World Football Summit is excited to announce our support for FootballCan 2041, a collaborative start-up competition by Banco Santander and the Global Sports Innovation Center powered by Microsoft (GSIC) that aims to unearth innovative solutions that make football more inclusive, diverse and sustainable.
Banco Santander have been significant WFS partners since 2018 and have extended their corporate partnership of all WFS events to run until the end of 2021.
WFS has worked in conjunction with GSIC since 2016 in developing the hotly contested WFS StartCup, which similarly looks to discover football industry disruptors and innovators.
All three organisations are clearly aligned on creating a more inclusive, socially responsible football industry; core values that are at the very heart of FootballCan 2041.
The entry period, which ends on 18 April, will conclude with a panel comprising Santander, GSIC and Microsoft representatives choosing the best 30 startups. Those companies will present their projects online and the 10 finalists chosen at the end of April will attend the grand final in May. A panel made up of UEFA and LaLiga representatives, as well as key figures like Ronaldo Nazário, will select the three companies, who could be in with a chance to run a pilot project with Santander.
Participants can leverage technologies such as artificial intelligence, machine learning, blockchain, augmented and virtual reality, and the Internet of Things to submit initiatives, experiences and/or technological solutions that improve lives based on the following areas:
• Inclusion: solutions for vulnerable groups at risk of social, economic, or cultural exclusion, and educational solutions linked to football.
• Diversity: solutions that promote equality in football, regardless of race, colour, gender, sexual orientation, religion or nationality.
• Sustainability: solutions to make professional football more responsible towards climate change and the sustainable management of energy and resources
The winner of each category will receive €10,000, as well as a further €5,000 if any of the selected projects can also apply its technology to improve Fieeld’s capabilities.
They will also be given mentorship for their pilot project worth €10,000, as well as a one-year GSIC membership that provides them with networking opportunities, B2B contacts, media coverage and involvement in events and initiatives aimed at innovation and applied research
