After two decades, Club Sport Emelec found itself on the brink of relegation in the Ecuadorian football championship. Meanwhile, Emelec's EA Sports team flourished in a separate domain, clinching victory in the E-Liga Pro and securing a spot in the E-Libertadores.

Xtrim, the internet service provider linking Ecuadorians to opportunities and a proud sponsor of Emelec, sought to boost the morale of the fanbase amid the team's challenging phase. Yet, we saw a unique chance: to merge both worlds of the team, crafting a new reality to alter its fate.

Thus, our primary aim was to harness the progress of Emelec's EA Sports team and showcase its real-world effectiveness on the football field. We aimed to translate virtual success into a tangible catalyst for positive change in Emelec's journey, blending the digital and real-life realms into a potent synergy changing the sports culture in Ecuador.

We recruited Sebastian Esparza, E-Emelec’s gaming champion, to join Emelec's coaching staff. He meticulously analyzed data from his FC24 matches, gaining insights into each player's tactics, movements, and strengths, simulating real-world scenarios for Emelec. Esparza collaborated with Emelec's head coach, Hernán Torres, during the LigaPro 2024 tournament to develop strategies enriched with data from the video game.

The traditional coaching approach relies on analyzing past matches, leaving room for error. Typically, team improvement is measured solely by match outcomes. However, integrating video game technology allows for assessing various game scenarios, empowering the coaching staff to analyze lineups, tactics, and playing styles without compromising performance.

In a world where artificial intelligence learns faster and processes vast amounts of information, we aimed to humanize data and turn our gamer into a source of information.

Sebastián Esparza uses FC24 to analyze potential season rivals. He plays about 100 matches against each opponent to spot Emelec's weaknesses. Then, he plays an extra 200 matches, focusing on testing lineups and adjusting play styles. FC24's technologies evaluate various team aspects, consuming over 83.33 hours in 10 days.

Hypermotion technology captures real-life football motions, enhancing realism. The Precision Pass mechanic in Playstyles enables Sebas to execute various tactics with precision later discussed with the Head Coach.

The Ultimate Coach has been in use since the start of the E-Liga-pro season, (February 26th, 2024). Sebastián Esparza, our gamer, uses FC24 to analyze potential rivals, playing around 100 matches against each to pinpoint Emelec's weaknesses. Afterward, he plays 200 more matches, testing lineups and adjusting tactics. FC24's technology evaluates team aspects, with Sebastián dedicating over 83.33 hours in 10 days for data collection and optimization. Hypermotion captures real-life player movements, enhancing game realism. The new Precision Pass mechanic allows precise passes, aiding Sebas in trying new tactics which later are discussed with Hernan Torres, Emelec’s head coach to co-create a new strategy.

Results in team performance:

Spending 83.28 hours on FC24 before each game is creating a unique reality

+ 21% boost in goals scored

+ 14.2% more big chances per game

+ 6.1% higher ball possession

+ 17.4% more duels won per game

(According to Sofascore compared to last season in four matches after the implementation of Ultimate Coach)

2023 : https://www.sofascore.com/es/equipo/futbol/emelec/5255

2024: https://www.sofascore.com/es/equipo/futbol/emelec/5255

Brand results:

-Change in Behavior: Two new sport Clubs (Patria and Barcelona) are now requesting Xtrim’s sponsorship and to implement the Ultimate Coach initiative.

-After the ultimate Coach first match Emelec’s fans and haters went crazy generating $75K in Free Press.