Ever wondered how technology is shaping the future of football? Then you don't want to miss our insider's conversation with Benoit Croissant, the commercial director of Catapult Sports. Benoit, a former professional football player, offers a unique perspective on how technology measures and improves performance, and how it is revolutionizing the game. This episode promises a fascinating blend of technology, football and personal insight.
Our chat with Benoit takes us through the significance of data collection and the unique support provided by Catapult Sports. His stories of resistance and acceptance when introducing technology to football associations are engaging and insightful. This is a rare glimpse into the world of sports technology from someone who has lived both on the field and behind the scenes.
Finally, we tackle the important question of balance. How do traditional methods and technology integrate to enhance performance? Listen in as Benoit makes a compelling case for striking the right harmony. This is a conversation you don't want to miss - it promises an exciting exploration of technology's role in football and insightful advice for navigating significant changes in any organization.
Ever wondered how technology is shaping the future of football? Then you don't want to miss our insider's conversation with Benoit Croissant, the commercial director of Catapult Sports. Benoit, a former professional football player, offers a unique perspective on how technology measures and improves performance, and how it is revolutionizing the game. This episode promises a fascinating blend of technology, football and personal insight.
Our chat with Benoit takes us through the significance of data collection and the unique support provided by Catapult Sports. His stories of resistance and acceptance when introducing technology to football associations are engaging and insightful. This is a rare glimpse into the world of sports technology from someone who has lived both on the field and behind the scenes.
Finally, we tackle the important question of balance. How do traditional methods and technology integrate to enhance performance? Listen in as Benoit makes a compelling case for striking the right harmony. This is a conversation you don't want to miss - it promises an exciting exploration of technology's role in football and insightful advice for navigating significant changes in any organization.
This is the Silver Fox Hustle Football Talk. Hi, this is the latest episode of Football Talk with the Silver Fox Hustle Podcast. Subscribe, follow us. We are out everywhere Apple Podcast, spotify, youtube, you name it so just click on the follow button Now.
Speaker 1:Today, we've got a very interesting topic to talk about and we want to talk about technology in football, and let me give you an example. You know the sports bra looking thing underneath the players jerseys. That's something that we're going to talk about today and together with myself and we've got someone from Catapult Right I'm sure you guys have seen it on television the brand Catapult and together with myself, here is the commercial director of Catapult Sports and to talk about powerful video and monitoring solutions to capture, analyze, plan and share every aspect of football performance. And with me today is Mr Benoit Cressard. Hello, shashi, how are you doing? I'm good, I'm good. And listen, if you don't already know who Benoit is, he is very familiar. He has been in Singapore for a very long time. He's played the game, the professional game, many places right Holland, egypt, china, even England, england as well and obviously he ended up in Singapore with Temporis Rovers, my friend. How was Temporis Rovers?
Speaker 2:A great experience. So the reason why I came in that region is because, first of all, my wife she didn't want to stay in the Middle East region as a first thing, so we were looking for something different. So we didn't have kids at that point of time. Oh, you didn't.
Speaker 1:No, we didn't have kids.
Speaker 2:And what happened is I get contacted by someone Sasi Kumar, asking me if I would be keen to play here in Singapore, and Singapore was the best place for us. Why? It's because I didn't want to go back to Europe. My wife thought that Singapore was a great place to leave to work as well. I could continue my studies and we made the choice to come here, and we are now living here for the past 15 years.
Speaker 1:My kids are born here, so they're Singaporeans.
Speaker 2:They are yeah, more than I am.
Speaker 1:I've seen them. They play football as well. And then great your time at Temporis, right? How was it Football wise?
Speaker 2:Yeah, yeah, yeah. So getting back to your question for Temporis, so it was a great experience because Temporis was, at the point of time, one of the best clubs in that league. The owner was very influential and it convinced me also to come here and play in Singapore. So the luck that I had is to win. We won like two championships. We played the Asian Football Confederation Cup. We did pretty well quarterfinals in.
Speaker 2:Iraq. It was a fantastic experience and I would say that, living in Singapore playing for Temporis, winning titles, and again now we don't see many people watching games, but at that point of time, in 2008, 2009, we still had like three to four thousand spectators every game. So we were playing the old stadium and it was amazing. I mean, you felt that you were a football player at the point of time.
Speaker 1:Was it difficult to hang your boots with Red?
