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CONCACAF showcased its commitment to advancing football through innovative data utilization and accessibility at the 2024 United Soccer Coaches Convention, held in Anaheim, California, from January 10-14. The Confederation’s innovative work to support its member associations through increased use of data and analytics was highlighted by Chief Development Officer, Jason Roberts, during a panel discussion central to the event.
Addressing an audience of football enthusiasts on Day two of the convention, Roberts’ insights into democratizing data were shared as part of the CONCACAF Football Performance Insights, a key initiative aimed at elevating the game across the region. This initiative underscores the importance of making complex data understandable and applicable at all levels of the sport, thereby enhancing football’s overall growth and development.
During the panel, Roberts emphasized the need for a unified data analysis approach across all levels of the sport. “The collaboration between CONCACAF and FIFA in the realm of data analysis is more than just number-crunching; it’s about forging a common language that resonates with every coach, regardless of their team’s resources. While teams with robust data analysis departments can easily interpret and leverage raw data, our challenge lies in making this information equally accessible to all. We want to ensure that technical directors and coaches in the likes of Barbados, Martinique, Haiti and St. Kitts and Nevis are benefitting from data and are able to use it to support their own development efforts,” said Roberts.
“Our ongoing dialogue with the technical team is centered around this mission: to democratize data in a way that is universally understandable and useful, bridging the gap between various cultures, size and scale of federations and levels of expertise across our member associations,” Roberts pinpointed.
Over the four days, the 2024 United Soccer Coaches Convention will be hosting over 200 lecture sessions and field demonstrations, presented by world-class speakers. The convention serves as a platform for coaching education, fostering connections, and exploring the business aspect of soccer, including the latest technological advancements.
United Soccer Coaches, the world’s largest soccer coaches’ organization, continues to play a pivotal role in this endeavor. Since its founding in 1941, the organization has been instrumental in inspiring coaches and fueling their passion for the game, ensuring they, in turn, pass this on to players and the broader soccer community.
CONCACAF has a track record under this administration of significant innovation in its coach development efforts. This is driven by the “football first” philosophy prioritized by CONCACAF’s President, Victor Montagliani, when he became President of the Confederation.
In 2022, CONCACAF launched its first ever “Coaching Convention” – a regulatory framework intended to standardize and raise the quality of coach education programs across Member Associations.
Further information on that initiative is available via this link: Groundbreaking Coaching Convention boosts coach education across CONCACAF .
