Aurélio Pereira adds his backing to The Future of Football International Congress

Two days packed with international football's top names would not be complete without the presence of Sporting CP scouting legend Aurélio Pereira. Speaking at The Future of Football International Congress, Pereira congratulated the club for hosting what is now the third edition of the event.

"Firstly, I would like to say that it is always an honour to take part in this type of event, organised by our club. These kinds of events are not easy to put together and some fantastic things have already been said here on various levels. People involved in youth coaching have to listen and learn and that is what we want. The world is about learning, our lives are about learning. It would be impossible to be here and not learn something", said Pereira.

Third edition brings together some of football's top names

The Future of Football International Congress was brought to a close at 13h00 on Thursday and their were smiles all round after another successful event.

Wednesday's panels focused on training and marketing, with Luís Figo, Jorge Jesus, Pacho Maturana, Luciano Cefaratti and Susana Torres all sharing their experiences. Also taking to the stage on day one were the heads of the Inter Milan and FC Barcelona academies, in addition to the director-general for sports with the Brazilian club Corinthians.

Thursday saw Bruno de Carvalho and Oscar Moscariello speak about development and the challenges of the future. Speaking were Avram Grant, Oliver Seitz, Paul Rejer and Emanuel Medeiros.

The closing speech was left to UEFA director Guy-Laurent Epstein: "I want to thank Sporting CP for organising this event, so that we can all think about football. I thank the president for his enthusiasm, for letting us enjoy the emotion of this sport. This is event is vital, because it asks us how we can contribute to football. It is a sport with a long history and that is constantly evolving."

Bruno de Carvalho on the success of The Future of Football International Congress

Bruno de Carvalho made his closing comments at the III The Future of Football International Congress this Thursday. For the Alvalade chief, this year's event adds further to what is becoming an initiative referenced internationally.

"We have been on the front line, putting forward proposals. We have to recognise what is wrong and think about the future, like Emanuel Medeiros told us. We want Sporting CP to take on a role globally. Since I arrived I have been fighting for my club, to make sure we don't stagnate. We have to work together as a team and think outside of the box. Speaking about integrity and honestly in football isn't enough, we have to actually do something and that is what this congress is about", said Bruno de Carvalho.

The Sporting CP president gave the example of the video-referee which will be used in this season's Portuguese Cup final: "We are really proud to see technology being used in the Portuguese Cup final. We have been making proposals in relation to results, where funds come from and other issues such as refereeing. We are right to try and encourage change and we are ready to fight for the club and for football in general. This congress is hosted by Sporting CP and is part of our strategy. This is how we want to contribute to the industry."

AGAP2 director Filipe Esteves presents on the role of groundbreaking technology in football

AGAP2 director Filipe Esteves opened the second day of The Future of Football International Congress this Thursday, with a presentation on the role of technology and the Football ISM application.

"This presentation will re-invent how we manage football. It will allow us to evaluate how players train and help in recruiting talent. It will also help the players' families to follow what is happening. It has taken us three years to get to where we are now, with full access to personalized information", said Esteves, going on to speak about AGAP2's partnership with Sporting CP: "The club picks the information it wants, from training, matches or personal development from season to season, with a range of information available such as what the players are eating. You can follow things in real time, including topics such as contracts and image rights. You can follow young players, get in touch with scouts and thirty seconds later have a report issued to your coordinators or coaches. This application accelerates the recruitment process and helps Sporting CP get to players first."

Luís Figo contributes to panel on training

Luís Figo also took to the stage at The Future of Football International Congress this week, as part of a panel on what makes the difference in training. Also joining the Portuguese legend, in a panel moderated by Luciano Cefaratti, were Jorge Jesus, Francisco Maturana and Susana Torres.

Speaking in front of a capacity auditorium, Figo did not hide is pride on returning to Alvalade: "After so many years it is always nice to come back. In relation to coaching, I think there are two kinds of coach: youth coaches and senior coaches. Coaches are extremely important for youth teams and they are directly responsible for the future of the young players they work with. Senior team coaches have to know everything about the sport, know how to plan and how to deal with certain behaviours to they can get the best out of the players."

Maturana also took took to the stage to share his experience as both a player and a coach, while Susana Torres spoke about the mental side of the game.