Speaker 2:That's a good question and I have this question a lot and you are former footballer you know so we had different opinions on that.
Speaker 2:To me, no, not at all. Not at all. I do not regret. I had prepared myself. I had anticipated everything for that day. So I hang up my boots at the age of 32. I had still a few opportunities, even in the region, even one in Australia, but it was a good time to stop. I had just finished my master's degree in sports business. I had already two companies in Singapore, so I had tried really to make sure that I was ready for it and it was 2012.
Speaker 2:We won the championship. I scored probably the best goal of my career in the last game or the last game, I think but I wanted to stop. I wanted to stop. My wife was happy, since the age of 13, being in that industry, it was I had enough of it.
Speaker 1:I think it all seems perfect, like the perfect time to stop. You got it planned as well. I think that's very important for football players. Again, we can talk about football and we are digressing. We want to talk about technology, but we are talking a little bit about it, but it's okay. I think the planning part is so, so important for footballers.
Speaker 2:I agree 100%.
Speaker 2:This is really something that I'm always trying to communicate to ex-footballers or current footballers, because those are the most important guys to talk to. I had the luck because I was from a very small village. I was not from a city. So very small village, not lots of exposure in our time, no TV, no videos, nothing. I got recruited by this academy it was the National Center of Fairfonte. Play for the national team, played in eight countries. Yes, if you want me to rate my football career, it was great. It was great enough. It was my level, not a league one player, probably a good league. Two players in France, not better than that. I had a very critical mindset about myself Really were so important for me. My father. When I signed my first professional contract in league one, I was forbidden by my father to train twice a day because I had to go to school and get my baccalaureate my A-level.
Speaker 2:Without that, I couldn't train twice a day. Once I had it, I had the same deal. By learning distance I managed to get it. My father said no, you can go, because you can't join any university. That's how I had this mindset of really being critical, knowing that football is short career and I understand that very quickly. I was very lucky.
Speaker 1:Brilliant. I think that mindset is so, so brilliant. And we talk about critical thinking and stuff. We're going to talk about something that's critical. I think I'm sure you think as well, because you are in the business right Now. Let's talk about Catapult. What Catapult is all about? Let us all know about it.
Speaker 2:Okay, so Catapult is, first of all, the only publicly listed company in that technology industry. So we are now in the stock exchange in Australia, so we are the only ones. So basically what it is is we are fully SaaS company, subscription company. Everything is about subscription. So that's the first thing. So we operate in over 100 countries. We have over 400 stuff based across, I would say, 200 countries and we work with 40 different sports and we work with client in 100 different countries. So we provide. What we do at Catapult is providing solution that help optimizing the performance of the players, minimizing injuries and speeding up rehabilitation process.
Speaker 2:So, this is what it is about.
Speaker 1:Brilliant, brilliant. And you talk about football, technology right, and then you work playing professionally many years back. How different is it?
Speaker 2:in terms of the technology part, that's a fantastic question. I mean, you know, in terms of comparison. So we speak about technology because it's all about comparison, technology, collecting data and all you compare. So in our time we had nothing. We had nothing. I mean, I'm pretty jealous of the current players. They have access to data that we didn't have. They have access to video clips that we don't have. Nowadays they can have access to all the things that can make them better. I mean, in our time nobody took care of our needs. You know, we didn't have like specific training for a specific position, a specific training about specific movement, you know. So nothing was really thought about this. You know, nothing was designed and all the program, no paradisks. So everything was one block, one package, the team together for pre-season or during the week. So we couldn't really see. We didn't have any visibility on how we could perform or get better. That's why we had injuries Sometimes. Sometimes we had recurrent injuries and because we didn't have access to it.
Speaker 1:It was like more like one size fits all. You know, everybody does the same thing every day, and then it's a routine.
Speaker 2:And all the best. Yeah, good luck to you. Good luck to you, and you know, let's go, 100%, 100%. I agree.
Speaker 1:You know you talk about the different solutions, right, that Gettepult provides and let's talk about specifically, like, let's start talking about the most visible one, right, it's the vest. The vest it's the wearables and stuff. Talk us through that. What kind of solutions do you provide with that?
Speaker 2:So okay, so let's speak. We have just to make it clear, you know. So it's the stack of technology is pretty straightforward.
