Fieldoo, first set up in 2012, connects footballers with clubs and agents, and today has users in 165 countries.
Klemen Hosta, founder and CEO of the site, which is based in Slovenia, told SunSport that more than 3,000 transfers have occurred as a result of a contact made on Fieldoo.
These include Argentine striker Jordi Pascual, who in 2014 signed for Spanish club Girona, aged just 19, and now plays in Italy.
Pascual, who had played at youth level for Boca Juniors, was given a second chance after signing up to Fieldoo and taking part in the ‘Minguella Challenge’ – a competition to find young talent organised by Fieldoo with legendary football agent Josep Maria Minguella.
It was Minguella who took Lionel Messi to Barcelona after discovering him from watching a video. He has also represented Maradona, Romario, Rivaldo and Pep Guardiola.
Fieldoo has been growing rapidly, with more than 310,000 players now registered on the site, an increase of 30 per cent over the past year, according to Hosta.
He said: "We are aiming to have 1 million players on there within the next 18 months."
Each player on Fieldoo has an individual profile with their career CV, statistics plus video clips of them in action.
Around 150 clubs use the site, including two who have played in the Uefa Champions League, all the way down to teams in Germany’s eighth tier.
The clubs – who cannot be named due to non-disclosure agreements – use Fieldoo to find new players that match their criteria. Clubs can also advertise for vacant positions in their squads.
Once a player is contacted by a club they can invite him for a trial. Fieldoo also sets up its own regular trial events – such as the Minguella Challenge – for players and agents using the site.
“This is one way that helps us protect young players from frauds and scams,” says Hosta.
Everyone using the site has to pass a strict verification process where ID and other documents are checked.
Hosta revealed to SunSport that Fieldoo is now developing an online transfer system which it aims to launch in the first half of 2019.
“Generally, football is coming online, not just in terms of things like analytical tools,” says Hosta.
“It's also coming online in terms of facilitating the whole bureaucracy of the game.”
Fieldoo’s new system will use digital signatures, template contracts, simplified legal processes and online payments.
Hosta says that this will help clubs save time and money, while also complying with Fifa regulations and making transfers more transparent.
The plans are ambitious and Fieldoo faces competition – not least from Network90, a private networking site for sports professionals founded by Luis Figo. Players can be bought and sold through the site.
However, Hosta reveals that Fieldoo has had extensive positive feedback from a number of clubs around Europe who are keen to use its new service.
Fieldoo plans to launch the service in Germany initially, before rolling it out to the rest of Europe, and across the world.
The aim is for it to be used by clubs of all sizes, including the biggest English clubs.
And Hosta says it is designed to tap into the growing wealth of talent in the academies of clubs like Manchester City, Manchester United, Chelsea and Liverpool.
The potential of the service seems significant with more and more young English players looking to play abroad in search of first-team football.
For every Jadon Sancho, there are many others who don’t get picked up.
“Let’s say at Manchester City there are 100 players at their academy that will never get the chance to play in the first team there,” says Hosta.
“Of those 100, there are maybe 20 that, say, Dortmund, Schalke, Lyon or Monaco will grab.
“That leaves 80 players. Some will move to an English Championship or League One club, but what about the rest?
“You still have a pool of players that were basically educated at the Harvard of football. They can easily play around Europe or, say, the MLS.
“But the clubs don't know about them. They don't know that these guys are available, what they can do, and what the transfer fee might be.
“So what we're building into Fieldoo is a system that will provide information on these players, including their price and availability.”
Around 10,000 English players are currently registered on the site, according to Hosta, with that number set to grow.
The site is also popular in Spain – where it has 15,000 users – as well as other parts of Europe, and Africa.
“We are also growing in South America, as well as the USA and Asia,” says Hosta.
He was inspired to set Fieldoo up after getting countless requests from friends to upload videos of them playing on to YouTube, in order to help them get a contract with a new club.
“It made me realise that the recruitment systems works for top clubs with the money to have scouts all over the globe,” he says.
“But what happens with a club that doesn’t have the budget for scouts? And what happens with a player that doesn't have connections?
“I saw a number of transfers going wrong because there were agents and all sorts of other characters interfering in the transfers, and the opportunity got lost.
“The idea with Fieldoo is to get a young prospect to a better team without an agent having too big an influence.”
Source: Read Full Article