<abstract xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml"><p>This paper investigates the diffusion of digital technologies within the football talent scouting process. A qualitative exploration based on open discussions and unstructured interviews with professionals involved in the football system (coaches, scouts, players’ agents, etc.) provides insights about how new technologies are used for recruiting athletes. The findings, which are mainly in the context of Italian football, indicate a cultural and generational gap in the use of new digital tools that creates a mismatch between young promising athletes (demand side) and “senior” team professionals (supply side).</p></abstract>

This paper investigates the diffusion of digital technologies within the football talent scouting process. A qualitative exploration based on open discussions and unstructured interviews with professionals involved in the football system (coaches, scouts, players’ agents, etc.) provides insights about how new technologies are used for recruiting athletes. The findings, which are mainly in the context of Italian football, indicate a cultural and generational gap in the use of new digital tools that creates a mismatch between young promising athletes (demand side) and “senior” team professionals (supply side).

Social Talent Scouting: A New Opportunity for the Identification of Football Players?

Physical Culture and Sport. Studies and Research

This work is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 3.0 License.

This paper investigates the diffusion of digital technologies within the football talent scouting process. A qualitative exploration based on open discussions...

Social Talent Scouting: A New Opportunity for the Identification of Football Players?

Published Online: May 09, 2016

Page range: 28 - 43

Received: Feb 22, 2016

Accepted: Apr 04, 2016

DOI: https://doi.org/10.1515/pcssr-2016-0012

Keywords
visual talent scouting, football players, new media

© 2016 Elena Radicchi et al., published by De Gruyter Open

This work is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 3.0 License.

Social Talent Scouting: A New Opportunity for the Identification of Football Players?

Published Online: May 09, 2016

Page range: 28 - 43

Received: Feb 22, 2016

Accepted: Apr 04, 2016

DOI: https://doi.org/10.1515/pcssr-2016-0012

Keywordsvisual talent scouting, football players, new media

© 2016 Elena Radicchi et al., published by De Gruyter Open

This work is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 3.0 License.

Keywords
visual talent scouting, football players, new media