Sports media group expands in Birmingham following acquisition
A global sports media provider has announced plans to expand into Birmingham with the opening of a new base in the city.
The move by Perform Group, finalised on March 1, follows its acquisition of Scout7, a tech firm specialising in managing player recruitment in the football industry.
The acquisition has seen Scout7 incorporated into Perform Group’s OptaPro brand.
OptaPro is the professional services arm of Opta, which provides sports data to the broadcast, media and gaming industries. Opta captures in-depth live data for various sports, including football, cricket and rugby and is the official data partner of the Premier League and Football League in England, in addition to La Liga (Spain), MLS (USA) and the Eredivisie (Netherlands).
Using Opta data, OptaPro has successfully launched its own suite of products and services, tailored towards professional sports teams and associations, It applies advanced analytical processes to enhance performance analysis and player recruitment practices.
Scout7 has been a long-term strategic partner of OptaPro and together, both companies now service more than 300 clients around the world, including every Premier League club and the Football Association in England.
OptaPro’s staff will join Scout7 at its current base, the Innovation Birmingham Campus, with an upgraded office totalling 2,695 sq ft within the Faraday Wharf building.
The expansion is an increase of 50% based on Scout7’s previous office.
Ben Mackriell, Head of OptaPro, said: “Scout7 has been a key partner of OptaPro for a number of years and the relationship has enabled us to provide market-leading data and technology to football clubs in more than 14 countries.
“By aligning Scout7’s technological expertise and industry knowledge with OptaPro, we will be able to provide clubs with enhanced tools that assist them in affecting on-pitch performance and scouting processes.
“We have exciting and innovative plans to develop a product set that will service clubs across multiple departments and we look forward to working with our clubs to deliver solutions that are at the cutting edge of elite sport.”
The new Perform Group base will allow Scout7 and OptaPro to work together to drive innovation and enhance recruitment processes at all levels of professional football.
Lee Jamison, founder of Scout7, said: “This is the start of an exciting new chapter for Scout7 and a defining moment for professional sports technology. Since 2001, we have been the market leader for scouting management solutions in football, supporting clients of varying size and infrastructure in professionalising their player recruitment and assessment processes.
“Now as part of Perform, we will be working in parallel with another industry leader, OptaPro, to continue to drive and innovate in a fast-moving industry. With our combined knowledge, skills and expertise, our clients can look forward to strong technology partnerships and cutting-edge products to support and enhance their information management and evaluation processes.”
