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Through the WAB programme, budding entrepreneurs will receive advisory support and access to business infrastructure. The involvement of the Polish Football Association will give participants access to the knowledge resources and experience of Poland's leading sports association, as well as the opportunity to benefit from its network of contacts in Polish and international football.

"Cooperation with the Eastern Business Accelerator is our next step as part of the federation's strategic opening to innovation," says Łukasz Wachowski, general secretary of the Polish Football Association. "We want the Polish Football Association to become a partner for young technology companies in the development of their business, not only domestically but also internationally," he adds.

"Including the Polish Football Association in our programme is a great opportunity for us to expand our support offer for young, innovative technology companies. This partnership will give our participants access to unique knowledge, resources, and a network of contacts in the world of football, which can significantly accelerate the development of their projects," says Anna Blajerska, WAB project manager. "The Eastern Business Accelerator is the only startup platform that supports sports tech solutions. We are looking for innovative solutions dedicated to the sporting environment. Together with the Polish Football Association, we want to create a dynamic ecosystem in which innovative ideas can flourish and bring Polish sport to a higher level of technological advancement," she emphasises.

The Eastern Business Accelerator is managed by the Puławy Science and Technology Park with the support of a group of content partners. In addition to the Polish Football Association, other members of the programme's business ecosystem include Orange, Siemens, Cisco and PKO BP. The total budget of the WAB is approximately PLN 25 million, which provides significant support for the development of innovative projects in Poland.

Polish Football Association's Innovation Hub opens up Polish football to innovation

The cooperation with WAB is one element of the development of the Polish Football Association's Innovation Hub initiative, which aims to make the federation more open to technological innovations. The Polish Football Association wants to test, also together with its business partners, tools offered by startups and technology companies.

"Innovation in sport goes far beyond the pitch and the training room. It also includes digital solutions, creating new experiences for fans, both at the stadium and at home. Environmental issues are also important, because just like any other area of life, sport is also looking for paths to sustainable development, and this is what we want to focus on in the first period of our cooperation with the WAB," says Tomasz Kowalczyk, responsible for innovation development in the Polish Football Association. "Together with our partners from UEFA, FIFA and other football associations, we are looking for technology partners who can help the sports industry adapt to the demands of the 21st century," he emphasises.

Learning from foreign experience

The Polish Football Association's Innovation Hub is also to focus on educating the Polish sports ecosystem on best practices in implementing innovative solutions. A series of online meetings addressed to Polish sports clubs and organisations will be launched in August. The events will provide participants with the opportunity to meet experienced experts, mainly from abroad. 

During the opening meeting of the Hub, Polish and foreign guests talked about their experiences in developing innovation in sport, including the following: 

∗ Machar Reid, Head of Innovation at Tennis Australia, the organisation responsible for, among other events, the Australian Open, also active as an investor in the field of sports technology,

∗ Charles Frémont, manager of the UEFA Innovation Hub programme.

Apart from them, information on technological trends in sport was presented by representatives of three technology companies:

∗ Azerion – one of Europe's leaders in digital content management in the media, gaming and sports industries,

∗ Respo.Vision – a leading Polish technology startup operating in the sports industry, focusing on pitch data analytics.

∗ Piing – a team supporting the creation of fan experiences during sporting events in stadiums and online, working with football clubs from all over the world, such as Manchester City and Ajax Amsterdam.