Since our beginning in 2020, we have pursued a simple yet bold mission: to facilitate the meeting between sports talents, recruiters, clubs, coaches, agents, and the numerous opportunities that will allow them to shine, regardless of their level, gender, or background.
Today, we are taking a decisive new step by announcing our entry into the world of football. And to mark this milestone, we have chosen to surround ourselves with two pillars of football recruitment: Jacques Le Quéré and Patrice Girard. These two names resonate in the corridors of stadiums as symbols of excellence and expertise in the world of detection and recruitment.
After recruiting Vincent Lavandier, a renowned coach in the basketball domain, we sought to replicate a winning formula by surrounding ourselves with high-level profiles!
Who are Jacques Le Quéré and Patrice Girard?
Jacques Le Quéré (left), with his 30 years of experience, represents a pillar of recruitment and training in the world of sports. His journey began as a coach in various clubs and categories, notably at USM Saran, US Orléans (both in the senior team and in the training center), FVO Saint Jean de la Ruelle, and Louhans Cuiseaux.
Over the years, Jacques Le Quéré has established himself as a major player in recruitment in French football, evolving within renowned clubs such as AS Nancy (Ligue 1, Ligue 2), AS Cannes, and RC Lens. His commitment extends beyond hexagonal borders, as he also played a crucial role in the creation of a training center in Guinea.
Patrice Girard (right), who alternated between player and coach, left his mark on the landscape of French football. His time at Stade Français from 1984 to 1985 marked the beginning of a career punctuated by success.
In 1989, he joined the ranks of Olympique Lyonnais, where he served for 32 years alongside the iconic president Jean Michel Aulas, first as a recruiter and then as head of the youth and professional recruitment cells. At OL, Patrice Girard was one of the cornerstones of Lyon’s transfer markets, shaping a strong recruitment unit. His expertise, honed over the seasons, contributed to the success and renown of Olympique Lyonnais on the national and international stage.
Our vision of football on Sportiw:
The launch of football on Sportiw will focus on all levels: semi-professional, amateur, and professional.
📌 The amateur/semi-professional world
This particular segment requires digital solutions for the recruitment and detection of players with potential. Since the beginning at Sportiw, we believe in a modern and analytical approach to sports, where data and statistics are our best allies. Technology remains a major issue in our strategic thinking, and we want to focus on basic statistics that help recruiters make their choices.
📌 Women's football
We firmly believe in promoting diversity and inclusion in this sport that brings together millions of enthusiasts around the world. For Sportiw, women’s football represents a major stake in the future of the sport. Clubs express a growing need for lists of players and strengthening professionalization, as recruitment in women’s football remains a challenge. Our main objective is to provide maximum opportunities for both clubs and the players themselves. We thus place particular emphasis on the development of women’s football, as we are convinced that technology can help open new doors for unrecognized talents.
📌 The professional world
With the arrival of Jacques and Patrice in the team, we can immediately provide high-level solutions tailored to the needs of professional clubs – especially for detecting the talents of tomorrow. Their expertise and track record of talents identified throughout their careers are guarantees of quality and trust for clubs and recruiters.
Sportiw is aware of the challenges ahead. Recruitment in football is a complex field, where the stakes are high and the competition is fierce. But it is precisely in this complexity that our motivation lies. Furthermore, all Sportiw teams are mobilized for the large-scale launch of football in the coming months: technical development, data preparation, algorithms, marketing, content creation… These are crucial steps to ensure the success of the football launch at the scale of our ambitions.
What is Sportiw?
As a reminder, Sportiw is the story of two figures immersed in the world of sport in their own way:Zeljko Kiauta, former footballer turned sports agent in basketball and handball, with over thirty years of experience in high-level sports, and Léa Gaget, a digital expert and former member of Chambéry Savoie Mont Blanc Handball. At the beginning of 2020, these two personalities jointly launched Sportiw, an online platform dedicated to recruitment support. Their ambition is clear: to become the world’s number one network for recruitment and connections in sports.
The mission of Sportiw is thus summarized: to help players move forward in their sports projects, regardless of their discipline, geographical location, gender, means, or personal situation. How? By highlighting their profiles to the right people, at the right time, thus allowing a modern and efficient connection between the various stakeholders in the world of sport.
