We are finishing our club playbook and have implemented a lot of the ideas, Optima Football suggested to us. Even critical people in our club starts to think different now. Thank you for your big inspiration and ideas.
Central European-based club
Club Advisory
Bringing the club strategy all the way from the offices to the training pitch is a difficult step. The way many football clubs are run today is very unsustainable.
How Hard Can It Be?
It is extremely hard to run a football club. Football is complex, relational and brutally competitive on the field. What can you do? A football strategic book to inspire the industry.
Keynote Speaker
The founder of Optima Football, Mads Davidsen, has in the past decade done presentations for companies, clubs, organisations and universities.
Mads was one of the key factors to our club's growth and success from 2014-2018 from being a small local club to an internationally known club able to win titles - and competing in the Asian Champions League while playing with a majority of home grown players. Mads worked intensively every day on improving our club from the first team to the academy and developed our club strategy 'The SIPG Way' which still is the foundation for our club.
Sui Guiyang, General Manager at Shanghai SIPG F.C. 2014-2018
Our model
Our book
How hard can it be?
Most football fans have probably asked themselves this question (How hard can it be?) when they watch their team lose several games in a row, or when the club pays an excessive price for an ageing attacker, or when the club hands in another bleeding annual report.
The answer is that it is extremely hard to run a football club. Football is complex, relational and brutally competitive on the field. And outside the field it is even more complicated. Unfortunately, many decision makers in football are emotionally biased by a range of stressors that challenge their sense of rationale and time.
The logic consequence is that they over estimate in the short run and under-analyze in the long haul. A football strategic book to inspire the industry.
News and press
In this section you'll find links to selected articles and news about Optima Football.
How China is spending billions to conquer world soccer Permalink
Article from bloomberg.com about the development of Chinese football and building a league that can compete with the best in Europe.
Playing today, looking at the future Permalink
An article about the development of a football strategy, a style of play and a talent development blueprint. Available in English and Portuguese.
Chinese Super League developing as Shanghai SIPG grow Europe links Permalink
An article from ESPN about crafting a vision, THE SIPG WAY, to build a sustainable club with homegrown players.
Shanghai SIPG lay the foundations for decades of Chinese domination Permalink
Article from goal.com about the long-term planning and building of a sustainable club from scratch.
Reached the top in China Permalink
A story in a large Danish newspaper about winning the championship with Shanghai SIPG and now aiming to help other clubs develop the same way.
Football clubs give too much power to managers Permalink
Article from goal.com about the lack of a clear strategy, philosophy, and long-term planning in football clubs - including the big ones.
Interview with The Financial Times
The 2018-football season in China are ahead of us and this past week, I did an interview with The Financial Times to discuss the current status and future pr...
Interviews on club strategy & challenges in China
I did a couple of interviews this past weeks. One regarding our club strategy and focus on youth development and one with a Danish radio show called “Kina-sn...
New posts on the blog
A personal space sharing thoughts, opinions & news from the founder.
How to manage to unmanageable?
Over the recent years, I have been hired by business groups, companies and for different events to do a speech on my 6 years operating in China. Not specific...
The biased game
The DNA of football is to win. Especially in the professional side of the game. The world of football is ‘black or white’; there are winners and losers - not...
To achieve or to avoid?
A common saying is; there are no right or wrong in football. Another saying is: the winner is always right.
Succession planning requires a strategy
After visiting more than 20 top clubs in the past four years and in general developing my own strategy, philosophy & methodology in the past 10 years; I’...
The value of talent
A chapter from my book (in cooperation with Helle Hedegaard Hein) “Når talent forpligter” (Great talent requires great leadership):
Analysis of the Tactical Tendencies 2016 EURO - 1.0
In my cooperation with the Danish media, Mediano, I’ve done my first 1.0 analysis of the ‘Tactical Tendencies’ from the current EURO 2016.
Analysis of the Tactical Tendencies 2016 EURO - 2.0
We are now done with all the group stage matches in France and it’s time for another analysis (2.0) and a deeper look at the most interesting tendencies from...
Blog: The Chinese Powerhouse
I’ve worked together with the ‘Player Development Project’ for a while and recently they asked me to do a piece on my 4 years working in Chinese football loo...