Speaker 2:We have two solutions. One is athlete monitoring devices, the bra as we call it. Then you have the video solution. So if we go into the athlete monitoring one, you know the stack of technology is pretty simple. We have different solution from pro to consumer. So pro will require more support, more parameters, more algorithm, yes, and they will basically want to have a solution that you will provide which is video and athlete monitoring together. So all the physical data that you're gonna get from the athlete monitoring piece will be integrated into the video in order to give more context to the trainings and to the games. So that is pro. Then we go to the core, which is designed again for sub elite teams, you know professional youth academies. So these ones, you have all the essential data parameters so they will look at it and if they want a video software, we can see integrated but at a lower level. So this one. Then you go to the consumer one. Consumer one is for someone that playing a small kid playing in an academy.
Speaker 2:So, it's cheaper, you have a few parameters, easy to use, very user friendly, and they can compare themselves with their peers, with their teammates, and parents can take a look at the player. So these are basically, in terms of athlete monitoring, what we can provide to different or specific organizations.
Speaker 1:So the organization can also tell you what they want, and then you can then yeah, they can basically.
Speaker 2:So what we do is basically you have different personas in an organization, you know that and you have a CEO. You have a president we call it a president. Then you have a team manager. You have a head coach In South Asia. You will have one fitness coach, but when you come, you go to the Middle East, you go to Turkey, you go to North Africa. You start to have some small scientists as well. You will have a doctor, a full-time doctor. Everybody has a different point of view and they have different needs. A CEO has a certain budget. He wants the best at the cheap price Within his budget. The head coach he doesn't want to use the system, he just want to have clear and key messages from the end user. The end user wants to use something that is easy to use. He wants to spend more time analyzing then, figure out how it works.
Speaker 2:You know so Exactly, spend a lot of time, user friendly. Then you have the doctor rehabilitation process Right, who needs to get a great collaboration with the sports scientists, with the fitness coach, with the head coach, in order to make sure that that player is ready to come back in order to avoid recurrent injuries.
Speaker 1:No, listen, this is so so interesting, right, and this just got into my head now. So when you are selling this, this, this catapult, this product, this system to somebody you gotta like, Navigate. Yeah, navigate, and you know they sell it to different kinds of people, like in one organization. How do you? It's a tough job, isn't it?
Speaker 2:It's a tough job. When I joined when I joined the company back in 2015, I was in charge of penetrating that market.
Speaker 2:So, you can imagine that at a point of time, only a few organizations were using this system and I can't tell you how they were using it. Not the best way possible. So when you get there, what is the most important questions is what do you do to quantify loads? That's the first thing. So for what? Let me turn it off. What do you do that? They will respond to you. Have you ever used a technology to quantify that? Then you start speaking with them and understanding what it is. When you get that point of view or that feedback, you are able to get to the team manager, you're able to go to the CEO. So me and my level now is more like because in the region you have four categories in every region you have a business development manager, you have a director and you have someone for support. I'm a lover is really I go to the decision makers. The BDM will really need to work out what they want, what they need, what is the best solution for that specific organization, and you need to navigate, as you said.
Speaker 1:So, for example, right For a team here in Singapore, for example, just a professional team here in Singapore, and they're using the vest. So how does this work? So they put on the vest, they go out there and then there's a video camera as well.
Speaker 2:Okay, so a typical day football. You have four footballers in Singapore, you have pre-training, I will assume I will assume it's like that. You have pre-training, training and post-training Normal organization set up. So pre-training is basically probably asking qualitative data to these guys who question, sorry, in order to understand who's training, who's feeling good, who's unwell. Then the coach is able to understand what kind of program he's going to adapt to this training, et cetera. During the training. Then the training so players using the device on the T1 session behind the best position to where is there behind the back, and then, if you have a video analyst, which I'm not sure if here in Singapore have many of them, they can use the video. So with this camera it's just like recording the session. Training is over.
Speaker 2:So is how fast you would be able to deliver a message to your ecosystem, to the coach, to the players, and make decision. That's the most important thing decision-making. What are you gonna do? So with our system? I would say that in Singapore they should do that. You know they need to have a quick technology being able to collect this data, export it, having no opinion on those quantitative data. Make it qualitative as well as for video, where, if you're able to bring this wearable data into the video, you even more context to it. You can create clips, create a presentation or even send some clips to a few players. This is about the training. This is neat to do. Look at what you have done that. So the players, when you go back home After the session is able to the day after the morning, he understand already what is done good or not. That should be the norm now, you know.
