Sevilla FC Streamlines Player Recruitment with IBM’s Scout Advisor Powered by Generative AI
Introduction
In the ever-competitive realm of football, clubs are constantly seeking innovative strategies to gain an edge in player recruitment. Sevilla FC, renowned for its analytical prowess, has partnered with IBM to harness the transformative power of generative AI, revolutionizing the player recruitment process. The result is Scout Advisor, a groundbreaking tool that leverages natural language processing (NLP) and semantic analysis to extract valuable insights from scouting reports.
Empowering Human Evaluators with AI
Scout Advisor empowers football operations departments to enter search queries using natural language, capturing the nuances of how scouts describe players. The system analyzes textual scouting reports to identify player attributes, even when expressed in different ways. This human-centric approach emphasizes the expertise of scouts while leveraging technology to enhance their efficiency and effectiveness.
Revolutionizing the Player Recruitment Process
Sevilla’s Chief Data Officer, Elías Zamora Sillero, highlights the transformative impact of Scout Advisor: “With this tool, we can fully utilize the expert opinion of our scouts in a more systematic process of finding good players. Additionally, it opens up possibilities for using NLP and generative AI technology to address other challenges within the club.”
A Suite of AI-Powered Tools
Sevilla has been a pioneer in adopting AI-powered tools to enhance various aspects of its operations. AI Football aids in match analysis, AI Ticketing delivers personalized marketing, AI Sponsoring supports the commercial team, and AI Radar provides a comprehensive player scoring system. Recently, AI Tracking was rebranded as Transfer Tracker and made available for licensing by other clubs, enabling a more systematic tracking of player movements and ensuring appropriate transfer fees for homegrown academy alumni.
Querying Player Attributes with Natural Language
With Scout Advisor, Sevilla’s Sporting Director Victor Orta can effortlessly query player attributes using natural language. For instance, he can enter a search term like “extremo con desparpajo,” which translates to “winger with confidence,” and receive results that accurately capture the essence of his request. This intuitive interface significantly reduces the time required to gather comprehensive player information.
Accelerating Decision-Making
Orta emphasizes the time-saving benefits of Scout Advisor: “I don’t need to review 45 reports for a player to know the opinion of my scouting department. In perhaps two minutes, I can get all the information I need to make a decision. This is a revolutionary tool for a director of football that gives me time.”
Collaboration with the University of Sevilla and IBM
Sevilla’s journey with AI began with a collaboration with the University of Sevilla. Later, they partnered with IBM to develop a generative AI product built on Watsonx. This pre-trained large language model (LLM) can be refined through computer-powered, self-supervised learning, eliminating the need for intensive training and human supervision.
Adapting to Sevilla’s Unique Style
IBM Client Engineering Manager Arturo Guerrero emphasizes the importance of tailoring the solution to Sevilla’s specific needs: “It had to be a solution that fits Sevilla’s style, recognizes the jargon scouts use, and enables searches to find players similar to the style and ability of another player. All of this helps blend the subjective and quantitative realms of the scouting process.”
Leveraging Semantic Analysis for Accurate Results
Guerrero explains the underlying technology behind Scout Advisor: “The results are based on semantic analysis, which is not just looking for a specific word. It will understand the meaning of the prompt and find similar reports to that. And then, obviously, we get all the stats and quantitative information of the player.”
Conclusion
Sevilla FC’s adoption of Scout Advisor marks a significant advancement in the use of generative AI to enhance player recruitment in football. By leveraging natural language processing and semantic analysis, the club can harness the collective expertise of its scouts in a more systematic and efficient manner. This innovative tool empowers decision-makers with comprehensive player information, accelerating the process of identifying and acquiring talent. As AI continues to transform the world of football, Sevilla FC stands at the forefront of this digital revolution.