Birmingham Science Park-based Scout7 has acquired Open Source Factory – the developer of Xeatre.tv – for circa €1 million.

Mark Ansell (Chairman) and Lee Jamison (Managing Director) observing the Scout7 online service in action

With 90 per cent of English Premier League clubs, and over 50 per cent of clubs in the top Leagues of France, Germany, Netherlands and Spain already on Scout7’s client list, the acquisition has created professional football’s leading global supplier for scouting and recruitment intelligence.

Established in 2001, Scout7 employs 30 people, with two thirds based at its Birmingham Science Park office. The annual turnover of the company post-acquisition will approach £3 million.

Scout7 provides web-based recruitment, squad and scouting management solutions for its 175 professional football industry clients. For the past three years, the company was the exclusive sales agent for Xeatre.tv, which films and stores the video footage from every match played across 60 professional football leagues worldwide. Scout7’s acquisition of Open Source Factory provides the advantage of product ownership and intellectual property rights.

Mark Ansell, Chairman of Scout7 said: “Over the past three years, Xeatre.tv has evolved into the preferred video-based scouting solution for elite professional football clubs. In an increasingly competitive marketplace, this strategic acquisition enables us to further develop a joint product offering to maintain our position as the leading supplier of scouting and recruitment intelligence to the professional football industry. We can now embark on a highly exciting new era of further growth and expansion.”

Lee Jamison, Founder and Managing Director of Scout7 said: “The extended range of data we can now provide our client base with, on demand, at the touch of a button, is exactly what is required by elite football clubs striving to find the cutting edge to enhance performance.

“In the 11 years we have served the football industry, we have seen significant changes in the way clubs structure their recruitment. Investment in online market intelligence is second nature. Today, over 2,500 professional football staff across the globe subscribe to Scout7 and Xeatre.tv products. This acquisition ensures that all subscriber content can be made available from one single source, covering video analysis, scouting reports, analytical research and general market intelligence.”

Launched in 2009, Xeatre.tv is the world’s most advanced video scouting, management and analysis solution, capturing football footage from all over the world privately, for subscribers to watch live via an internet video stream, or from an archive of match recordings. Uniquely, the application also incorporates online editing tools, enabling users to crop and save footage remotely, to prepare highlight videos on individual players – or on whole teams – for internal analysis.

Dr David Hardman MBE, CEO of Birmingham Science Park said: “Scout7 has been based at the Science Park since 2005 and have expanded three times within the iBIC building. It has been highly rewarding to see the impressive growth of the company, with a formidable client list that includes UEFA Champion’s League winner Chelsea, FA Premier League trophy holder Manchester City, and 1. Bundesliga winner Borussia Dortmund.

“The success of Scout7 is a reflection of the innovation, entrepreneurship and business success that is being demonstrated by Birmingham’s top flight of SME’s. As a city, we need to nurture these companies, celebrate their successes, and create an environment where more highly innovative start-ups will prosper and create many more much-needed skilled jobs.”