Speaker 1:So it happens so fast, actually Very fast To transfer to the, so fast.
Speaker 2:So I mean to give you an idea. I give you an example Arsana Lateta, when you see him at the halftime showing them. You know video clips.
Speaker 1:So it happens, it's us.
Speaker 2:Ah, so it's so fast because they're able to tag all the events live. They will identify which video clips about what the coach is going to speak, then they put it live and they can speak and show, deliver a clear message with pictures, with data, and that's where you can make you know those decisions.
Speaker 1:I actually wanted to ask you how accurate are these data? I'm not going to ask you that because it's a silly question. It's accurate. I want to go on to the next point now.
Speaker 2:That is a good question. This is a very good question because you can imagine that being the global leader in sports analytics because we are really at the intersections of sports science and analytics.
Speaker 2:So why are we to that level? Why everybody wants to catch up with us and I've been being very humble because I know the market I managed 32 countries, so I know exactly what is happening in this market but is having validated data. So I mean this has been validated by a good number of research institutions. We have over 100 white papers, validated white papers, you know. So this is a very, very clear question, because accuracy is very important and at a certain level, they want to know that because if accuracy, as you say, you make a decision about the accuracy of the data, you know they are not accurate, you know they everything would be based you know, brilliant, brilliant man, just a question how, what's your who, not who.
Speaker 1:How many are there as competitors to you, like, like, how many companies are doing the same thing?
Speaker 2:Roughly, I would say so we, as we have different product, I would say that for our pro solutions we will have two competitors, main competitors, that will really consider us real competitors.
Speaker 2:If you get to the next level, you will find more again but this is where you need to make the differences what kind of services you are provided, what kind of support. Support to me is very important. You know services nowadays, people, and you know you're going to buy something. If you don't have the poor service, poor user experience, you know you get away and that's normal because you have so many. So it's very important to keep that credibility in that reputation.
Speaker 1:It's very important, you know, because I just I just spoke to somebody, I know, and this person had this, this vest, not from Catapult, from a different company, and they just messed it up in terms of they couldn't translate, and then there was something, and then out of 20 players, only five players, you know data came out. You know those kind of things. So it's very important. Firstly, the technology works, obviously, and of course, then the accuracy of the data is. It's so, so important.
Speaker 2:So important? And technology.
Speaker 2:As you know, we can have issues with technology but it's how fast you can support your customers and some people here in that region I won't quote anybody. They will make decisions sometimes which I completely don't understand, where they will go with some companies that have so far they have poor support, everything. They keep complaining and we tell them that we have everything on the ground. You know here for Singapore, for instance, you know, but luckily you know, now we are, we are working with the main organization. We just signed a UTR you know.
Speaker 1:So UTR going to use us, you know with all the schools, etc.
Speaker 2:So we are part of that project, which is fantastic. We work with the EFS, which is great, you know and we, as I always say Singapore is not necessarily my market- I live here this is not a huge market, and let's be honest, but the main organization understands more and more and I'm having more questions and queries about how we can help.
Speaker 1:It's important. It's important and you know, in the past we talk about technology and all the most, probably before Catapult and before all this came about, it's probably taking a video of a game right, and then going back and analyzing and then it's a tedious process and then the next day you go into training and then you tell the players okay this is what happens but right now there's the video, obviously, and then you've got the quantitative data as well.
Speaker 1:It is also important for the coach also, right, because then you're not lying to the players, you know, and you are telling the players. Okay, this is the video. Okay, fine, you may think that I'm lying and these are the raw data. This is the number of sprints you've done, this is the total, you know distance you've covered.
Speaker 2:You can spray into air, you can get anything, you know so that is so, so important for a coach as well.
Speaker 1:And you know, and I've also got some feedback from somebody you know, a sports scientist here in Singapore, and when they first introduced a tag to a player, for example, the player thinks that you're trying to pin something down on me. Is that the feeling that you get sometimes as well?
Speaker 2:It happens. It happens Less, I would say less. Nowadays it's always about reference, you know. I mean, if they see Christian Oral, ronaldo Benzema using the vest and Jesus Catapult, they won't really question it. So we can, it can happen with all players in certain you know former international from a big country, a Japan or a Coral.
