The UEFA innovation hub
Article summary
Collaborating with the public and private sector has a key role to play in finding innovative solutions to the challenges facing European football.
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Innovative approaches are critical to keep pace with the ever-changing European football landscape. Established in 2018, UEFA's innovation hub acts as a sandbox for creating cutting-edge solutions to new challenges, on and off the pitch.
By building partnerships and collaboration projects with start-ups, academic institutions and businesses, we harness public and private sector expertise to deliver high-impact innovations that benefit both the European football community and wider society.
"To anticipate industry-shaping forces that will empower UEFA and European football stakeholders to innovate in line with their strategic objectives."
Our areas of focus
UEFA
We encourage our staff at our administrative headquarters in Nyon, Switzerland, to embed innovation processes, methodologies and tools into their day-to-day work.
For example, in partnership with the International Institute for Management Development – a business school in Lausanne, Switzerland – the UEFA Academy runs the Innovation in Action education programme for UEFA and national association staff. The course equips senior managers in sports organisations with all they need to know to lead innovation and drive change within their organisations.
European football
We work with our stakeholders to develop a network of football innovators that can share knowledge and lessons learned across the football community. In addition to running webinars and joint innovation challenges, we compile an annual report on the status of innovation in European football.
Society
We bring together a unique community of innovators, private sector partners and football stakeholders to design innovation programmes that leave a lasting legacy for sport and society.
UEFA Champions Innovate
One example is Champions Innovate, first launched to support our football sustainability strategy around the 2024 final in London. Each season, this initiative sees the host city for the UEFA Champions League final invite start-ups to propose innovative solutions to a specific challenge. The selected companies then team up with our competition sponsors (in 2025, Mastercard and adidas), as well as other relevant stakeholders, to pilot their projects for real.
For the 2025 final in Munich, Champions Innovate is working with commercial partners, the German Football Association (DFB) and the host city to set the following main challenge:
How can the UEFA Champions League final in Munich be used to promote healthier lifestyles among Munich's citizens and/or encourage greater participation in physical activity?
Start-ups are invited to respond to the specific sub-questions that Mastercard and adidas have posed within the above challenge by 20 October. The chosen start-ups will be granted a €50,000 financial award and work with the commercial partners during the pilot development phase before demonstrating the outcomes at a networking event in Munich two days before the 2025 final. See more here.
Women's focus
In addition, a programme for UEFA Women's EURO 2025 in Switzerland is currently leveraging the expertise of local innovators to address challenges facing the women's game.