A new digital scouting platform, KickedIn, is aiming to transform how talented footballers in Africa are identified and introduced to clubs, academies, scouts and agents around the world.
Co-founded by Eyram Kwawukume, KickedIn gives players the chance to create professional digital profiles featuring videos, highlights, football challenges and performance information. The platform is designed to give emerging players a stronger way to present their abilities and attract the attention of influential figures in the game.
For many young footballers, the biggest obstacle is not a lack of talent but limited visibility. Players without established contacts, financial resources or access to football networks can find it difficult to reach the scouts and decision-makers capable of progressing their careers.
KickedIn is intended to address that problem by bringing players and key football stakeholders together in one online environment.
The platform allows scouts, clubs and academies to search for and assess players more efficiently. At the same time, footballers can develop a professional digital presence that is not restricted to their local communities or immediate football networks.
KickedIn is also developing artificial intelligence-powered scouting tools to make the search for talent more focused and data-driven. The technology is being designed to help scouts find players who meet particular requirements and analyse football footage for information that could assist with scouting and player evaluation.
The platform’s wider vision is to create a more connected football ecosystem, offering emerging African talent improved access to opportunities both within their own countries and internationally.
One of its ambitions is to link players with scouting networks in the United Kingdom and Europe. That could provide talented footballers with routes towards clubs and academies beyond their domestic leagues, although the platform’s stated focus is on creating the connections and visibility needed for those opportunities to emerge.
The initiative reflects the increasing influence of technology in modern football recruitment. Digital player profiles, video analysis and artificial intelligence are becoming more prominent in the process of identifying and assessing talent.
KickedIn’s approach is centred on making such tools more accessible to footballers who might otherwise struggle to be seen by the people responsible for recruitment. Rather than relying solely on traditional contacts or in-person opportunities, players can use the platform to present a broader picture of their abilities and performance.
The organisation has also recognised the contribution of KickNation and Wunnam Haruna to its wider football ecosystem and to efforts aimed at creating opportunities for emerging talent.
As scouting continues to develop, KickedIn hopes its technology can serve as a link between undiscovered players and the clubs, academies and scouts searching for the next generation of footballers.
Its plans underline the potential for digital platforms to widen access to football opportunities, particularly for talented players whose abilities may not yet have reached international scouting networks.
