Future of Talent. Built together.

Richard Allen has worked across all levels of football, holding leadership roles at Tottenham Hotspur, Queens Park Rangers, and The FA – where he helped shape the development of some of England’s most talented players, including Harry Kane, Phil Foden, and Jadon Sancho. As Head of Talent ID at The FA, he also led the creation of the Talent Identification education pathway and currently oversees the FA Level 4 program, designed for staff at Premier League and EFL clubs. Since 2022, Richard has worked with FIFA as a High Performance Specialist and Technical Lead in Talent ID, supporting federations worldwide through the global Talent Development Scheme.


In Graz, he’ll share key lessons from his career building long-term talent identification, development, and performance strategies across clubs, national teams, and beyond.

Since taking over youth development at FC Bayern München in 2017, Jochen Sauer has played a key role in shaping the club’s long-term player development strategy from academy to the first team. His work at the FC Bayern Campus is about more than just producing players. It’s about creating a professional environment where young talents grow into top-level athletes who are ready to meet the demands of a global club while staying rooted in the values that define Bayern.


At this year’s Summit, Jochen will share his experience and perspective on how clubs can combine strategy, structure, and identity to develop talent that’s ready to perform at the highest level.

Starting in July 2025, Paul Schaffran will lead one of the most successful youth academies in European football, an environment known for developing top talents and bridging the gap to the professional level. Paul has been part of BVB’s academy since 2021, first as Head of Sports Science, later as Head of Strategy and Development. His work has helped implement innovative concepts like bio-banding, and he played a key role in shaping Dortmund’s academy structure and recruitment in recent years.


In Graz, he’ll share insights from his journey and explain how Borussia Dortmund continues to evolve its youth development model with the clear goal of helping players transition to professional football.

For nearly three decades, Nuno Maurício has played a key role in player development at Benfica. From youth coach to Head of Performance Analysis, he’s helped shape the club’s talent pathway from the inside out. Today, Nuno leads Benfica’s renowned analysis department, where data, football expertise, and research come together to drive performance on the pitch. His work bridges the gap between observation and action, helping coaches and players make better decisions and develop with purpose.


At this year’s Summit, Nuno will explain how performance analysis supports Benfica’s long-term player development – turning day-to-day insights into real progress for young players on their way to the top.

Under the leadership of Abdullah Hammad, Mahd Academy is playing a central role in Saudi Arabia’s nationwide effort to identify and develop sports talent with football as one of its key focus areas. In light of the country’s ambitions toward the FIFA World Cup 2034, Mahd Academy is positioned at the forefront of this transformation. Abdullah brings years of experience in high-level development environments. His career includes time at Aspire Academy in Qatar, roles in youth coaching across Europe, and ongoing leadership positions within the Saudi Arabian Football Federation, the Ministry of Sports, and the Asian Football Confederation.


At this year’s summit, Abdullah will speak about Mahd’s vision to become a global reference point in talent development built on technology, innovation, and a clear long-term strategy.

As Chairman of the Management Board at the Legia Training Center, Wojciech Rokicki oversees one of the most advanced football facilities in Central Europe. It is home to all Legia Warszawa S. A. teams and designed to integrate talent development, performance infrastructure, and business operations. With his experience in leading the construction and daily operations of the Legia Training Center, Wojciech will bring a unique perspective to the Summit, connecting strategic facility development with long-term sporting success.


We’re looking forward to his insights on how environments shape performance and how modern football infrastructure can support player development on and off the pitch.

As U7s–U16s Coaching and Pathway Manager at Brighton & Hove Albion FC, Ben Smith plays a vital role in shaping the early development of young players within one of the Premier League’s most forward-thinking academies. His work focuses on building clear, age-appropriate pathways that help players grow technically, tactically, and personally – from their first steps in the game to the edge of professional football. A former professional with over 400 appearances across the English Football League and Non-League system, Ben brings first-hand experience of what it takes to build a career in the game. Since transitioning into coaching, he has dedicated himself to creating environments where players can thrive long-term – not just by chasing early success, but by nurturing deep football understanding and resilience.


At the Summit, Ben will share how Brighton designs its foundation and youth development phases, the importance of long-term planning, and how clubs can align coaching, education, and opportunity to guide young players through the most formative years of their journey.

As a Data Scientist in the Department of Match Analysis and Innovation at FC Bayern München, Dr. Michael Senske works at the intersection of data, science, and top-level football. With a Ph.D. in Physical Chemistry and a background in award-winning research, he brings a deep understanding of complex systems into the world of performance analytics.


Michael combines scientific precision with practical football expertise to uncover patterns, improve decision-making, and shape data-driven approaches to player development and scouting. At the Summit, he’ll share how FC Bayern leverages advanced analytics to support long-term player development and how scientific thinking can unlock new potential in football performance.

With more than 20 years in strategy consulting, Tilman has advised clubs, federations, and leagues on their long-term approaches to sports management. Beyond his consulting work, he has published several influential studies on Team Value Management, showing how clubs can turn budgets into squad quality and why efficient management often outperforms raw spending power.


The former McKinsey & Company Partner teaches in leadership programs at the Barça Innovation Hub, the DFB’s Professional Football Management Certificate, and UEFA’s Sporting Director Programme (SDP), helping shape the next generation of leaders in football.


At this year’s Summit, Tilman will build on this body of research and share his perspective on how clubs can align strategy, structure, and resources to achieve sustainable sporting success.

With a background in sport economics, coaching education at the DFB, and scouting experience in the German Bundesliga, Steffen combines academic research with hands-on football expertise. At TSG ResearchLab, he focuses on tactical learning, decision-making, and the use of innovative technologies such as football-specific VR training.


In his keynote, Steffen will present new research on the diagnostics of perception and decision-making in football. Specifically, he will compare 360° screens and VR headsets, showing how players’ visual behaviour differs between the two technologies and what this means for practice in diagnostics and training.