Sevilla FC Partners with IBM to Revolutionize Player Evaluation

In the world of sports, every team is constantly seeking an advantage over their competitors. Whether it’s finding the best players or optimizing performance on the field, front offices are always on the lookout for innovative solutions. One such example is Sevilla FC, a top soccer club in Spain’s La Liga, who has partnered with IBM and their watsonx generative AI to revolutionize their player evaluation process.

Sevilla FC recently introduced Scout Advisor, an innovative tool developed by IBM’s watsonx, aimed at revamping their recruitment process. With the support of IBM, Sevilla FC now has the ability to leverage their extensive database of player reports to its full potential. This gives them a significant advantage in player recruitment and ultimately enhances their performance on the pitch.

“Our team of scouters and analysts are committed to finding the best players to support our team’s success and have worked tirelessly to build an impressive database of player reports. And now, with the support of IBM, we can utilize this asset to its full potential,” says Sevilla FC’s president, José María del Nido Carrasco.

The collaboration between Sevilla FC’s data department and IBM’s client engineering team resulted in the creation of Scout Advisor. By incorporating various measurables such as height, weight, positions, and experience, they were able to build a comprehensive dataset for watsonx’s natural language processing and foundation models. This empowers scouts to search and analyze an immense amount of information, blending traditional scouting with data-driven analysis.

IBM’s large language models (LLMs) were instrumental in enhancing the accuracy and effectiveness of player identification for Sevilla FC. These models describe key characteristics the team wants to see in a player, allowing scouts to easily search for specific attributes. For instance, if the club is looking for a midfielder with a strong right foot and quick decision-making skills, scouts can simply input those requirements into Scout Advisor’s search bar and instantly access a plethora of players with scouting reports.

But Scout Advisor goes beyond just player attributes. It also provides insight into a player’s interactions with coaches, teammates, and other chemistry-related aspects on and off the field. This level of detail allows Sevilla FC to make more well-informed decisions when recruiting players.

Recruiting players in the world of soccer can be a risky endeavor. Traditional scouting methods can only take teams so far, and important elements sometimes get overlooked, leading to poor team performance. This is where Scout Advisor plays a crucial role by minimizing risk and maximizing return on investment for Sevilla FC.

“Football is passion, football means something, and we really want to make history with this project,” says Arturo Guerrero, senior manager of IBM’s client engineering team.

By leveraging the power of AI and data-driven analysis, Sevilla FC is taking a bold step forward in player evaluation and recruitment. The partnership between Sevilla FC and IBM exemplifies the growing role of technology in revolutionizing the world of sports. With Scout Advisor, Sevilla FC is equipping themselves with the tools they need to secure their place at the top of La Liga and make a mark in the history of soccer.