Bruno de Carvalho opens III The Future of Football International Congress

Speaking in a packed auditorium, Bruno de Carvalho officially opened this year's The Future of Football International Congress this Wednesday.

"This congress has been really important for football. We will speak about various issues here that should be debated, such as academies, brands and training. We have speakers including some of the best coaches in the world, including Jorge Jesus, Fernando Santos and Francisco 'Pacho' Maturana", said the Alvalade president in his opening comments, going on to add: "It is a privilege to contribute to this industry with our proposals. Our role isn't limited to what happens on the pitch and clubs and everyone involved in sport should contribute with ideas. Our objective has to be the defence of true sportsmanship. We are really happy to see new technologies being introduced, like the video-referee which will be used in the Portuguese Cup final. We congratulate UEFA and FIFA for their role in that."

"From me and Sporting CP, I wish you all a good congress", finished Bruno de Carvalho.

ProEvents' Julian Kam on the Asian football market

China's recently announced intentions of building a national team capable of lifting the World Cup have certainly attracted the attention of the global football market. Invited to speak on the role of emerging football markets, the vastly experienced Julian Kam shared his thoughts on where Asian football is heading.

The world's most populous nation has already announced the creation of football schools and investment in academies, as part of the country's drive to host a World Cup. China made its first major leap into the transfer market in January, bringing names including Jackson Martinez, Ramires, Gervinho and Luiz Adriano, spending a total of around 300,000,000 euros.

Closer to home, Portugal's 2nd division was recently named as Ledman LigaPro, as part of a deal that brings Chinese coaches and players to the European continent to gain experience that will then be applied in Asia.

FIFA vice-president Ángel Maria Villar closes International Congress

FIFA vice-president and former Athl. Bilbao player Ángel Maria Villar was the name chosen to close The Future of Football International Congress this week, with a nostalgic speech covering the last 40 years of football.

“I liked listening to the congress and I have to congratulate Sporting, in the name of its president, for this great initiative. I had the good fortune to be a football player and I trained as a player and a person at every level. Forty years ago fans, players, leagues and international organisations existed. Today, everything is still the same. If we look at the origins of football, it is the same now. Whoever decided how the game should work was not wrong, because today it still exists in a more perfected form," said the Spaniard, adding: "We should not break away from the past, but focus on integration, understanding and improvement. Football is in good hands and the introduction of new technologies should help referees, not replace them. Of course international competitions exist, but we have to respect national competitions, because they are what contributes to the development of football. I thank this Portuguese, European and global club for organising this congress."

MLS representative Lino di Cuollo on the role of developing markets

Speaking as part of day two of the Future of Football International Congress, Major League Soccer representative Lino di Cuollo shared his valuable knowledge on the growth of the beautiful game in the world's emerging markets. For the MLS, the secret has been in a three-phase plan, based on growth, independence and making the league more attractive to a global audience.

The league was brought into being back in 1996, with just ten teams. The creation of the North American competition actually went back to 1993, as part of a project to get the country ready for the 1994 World Cup. The MLS has steadily grown ever since, with unique ideas including the centralisation of players' contracts controlled by the league to ensure stability and balance between teams.

"In the MLS, we made it so that the competition is on the pitch. Off it, we work together", said the MLS representative, in a presentation that explained the league's growth into a league that could attract foreign talent, but with strict financial rules ensuring that budgets were kept under control.

Steve Rickless shares his experience with Triple Play as part of a drive to generate revenue

Football stadiums are, by definition, the place where you go to watch a football match. What if stadiums could become much more than that, acting as a way of generating even more revenue? That is one of the Triple Play CEO Steve Rickless' idea, with his company paving the way in integrating digital services into facilities. With offices around the world, Triple Play has already worked in more than 30 stadiums (including Chelsea, Manchester City and Spartak Moscow), in seven different sports.

“We should use the stadium's systems to ge the fans involved. Giant screens for example can be fitted with internet connections to work as television platforms for generating additional revenue. For Steve Rickless, the NFL is an example to follow, with ticket prices also varying based on the services available to each particular fan. “We can have music, games, competitions, special offers, location services and partnerships with restaurants and bars who pay to be part of the club's App", affirmed the Triple Play CEO, finishing by encouraging a discussion on how to generate revenue not only on matchday, but on the other 300 days of the year.