Description

Follow-Up Masterclass: Saudi Arabia Deep Dive – Scaling National Talent Identification

Duration: 50–60 min presentation + 20 min Q&A

Price – Online Masterclass:
DKK 179 / €24.95

Master the Art of Scouting at Scale

In this second masterclass of our four-part series, Kenneth Santa, UEFA Elite Scout and UEFA A Licence Coach, takes you behind the scenes of Saudi Arabia’s national football talent identification system.

You will learn how to manage a large national player pool, implement a consistent and scalable scouting framework, and align scouts, coaches, and leadership to ensure your talent identification system delivers reliable results.

This session is ideal for national federations, football associations, youth academy directors, technical directors, and elite scouts seeking practical, real-world strategies for scaling talent ID systems effectively.

What You’ll Learn

In this masterclass, you will discover how to:

• Overcome the challenges of large-scale national talent pools
• Implement regional hubs to ensure full national coverage
• Standardise scouting forms, evaluations, and reporting
• Train and align scouts to ensure consistent, high-quality assessments
• Manage people upwards, downwards, and across the organisation
• Track player progression through structured feedback loops
• Apply proven lessons from Saudi Arabia to your own football environment

Inside the Masterclass

Challenges of Scaling Talent Identification

• Inconsistent coverage due to vast geography
• Scouts using varied evaluation criteria
• Lack of standardised reporting and feedback

Solutions Implemented

• Regional hubs for centralised coordination
• Standardised scouting forms for consistent evaluation
• Structured reporting with weekly submissions
• Scout training programmes to align expectations and evaluation quality

People Management Matters

Success depends on managing people at every level:

• Upwards: Align KPIs and reporting with federation leadership
• Downwards: Empower scouts through training, clarity, and trust
• Across peers: Foster collaboration between hubs and technical staff

Without effective people management, even the best systems fail.

Implementation in Action

Explore real examples of regional hubs covering multiple cities with consistent evaluations, standardised reporting, and structured player monitoring — ensuring the best talent is identified, supported, and developed.

Key Takeaways

• Scale can be managed through clear structures and processes
• Consistency across scouts is essential
• Regional hubs improve player tracking and progression
• Effective people management is critical to long-term success

Interactive Q&A

Participate in an open discussion and explore your local challenges and solutions directly with Kenneth.

About the Presenter

Kenneth Santa is a highly experienced football scouting and talent identification specialist, holding both UEFA Elite Scout accreditation and a UEFA A Coaching Licence.

He has worked at the highest levels of youth and national football development across Europe, the Middle East, and Asia, including:

• Head of Talent Identification – Football Association of Singapore, where he established and led the national talent ID department and education initiatives
• Scouting Manager – Mahd Academy, the national football academy in Saudi Arabia, building structured scouting systems and regional talent programmes
• National Scout – Qatar FA / Aspire Academy, contributing to elite player benchmarking and development pathways
• European Scout – Wolverhampton Wanderers, focusing on identifying players aged 14–19 across Scandinavia
• Earlier roles in Danish football with Brøndby IF, FC Nordsjælland, and FC Copenhagen

Kenneth specialises in building structured, sustainable national talent identification frameworks, educating scouts and coaches, and helping football organisations move from chance-based scouting to systematic, repeatable excellence.

How to Access

Once your payment has been successfully processed, you will receive an email with full details on how to join the Zoom masterclass.

Please note: Payments are non-refundable, except in the event that the masterclass is cancelled by the organiser.