Speaker 2:You know I'm not wearing that because I don't want you to see what I do. But I think this is wrong and I mean and I get back to what I said at the beginning we have nothing in the past. Now they can see everything. I mean, these guys are a big curious. Speak to your fitness coach, your sports scientist and you can have conversation and collaborate with them to understand.
Speaker 2:It's a way again of learning. You know, and I will not understand me being a football player and not really understanding the meaning of this data. I want to, I would like to understand it and I think that this mentality is changing, where players start to understand. They don't know the whole concept, but they will start to understand why they are using it and what is the process.
Speaker 1:You know. I just want to give an example as well, and this happens everywhere, not only in professional football teams, right in school football and all. And sometimes when you tell a player this is the wrong position that you're always in, for example, when you're receiving a ball, for example, and then they keep on doing the same thing in a game. But when you video it and you show it to them, then they realize, because sometimes you know I think you've been a player before and when you're doing it in a game, you don't exactly know, you know. And then when somebody tells you and you still he's talking nonsense. And then when he shows you on the video, so damn, and just imagine, with that video together with the quantitative, data.
Speaker 2:It just, it's just amazing. It's amazing, right, it's amazing.
Speaker 1:I just want to touch on again, going back and now right, the speed of football, the intensity of the game. Firstly, let's clear this up. Has it changed Speed and intensity.
Speaker 2:I give you my opinion. I would say yes.
Speaker 1:If it's yes, right, then does that mean that Catapult is more relevant, now More than ever?
Speaker 2:100% if the day you know those players, now that each player has a fingerprint, you need to find a sweet spot for each and every player. Before we tend to say don't train too hard, you will get injured. Now they will tell you and you train a bit more in order to not get injured.
Speaker 2:You understand those things are changing, but if you don't have the data to tell you exactly where you know these, if you can't compare the acute, chronic loads you know and you can't really find that sweet spot for these guys. It's never perfect, but that will help you to really find the right balance for your player and then you can maintain it through the season. That's why the pre-season pre-season is so important in having this kind of materials, because that will determine what is your player going to do through the season If it's bad. Pre-season finish. But before it was like, as you said, all in one and let's go Exactly, exactly.
Speaker 1:Okay, I want to put you in a spot in a way. Right, you talk about technology and AI and whatever nonsense. Right? Is there a corn, like we talk about pros and cons? Is there a disadvantage of using technology? It's just off your head, your opinion.
Speaker 2:My opinion is it's always finding the right balance. So I just mentioned that before you know is too much. Technology is not good. You need to find and coaching. You need experience, coaching abilities and science will come in order to help you, to make you better and make your players better. If this is taking over and we only rely on data and not on your opinion, that will affect everything. So I mean, that's why is how you can transform or transition those quantitative data into qualitative data. These are the most important because you need to have your opinion on the thing. So do you need to rely on data, but find the right balance?
Speaker 1:It's the feeling for the game as well as a coach.
Speaker 2:Coach, you're coaching kids as well. You're a former pro, you understand football, you do commentary, so you understand football. So I mean you have seen things, you went through, you had experiences, so you are able to communicate those experiences.
Speaker 1:Have you had any problems convincing a coach to do this? To switch into, not catapult, anything right, technology-wise? Yeah, many times.
Speaker 2:Many times. Yeah, some coaches we call it the diners so the way they have no clue about technology. First of all, and again, it's about like willing to learn. It's learning to own a son coach, some people, certain individuals that can be caught from another industry. They just don't want to learn.
Speaker 1:Have you convinced anyone of them?
Speaker 2:Oh, yes, always, but not always, but 90% at the end. Yeah, it's a way of the fact that I'm a former pro as well helps a lot.
Speaker 2:Because I always give them what happened to me, my background, where I'm from. You know, like all the things help to go that process. Where I'm not, I don't like to, there's credibility. Exactly, exactly, exactly, exactly. But I don't want to be seen as a sales guy. I'm here to discuss, you know. Of course I work for a company, I need to bring bread on the table for my family, etc. Because I have work, but at the end of the day, I'm passionate about football. Yes, I didn't care to hang up my boots, but I love football so much so when I go and speak to any coaching staff, the love for football is coming back. So we're having a discussion and me I'm telling you I have the solution, I have something that could help you, because you have expectation and needs and the guy says, listen, let's do that, let's start by something that is very simple. Take that solution Not too much, and you have a few data that will help you. You know, and we're going to help you. This is where the support thing is important to educate.
