DataNews: Arnaud Lieutenant, RBFA CIO, on Sports Innovation with Orion

The following is an excerpt from an article published in the ICT and technology publication DataNews, featuring quotes from our partner, Royal Belgian Football Association. The article was originally published in French. 

Arnaud Lieutenant is Chief Information & Digital Officer at the Royal Belgian Football Association. When he arrived, he was given strict instructions: start from scratch to automate and professionalize processes and stimulate innovation.  

What was your mandate when you arrived in October 2022?   

Arnaud Lieutenant: First of all, I would like to point out that the role of the RBFA is to make football possible in Belgium by acting as a kind of lubricant between the various federal, regional and international players, such as FIFA and UEFA. Another important factor is that the “Red Devils” brand is very strong in Belgium and therefore has economic implications, even though the RBFA is a non-profit organization. This was an important consideration for me, given my career in the private sector and abroad, particularly in consulting and pharmaceuticals, with a particular focus on data and advanced analytics. It was in this context that our team was awarded the ICT Project of the Year prize by Data News in 2013. So I have always worked in the world of data, innovation, and digital technology.

In the summer of 2022, I was contacted about a new position being created at the RBFA as Digital, Innovation & Technology Director. The aim was to implement a genuine digital strategy. Until then, IT had been fairly traditional, relying on internally developed software called Kickoff. 

How did you go about making your choice [for a technology partner]?   

Lieutenant: We issued a broad call for tenders to analyze all the options available on the market. Right from the start, we had to acknowledge that there was no off-the-shelf product that would cover all our needs. That said, we saw real interest in the market, with around 30 bids covering the entire spectrum. These ranged from tailor-made solutions, such as those based on Salesforce or Microsoft, to ultra-customized products and more or less finalized platforms that could be adapted.   

“Our digital platforms are used by nearly 500,000 users per week. Without them, there would be no football in Belgium.”   

After extensive analysis, we opted for Orion Innovation, an American developer with a division specialized in sports. Their key strengths were a strong presence in the sports sector and a management team dedicated to sports.

We opted for a co-creation approach, with joint development. All this within a budget that respected our constraints, knowing that we were able to benefit from a subsidy from UEFA and FIFA.   

What will be the concrete benefits of Fenix? 

Lieutenant: This solution has many advantages, including modernizing our platform and adding value for our members so they can focus on football.   

We are therefore starting from scratch, which will allow us to simplify and automate our processes. The platform will also enable us to integrate new technologies such as artificial intelligence. AI will make the work of volunteers easier and improve the quality of the services provided. Various automation solutions are currently being evaluated, such as the use of WhatsApp bots to enable our 30,000 volunteers in clubs to work more efficiently.   

Orion has nearshore and offshore development centers, and the company has a center of expertise dedicated to sports in India, with some 250 developers.

Orion can offer real technical expertise in the world of sports and is particularly keen to expand its knowledge.

Another consequence of Fenix will be the gradual dismantling of our data center to move to an “as-a-service” model. Admittedly, I’m not a huge fan of the cloud, but given that our business peaks on weekends during matches and that we are not an IT company, this choice was obvious. 

At the same time, we have decided to reorganize our teams and focus on skills in analysis, business transformation, product management, etc., notably by outsourcing the service desk. If the schedule is adhered to, Fenix should be operational by the start of the 2027-2028 season, bearing in mind that a period of training and change management will be required. We will proceed with the ‘big bang’ during the summer, a quieter period as there are no football competitions.   

Read the full article at DataNews.levif.be