The Budapesti Corvinus Egyetem and Portfolio are holding The Science of Football on May 26 in Budapest, timed with the UEFA Champions League final. The one‑day event aims to provide insight under the hood of modern football: data‑driven decision‑making, AI‑based scouting and recruitment, sport business models, and the practical question of how far numbers can be trusted and where human judgement comes in.
Structure and main topics
The afternoon program avoids treating the issue as a simple “intuition versus statistics” debate; instead it promotes a shared language where field experience, technology and business thinking serve the same goal: better decisions on and off the pitch. Main themes include:
- data‑driven decision‑making at governance and club levels;
- AI‑based monitoring and player recruitment;
- linking sport business education and research to practice;
- the balance between numerical models and human judgement in player decisions.
Opening and closing remarks
The event will be opened by Bruno van Pottelsberghe, rector of the Budapesti Corvinus Egyetem, who will also deliver a rector’s closing summary highlighting the day’s key lessons, framing and concluding the event’s main message.
Key presentations and panel
Sefton Perry, head of the UEFA Intelligence Centre, will present on data‑driven football policy and decision‑making, focusing on how football data can be transformed into system‑level knowledge to support strategic choices in sport governance.
A central panel will explore the pressing dilemma of data versus the human factor in decisions about players. The panel brings together complementary perspectives:
- Esterházy Mátyás, founder and player agent at EM Sports Consulting — practical examples from the player market and career strategy;
- Köves Alexandra, lecturer at the Budapesti Corvinus Egyetem and ecological economist — systems‑level questions and context;
- Ratatics Péter, executive vice‑president for consumer services at MOL Csoport and president of Újpest FC — the managerial and club‑strategy perspective.
Workshop session: connecting research, education and practice
The closing session will focus on the craft of football and, specifically, how research, education and practice interconnect. Highlighted presenters include:
- Kajos Attila, lecturer and head of department at the Budapesti Corvinus Egyetem’s Vállalkozói és Innovációs Intézet — directions in sport business research and education;
- Pikéthy Árpád, expert at IBM Hungary — an AI‑based player recruitment example drawn from Sevilla FC practice;
- Kocsis Bence, staff at the Magyar Labdarúgó Szövetség (MLSZ) — how data‑based forecasts can be used, including in the context of the Champions League final;
- Ferencz Márton, student representative at the Budapesti Corvinus Egyetem — posing a provocative question (“How to win the Premier League?”) to reframe the relationship between performance and strategy.
Selected speakers
Among the event’s speakers are: Bogdán Ádám (Debreceni VSC), Bombera Krisztina (CEO, CauseArt Platform), Bruno van Pottelsberghe (rector, Budapesti Corvinus Egyetem), Esterházy Mátyás (founder, EM Sports Consulting), Ferencz Márton (student representative, Budapesti Corvinus Egyetem), Kajos Attila (lecturer, Budapesti Corvinus Egyetem), Kocsis Bence (Magyar Labdarúgó Szövetség), Köves Alexandra (lecturer, Budapesti Corvinus Egyetem), Pikéthy Árpád (IBM Hungary), Ratatics Péter (executive vice‑president, MOL Csoport; president, Újpest FC), Sefton Perry (head, UEFA Intelligence Centre) and Szathmári Attila (commentator, RTL Magyarország; adjunct lecturer, Budapesti Corvinus Egyetem).
Registration
Registration is already open; organizers encourage interested parties to reserve their place at the event.
Why the conference matters
The Science of Football offers a forum to examine football not only as a sport but as a phenomenon shaped by technology, business and society. Through practical cases, examples and expert debate, the conference will demonstrate how data and AI tools can support decision‑making while also acknowledging the continuing importance of human and managerial judgement.