Speaker 1:Right, right, right. Has it been easy selling catapult to like like FACE, like big organization, like football associations?
Speaker 2:I would say less, because you always have people in football association who's willing to leave a legacy, willing to improve the way they operate, willing to improve the performance of the players, and you always find someone within that organization that's going to help you.
Speaker 2:I think kind of is going to be a champion, where is it really going to push for it and it's going to help you introduce you to the right people. So I mean FACE, okay, so I'll give you an example. So all, all for Saudi Arabia, saudi Arabia. We work with them for the past. I work with them for the past four or five years. We have done tremendous work with them. We help them to really get to that level. I'm not saying that the coaching staff have done a great job, but we help them to really use the data perfectly.
Speaker 2:And all the national teams are using it because you their experience was great, because there were results. We help them to reach their objective. What's your objective for the next eight, 18 months? We're going to help you. This is how we're going to do. Let's collaborate together. So that's why I'm not here. You don't want to work with me, you want to work with them. Thank you, I'm going. I'm not going to chase you. It's not my style, but this is how I can help you and, trust me, we're going to deliver.
Speaker 2:So, that's how we work.
Speaker 1:What has been the stumbling blocks, like if anyone would say no to you guys. What has it been the reasons, so far, at least in your experience?
Speaker 2:Yeah, blockers is always the main topic in any sales job, I would say, because there is always something. Maybe they use a competitor. The guy used to that technology doesn't want to change. You know that when you ask someone to change they don't want to change. They all want to change, but then it's time to change. They don't want to change, even if it's for the better. Budget Budget could be in Southeast Asia, a big issue, a big issue. So.
Speaker 2:But the luck that we have is we have those different package that is really designed for a budget for an organization and the good thing about it and even if it's a top organization, they use a lower kind of product we can at the same time educate them in order for them to forecast and for the next two or three years, and then they can upgrade eventually.
Speaker 1:So this is basically a subscription base, right? Yes, so it's like a yearly or it can be anything.
Speaker 2:One year. Now we don't do SaaS company don't really like a year contract. So, it's a minimum two or three year contract Okay. What is important is how you. It's about expansion and retention.
Speaker 1:Okay.
Speaker 2:So at the end of the day, when you do retention, you can renew the basis to upgrade them, helping them to get something better, because now they've been with us for two or three years, then you want them to be upgraded and then retention is making sure that the client are happy and they say, oh, that's for our. Retention rate I would say in my region is pretty solid at the moment.
Speaker 1:Yeah, you know. Yeah, something just came up to our mind as well. You know the pros and cons bit right. Would it be accurate to say that one of the cons is that you need people to know how to use the product as well, like you know what I mean. Is it easy to use, is it user friendly?
Speaker 2:That kind of thing Very important to me, very, very. This is the most important thing. I mean, I would say that I've stepped back from a few deals because I knew they would not use it. Okay, it's just because the CEO wanted to look good and have, but we knew that the end user coaching staff will not use it to us to step back.
Speaker 2:This is not my style. So what I want is really making sure that if you go for it, you use it I use it perfectly and we help you to use it. Understanding what are you doing, what you're collecting, I mean this is key for me. The user experience to me is the most important thing and we have a great reputation. As I said before, the credibility is also very important in order to expand. I manage many countries, many different cultures, many different mentalities. So this war region as a block, I really wanted to be perfectly managed and I want everybody to be happy.
Speaker 1:So you guys, actually, when you sell the products and stuff, they're straining. Everything is done to the T and so everybody understands Exactly.
Speaker 2:So now we are used to that. So, basically, that's why all those questions are important prior to acquiring this technology, because we can identify what is the best solution. Then, once it receives, the solution is how we're going to educate them. So, on top of that, what I do we have some global webinars workshops, but in my region, every quarter I organize webinars for specific products, specific customers, specific prospect, in order for them to re-understand what they're getting and, if they don't do it properly, how they can improve Right.
Speaker 1:Maybe one of the other stumbling blocks is you talk about the organization and the end users once a group of them leaves the club, and then the new group comes in.
Speaker 2:That's another one. There are many, but this one is a big one.
