The UEFA innovation hub
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Collaborating with the public and private sector has a key role to play in finding innovative solutions to the challenges facing European football.
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Innovative approaches are critical to keep pace with the ever-changing European football landscape. Established in 2018, UEFA's innovation hub acts as a sandbox for creating cutting-edge solutions to new challenges, on and off the pitch.
By building partnerships and collaboration projects with start-ups, academic institutions and businesses, we harness public and private sector expertise to deliver high-impact innovations that benefit both the European football community and wider society.
"To anticipate industry-shaping forces that will empower UEFA and European football stakeholders to innovate in line with their strategic objectives."
Our areas of focus
UEFA
We encourage our staff at our administrative headquarters in Nyon, Switzerland, to embed innovation processes, methodologies and tools into their day-to-day work.
For example, in partnership with the International Institute for Management Development – a business school in Lausanne, Switzerland – the UEFA Academy runs the Innovation in Action education programme for UEFA and national association staff. The course equips senior managers in sports organisations with all they need to know to lead innovation and drive change within their organisations.
European football
We work with our stakeholders to develop a network of football innovators that can share knowledge and lessons learned across the football community. In addition to running webinars and joint innovation challenges, we compile an annual report on the status of innovation in European football.
Society
We bring together a unique community of innovators, private sector partners and football stakeholders to design innovation programmes that leave a lasting legacy for sport and society.
UEFA Champions Innovate
One example is Champions Innovate, launched in 2023 to support our football sustainability strategy. Each season, this initiative sees the host city for the UEFA Champions League final invite start-ups to propose innovative solutions to a specific challenge. The selected companies then team up with our competition sponsors (in 2024, PepsiCo, Just Eat Takeaway.com and Mastercard), as well as other relevant stakeholders, to pilot their projects for real.
For the 2024 final at Wembley Stadium, the City of London proposed three challenges, each with the goal of enhancing the competition's social and environmental impact:
- How can fans help to generate enough electricity to power the UEFA Champions League Final Kick Off Show and establish a sustainable model for power generation at future events?
- How to bring choice, joy and innovation to the food served around the final (including London, the fan zone and the stadium) while also creating healthy and sustainable options for fans?
- How can we harness the power, passion and reach of football fans to create tangible, effective solutions for communities within the scope of fintech and digital fan engagement?
Three start-ups will demonstrate the impact of their work at London's City Hall on 30 May 2024, two days before the Champions League final. An expert jury will award a €45,000 prize to the overall winner.
In 2024, a programme for the UEFA Women's EURO in Switzerland will leverage the expertise of local innovators to address challenges facing the women's game.