104: Andy Etches – Success on the soccer field correlates to success in embracing technology – Rezzil

⁠Our guest on this episode is ⁠Andy Etches, Founder
& Sports Director of Rezzil. Andy has had many very
interesting stops in his career, working at Apple, working
as Head of Sport at Stream AMG, which was used by Matchroom, DAZN
and BBC. But Andy was also a senior manager at Manchester City
Football club - responsible for innovation in performance and
media. 


⁠„The top football teams in Germany are all incredibly clever,
incredibly talented and really understand how to manipulate data
to their advantage. And that's why they’re the top teams. So, you
do tend to find a direct correlation between success on the pitch
and the success of embracing technology.”⁠


Forbes Magazine noted “Sports Tech Comes Of Age With VR Training,
Coaching Apps And Smart Gear”, when talking about sports
technology and technology used by Rezzil with top football and
basketball clubs worldwide. Rezzil is the world’s leading
platform for developing elite athletes and particularly soccer
players. It is used from academy level to European League and
World Cup winners.



In this unique and fascinating conversation with Andy, we learn
what exactly leading players are looking for in terms of
resilience, focus and the ability to make decisions when
surrounded by chaos. What is it that truly makes the great
players stand out from the rest? Like business scenarios, it's
all about building mechanisms to help you cope with difficult
circumstances. It's not just about making decisions or reading
what's happening. It's about the core structure, the core
physiology underneath you that makes those decisions and about
subconsciously building good habits. The underlying skill behind
that decision making process is perception-action coupling.


 


From being able to take in parts of the pitch, whilst making
decisions at the same time as scanning via controlling the ball
at the same time as scanning  and finding the player,
whose body shape suggests they're ready to receive a pass right
through to subconsciously building good habits. One thing is for
sure: There are so many parallels to the business world. With so
many unpredictable things happening around us that have to be
measured, bringing everyone together to reach a common goal can
only be done with excellent teamwork, leadership, oversight,
resilience and motivation - all things we can apply to the
continually evolving business world in times of digital
transformation and equally to the world of football and other
sports.


 


BTW, what does a true Mancunian have to do with worldwide VR
sports innovation and why is listening to the janitor of
particular importance for digital transformation?  –
tune in!