Speaker 1:So the retraining bit is also done by you guys there. Oh yeah, 100%. We have no choice, because when these guys leave, they're not going to damn worry about these guys, they don't care.
Speaker 2:Yeah, but that's a very good point. I mean, this is where and again, this is to me maintaining relationship is very important. We don't have to be. I would say that most of the CEO-presidents are my friends, like on the region, but I mean, at the lowest of my BDM, like Idyr was working, he's always telling them he's like maintain the relationship. This is so important because if you don't know that this guy is leaving, how are you going to know that someone else is coming and taking over and he's going to ask for to use another competitor? So this is all about relationship, like everything. So how you maintain it. Some people have natural skills, some they need to develop it. But I mean, I'm pretty okay with my team. They are doing a great job Nice nice.
Speaker 1:Well moving forward. Benoit, what's happening for Ketapol? Is there any upgrades in, I don't know, in the technology bit or what, in the next few five years or so?
Speaker 2:Yeah, yeah, great question. So I mean, as I mentioned before, being the global leader in sports analytics is not easy. You always need to be on top. Everybody wants to catch up, so the key is to be always innovative, creative and on top of the game. So again, I was talking about user experience. To me, what is key is always making sure that everything that they do when they use technology is smooth.
Speaker 2:So, the user experience might be quick. Fast. Decision making must be how do you say that in English? Instantaneous, and if you don't have that, they will not be happy. So now all the software that we do is in order to really make sure that the user and the spending time like putting the device or uploading the data from one console to the cloud.
Speaker 2:So what we've done recently with our vector core, which is our medium kind of devices, is now we don't have any console. So before in the software you had to component the console and the cloud. So now it's over. You have a dock station with the devices. So now through Wi-Fi all the data are pushed to the cloud and you have your report automatically, which is already set up in advance. So now, basically, finish a training. The guy takes a shower, he comes back, boom, he has his report.
Speaker 2:He can even call the players and say, well, this is what it is. So that is basically what we do in terms of video. Every quarter we have amazing updates. Our video software, which is not really well known here in South East Asia, we start to get more and more. We have great news soon. I will let you know when it comes. But there was a few national teams and it's just amazing what we can do.
Speaker 1:You know, if people at home and watching this and listening to this, if you guys have any apprehensions about technology in football and AI and everything else, right, I think it's pretty safe that technology is here to stay. It is as simple as that, because everything is progressing and everything is moving forward and if you don't want to catch up, then someone's going to get left behind sooner or later.
Speaker 2:Clubs are moving forward, fas are moving forward with technology and all A good point on that, because the world that we have done with, for example, the Thai FA, the Vietnam FA, the academy, is PVF for five years in developing the players. You can see now the result.
Speaker 2:You see the women's national team of Philippines gaining to the World Cup. Nobody knows what they have done behind the scenes, but how we help them, the girls training overseas in America, how we track them, give them a solution in order to track their training with the device, and we had a solution that we developed during the COVID-19 crisis to push those data to the administrator that is based in the Philippines. So all that is like. You know it's amazing monitoring your players, you know, remotely.
Speaker 1:It's just amazing, brilliant, beno, any last words, for clubs, for players watching and listening to this, in terms of Catapult, you know.
Speaker 2:Yeah, I mean I'm still around, I'm still in Singapore.
Speaker 2:So if you have any questions, do not hesitate. It's pretty easy to get a hold of me. And what I would say as a last word is if you're a footballer, if you're a sports guy, if you want to get into the technology space is learn, Learn. Try to get into any conference, any webinar, and don't, as you said. You know it can be too late if you don't catch up with what's going on in terms of technology. Things are going so fast, so keep learning, keep learning. That's, that's what I've done all my life, all my career. So he's learning.
Speaker 1:Thanks, thanks so much, beno. You know, I think, thank you for being here, I think, from your busy schedule, your meetings, you know and and, yeah, you're right, you know I think we need to catch up and technology is definitely, you know, here to stay in helping teams, helping clubs, helping FAs. We need to move forward Because I think at the moment the other countries are way ahead, the clubs wise as well. So we need to catch up.
Speaker 2:You're right. So thank you again, Beno. Thanks to you for the invitation. I appreciate that. Thank you.
Speaker 1:It was a pleasure. This has been the latest episode of the football talk with the Silver Fox Arsenal podcast. Don't forget, subscribe, follow us and till the next episode, cheers, see you.