From Grassroots Coach to AI-Powered Scout – My Journey Building ScoutIQ Africa
Hello Nairaland, My name is Oluwatosin Abiodun. Some of you may know me as the founder of Royal Football Academy in Ado-Ekiti. Others may have seen my posts about ScoutIQ Africa, an AI-powered football scouting platform I've been building. This post is not a pitch. It's a story. A story about why I started, what I've learned, and where African football needs to go. If you're a player, a coach, an academy owner, or just someone who loves Nigerian football — this is for you. --- ⚽ THE BEGINNING – ROYAL FOOTBALL ACADEMY I started Royal Football Academy back in 2015 with nothing but a dusty pitch and a vision. Over the years, we grew. Today, we have over 90 registered players across multiple age groups. We've facilitated international placements, played friendly matches against NNL sides, and watched young boys turn into young men with dreams of playing abroad. But along the way, I noticed a recurring problem. Talent without documentation is invisible. I watched scout...