December has been a busy and intense month for us at SciSports. Time has been split between the Netherlands and the United States, balancing year-end wrap-ups, new conversations, and laying foundations for what is ahead. It has been a month of reflection, learning, and momentum across both markets. In that spirit, I wanted to share some thoughts and experiences in a Q&A format with you.

I think this is one of the most difficult challenges in the sports tech business. SciSports originated from a scientific point of view while operating in the emotional space of sports. That is also reflected in the name SciSports.

We continuously battle with keeping insights derived from scientific models and algorithms clear and easy to understand. If we make them too simple, we risk losing context or even losing acceptance from users because they believe the data is wrong or inaccurate.

When I joined SciSports, we had eight data scientists. Today, we have two. Over the past five years, I deliberately trimmed down the science side to better feed insights to coaches, analysts, and video analysts, not scientists. The reason was simple. We needed to provide insights that were usable and relevant.

However, professional clubs started hiring more and more data scientists, and soon our clients also became our competitors. Today, our focus is no longer on competing with club data scientists, but on supporting them through data engineering and by fitting data flows into their own processes.

At academy level, there are very few data scientists. Here, we are a true addition to the staff, but we still need to ensure we provide insights based on scientific models rather than just delivering large amounts of raw data.

One of the most threatening factors for leadership is fear, as Simon Sinek explains in Start With Why. In organizations where fear dominates, leadership does not stand a chance.

There is a lot of fear in professional football organizations, not all of them, but many. The industry is perceived as very attractive, and many people would do anything to work in it. At the same time, it is normal to fire a coach after four to six bad matches, which sends a clear signal about how performance is treated.

Because of this, I have rarely seen truly great leadership within clubs. On the tech supplier side, there have been a few strong leaders. The common trait among them is that they dare to say no to clients and stand up for their people. This sounds easy, but it is not.

This market differs from the Netherlands in many ways. The biggest takeaway is the difference between right to play and pay to play. My previous newsletter touched on this topic. In addition, the US system is less organized at league, youth, and player development levels due to the size of the country.

Our opportunity clearly lies in the youth market. There are only 36 MLS teams, and they usually have access to high-end data and resources. SciSports serves MLS teams, but with only 36 clubs, the market size is limited. The total addressable market in youth soccer is significant, with 6.4 million players, and that is where we want to focus.

The challenge is how to serve players and parents with a strong product without bypassing coaches. On the contrary, coaches are still the most important people we want to work with, as they are at the forefront of player development and participation.

I was fortunate to work outside the sports industry at first, which allowed me to learn a lot and see many different organizations from the inside, including corporates and non-profits.

After selling my fintech company Basecone to Wolters Kluwer in 2015, I acquired Inmotio, a company providing local positioning measurement solutions. This acquisition was impulsive and marked my entry into sports tech. It also brought many painful learning moments.

One thing became very clear. Hardware combined with software is extremely difficult. We learned this the hard way and invested a significant amount of money. At the same time, it gave us the opportunity to work with the Eredivisie and deliver the first version of our Performance Center platform, which is now used in more than 35 leagues worldwide.

It was not the easy way in, but it was the challenge I wanted.

One of the most important things I discovered about myself is the importance of following my gut feeling. This is easy to say, but difficult to do.

Listening to your gut keeps you close to yourself, your values, and your beliefs. Sometimes this is bold and scary, but it is necessary to stay aligned with your vision. It means saying no to people, ideas, and pivots.

Following your gut and daring to say no is the most important lesson I have learned over the years.

As we move into the new year, I am excited about what lies ahead for SciSports, especially as we continue to build across Europe and North America. The journey in sports tech is rarely straightforward, but it is meaningful, challenging, and rewarding.

Thank you for taking the time to read this and for being part of the SciSports journey. I look forward to sharing more insights and updates with you in the months ahead.