June 30 – The Italian FA (FIGC) is to run its first Hackathon in conjunction with the University of Trento October 15-16. The FIGC is inviting registrations to event which is open to participants internationally.
A Hackathon is a 24-hour marathon for technology specialists, innovators and entrepreneurs (generally computer software specialists) that brings them together to brainstorm business projects and prototype technical solutions linked to a specific theme.
The FIGC has specified two themes; Match analysis – how to analyse big data in world football, and: How to increase numbers of and create value from the FIGC ‘community’ (beyond 1.3 million).
Winning ‘hacks’ are usually commissioned by business to take their prototypes to the next stage and ultimately into implementation. Ideas created at the Hackathon will be owned by the FIGC, but there will be €5,000 prizes for the winners.
Intended as an annual event, in its announcement of the Hackathon the FIGC says it “wishes to innovate, experiment and surf the wave of new technologies and of new business models applied to football, because FIGC profoundly believes in the frontiers of innovation.”
The hackathon is supported by the European Commission , CONI (Italian Olympic Committee) and the Italian Minister for Sport. It is organised under the auspices KickOff, the official think tank of Italian Football.
Parallel to the hackathon, a series of public events, conferences and meetings on innovation, technologies, football and sports will be organised. They will involve players, managers, sponsors, partners, communication experts and journalists.
The FIGC is the first football federation to step into the world of Hackathons, but it is not the first football organisation to do so. Manchester City has already run one event.
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