While working with her mother as the first women to open and run a soccer agency, Victoire Cogevina carried the cell phone whose number was the main line for SR All-Stars. She spoke frequently to aspiring players about the challenges they faced as they dreamed of pro careers. Those in the U.S. couldn’t afford expensive academies and travel teams. Players in other countries often faced corruption in the soccer scouting system.
“I literally spoke to them on a daily basis,” Cogevina said. “And I’ve heard every single story you can imagine. We’d have everyone from the father, the mother, the neighbor, the friend, the actual player would call you and tell you stories that were really dramatic, to say the least, [about] them trying to get to be professional players.”
Technology, she realized, would be the tool to democratize global scouting. Cogevina, 27, moved to the Bay Area, founded Silicon Soccer, and will launch an app this summer, Gloria, that will serve as a video-centric scouting hub for both male and female players. The plan is to partner with leagues and federations to ensure exposure for promising players. The app will launch in Argentina, Germany, and Spain, with plans to expand elsewhere.
“Once we level the playing field where everyone needs to showcase their talents through video and talent is selected in that way, then we are able to democratize the opportunity,” Cogevina said. “That’s the vision of the company.”
Her co-founder and the head of product and technology for Gloria is Matias Castello, 32, who previously led Facebook’s product partnerships team. He and Cogevina met through mutual friends and bonded, in part, because Castello’s father, Diego, played for Cogevina’s favorite Argentinian soccer club, Racing Club de Avellaneda.
Castello said players will be able to upload age, height, weight, position, and stats to their base profile. That data will complement video covering categories such as technical skills, common game situations, and game highlights. The plan is to create a guided experience in Gloria that is “as close to a template as possible,” Castello said, for players to upload the most relevant videos based on their talents, position, league, and so on.
“There is no industry standard for video, which is quite shocking, if you think about it,” Cogevina said. “We know how to write a C.V. and there are many tools that teach us how to do it, but in the case of soccer players, they can google a few things but they never know exactly what kind of video is going to showcase their talents the best way.”
Gloria will exist in two forms: an iOS and Android app for players and a web platform that federations, leagues, and their clubs can use. The search functionality will enable coaches to find players of a certain age, position, and experience, and then see them perform specific skills like tackles or free kicks. Once enough profiles are collected, a planned video AI algorithm will help rank players objectively.
The business model of partnering with leagues and federations will enable access to scouts and development coaches who can share specific knowledge of what will garner attention for young players. The company said more than 10,000 players are already on a waiting list to join the app.
Aspiring players will need a premium subscription to upload video, of which partner leagues will receive 30 percent. The idea is to foster an ecosystem that is transparent and democratic. The downside, however, is that Cogevina said she’s received threatening messages from agents.
Cogevina’s mother, Shalimar Reynal, is a pioneering agent, and her firm represents players not only in contract negotiations but also in marketing and licensing discussions. Longtime Seattle Sounders captain Ozzie Alonso, who is now with Minnesota United, and retired FC Barcelona star Carles Puyol are among the clients at SR All-Stars. Cogevina has worked with Newcastle’s Miguel Almiron and the Sounders’ Nicolás Lodeiro.
Cogevina left the company in March 2018, but her experience working there helped validate the need for this platform. Gloria will be open to all men and women between the ages of 10 and 35. Cogevina expects the tool may be more helpful at a professional level in women’s leagues because the men’s game already has established services like the platform Wyscout, but she believes academies and lower circuits will still have a need for Gloria.
That the app is being created for players of both genders by someone who co-founded the first all-women agency is reflected in her choice of name.
“In Argentina and I think in most Spanish dialects, ‘La gloria de fútbol’ is something that is used a lot—‘The glory of soccer,’” Cogevina said. “People don’t do it for the money but they do it for the glory. And it’s also a women’s name, and I think it’s [fitting].”