible that at some time we have seen a soccer star training, doing quadriceps extensions on a machine in a gym and almost certainly the image that comes to mind is related to recovery of an injury.  Do you not remember seeing them doing shoulder, back or pectoral exercises, but not in the gym, but on the field during an advertising campaign? Like any other elite athlete, football players work in the gym to achieve the physical condition that their body requires to be up to the demands of their profession – like any other sport at competition level.

As a football fan, you are sure to know the name of the coach of all the teams in your league, but do you know the names of the fitness coaches, even of your own team? Working tirelessly, every day behind the scenes in the gym, this role is critical to the player’s and team’s performance. Why?

If we observe a complete soccer training session, we will see that players spend very limited time on the pitch and that the training session is carried out in groups, with twenty or twenty-five players working with one or two coaches. The head coach or manager, uses this time to work on both tactics and technique, which leaves very little time and energy, for strength & conditioning work in the gym.

In addition, on the field you train with basic material and do not have the equipment or machinery necessary to train all muscle groups in a correct and specific manner as available in a gym, and it is impossible to achieve the high level of condition necessary at elite level in this time.

“The gym become the base camp for all good players” – Dani Oses

When we talk about professional football, each player is trained by his coach, following an individualized routine, designed specifically for him or her, either because of his/her constitution, old injuries, position in the field, skills, weaknesses etc.

Each player has different needs and physical characteristics that have to be taken into account when designing work in the gym. Of course, the same physical preparation is not required by the body of a goalkeeper where less gym work is required. as that of a defender or a striker, where a high level of gym work is required, nor a young footballer who has just graduated from the academy compared to a player who is in the twilight years of his/her career where more injury preventative gym work is prudent.

 What are the main goals of gym training for professional soccer players?

We review them below:

Developing muscle mass:

We need strong well-muscled legs with strong joints to be faster, to kick harder and prevent future injuries. To do this, we must have a good muscular base and perform, from the beginning of our preparation, a routine that includes exercises like deadlifts, squats or in machine like quad extensions and femoral press – these exercises can only be effectively competed in a gym.

Increase muscular endurance:

In addition to a powerful lower power train thanks to this good muscle mass, we will also need those muscles to remain strong throughout the game and not fatigue fast. Circuit training is ideal for improving this aspect. Alternating with the number of sets, repetitions and intervals of rest, we will make our muscles endure more than the ninety minutes of a game.

Gain power:

Once a good muscle mass has been acquired and previous gym work done in prevention, we can improve the power by means of plyometric exercises and multi-skills. Strength and agility must go hand in hand in this sport, and we cannot forget the work of the support joints that will achieve a solid structure to avoid possible injuries due to overload or mechanical overexertion.

Core Strength:

Strengthen the core for good stability of the spine and pelvis. This way we will get a greater transfer of forces during the movement and we will avoid many common injuries. It may seem strange but when some of the athletes I train come to see me at any of the Anytime Fitness gym that I run, I encourage them to enter our yoga, pilates or body balance classes, most become fans of these classes and exercises carried out in the gym. Given these types of activities are based on stretching and dynamic body control they are the perfect complement to the rest of the bodybuilding and gym work.

Improve Stamina:

Football is a sport that is played at high intensity for at least minutes per game. The players are making an important cardiovascular and muscular effort marked by the sprints – that require an explosive organic response – and moments of “rest” that alternate Intermittently. To this must be added the increase in the production of adrenaline, which brings the circulatory system almost to the limit of its capacity. To train this, footballers train in the gym with treadmills, Nordic ski & rowing machines, bikes, etc, all simulating the profiles similar to those intervals of extreme effort that occur during matches. In addition, this essential gym work favours the circulation of the blood and therefore the oxygenation of the tissues that will cause the musculature to develop in a healthy way.

Ensure good work of proprioception, flexibility and toning of the general musculature, all acquired through hard work in the gym, to prevent as much as possible, the main injuries suffered by footballers, and to be in the best physical form possible.

Now, maybe when you see the players running on the pitch, you do it from another point of view?Finally remember that it is not necessary to be an elite sportsman to lead a healthy lifestyle that will bring years of well-being and greater quality to your day to day.  I encourage you to follow the footsteps of the players by training in the gym, where you will find trainers and professional staff who will be with you to help you reach your goals even if they are not winning a league! A little exercise every day will improve your life. As we say in our Anytime Fitness Gym:

¡The moment has arrived to meet your new you!