Building the Sporting Project: From Recruitment Strategy to the First Team

Organized by FootEx, Powered by Comparisonator and Supported by The Book of Scouting, Football Conference Istanbul will take place on 26–27 September 2026 at Fairmont Quasar Istanbul | Luna Ballroom, bringing together leading professionals from across international football for two days of discussions around scouting, recruitment, transfers, sporting management, data, and artificial intelligence.

Under the theme BEYOND 90 MINUTES, the conference will feature club Presidents, Sporting Directors, Chief Scouts, recruitment specialists, and football executives sharing their experience and perspectives from inside the professional game.

Following the opening session on player identification, the conference will dive into the next crucial step: how those individual evaluations fit into a club’s overarching vision.

Building the Sporting Project: From Recruitment Strategy to the First Team

26 September | 11:30–12:15 | Session 2

Recruitment cannot operate independently from the wider sporting project. How do clubs balance squad building, recruitment priorities, and budget management? How do sporting directors and chief scouts collaborate with coaches to ensure a player is genuinely right for the club’s vision?

Three international football executives will explore the decision-making processes behind constructing a successful first team from different professional and financial environments.

Barry Simmonds — Former Sports Director, Crystal Palace & Fulham

Barry Simmonds is an experienced football executive and recruitment specialist with senior experience in English professional football. His career has included leadership responsibilities at Crystal Palace and Fulham, providing extensive experience in player identification, recruitment strategy, squad planning, and transfer decision-making. Simmonds is also a contributor to The Book of Scouting – Volume One, where he shares his perspective on modern recruitment and the importance of combining experienced human judgement with reliable evidence and data.

David Balda — Sports Director, FC Hradec Králové

David Balda is an experienced Sports Director and football executive with a background in recruitment, squad planning, scouting, and football operations. His career has included sporting leadership responsibilities across European professional football, giving him experience in building squads and managing recruitment strategies within different sporting and financial environments. His approach also reflects the increasing importance of integrating data, technology, and modern scouting methodologies into football decision-making.

Dehan Ogetbil — Chief Scout, Beerschot

Currently Chief Scout at Beerschot, Dehan Ogetbil brings a proven track record of discovering top talent. Beginning his career in 2015 as a Scouting Coordinator at NIKE—where he led a scouting team that discovered talents such as Ozan Kabak, Caglar Soyuncu, and Cengiz Under—he later joined Besiktas JK and served as Chief Scout during the club’s 2017 league-winning season. His impressive resume includes key roles at Fenerbahce, a return to Besiktas contributing to key transfers like Valentin Rosier, and working with Sport Republic to carry out scouting activities for Southampton, Valenciennes, and Goztepe.

Moderated by Nicola Innocentin

The session will be moderated by Nicola Innocentin, an international football executive with extensive experience across Europe, North America, and the Middle East. He currently serves as Project Leader of the Mahd Sports Academy “Elite Programme,” focused on developing leading young Saudi talents through a long-term football and education pathway. His previous positions include Sporting Director of Al-Fateh FC and Head of Recruitment at Bologna FC 1909. He is also a contributor to The Book of Scouting – Volume One, bringing his experience in recruitment, player development, and sporting strategy.

Bringing together perspectives from the English Premier League, Belgian Pro League, Czech First League, and international academies, this session offers deep insights into how a club’s philosophy dictates its transfer market moves.

How does a club ensure that an individual signing actually fits the broader sporting project?