by Patrick Kidd
Oliver Dürr Dehnhardt is a key member to the team that runs football scouting application Tonsser. Tonsser acts as a social network for young footballers to record their matches, statistics and performances and compete against their peers. The app is currently operating solely in Europe, but there are plans to expand around the Globe.
Speaking exclusively in Part II of the Future of Football series by the I Prefer not to Speak Podcast, Dehnhardt provided some brilliant insight onto the operations behind Tonsser and its success.
Tonsser was founded in 2013 in Copenhagen, Denmark and their headquarters remain in the capital. Their first market emerged in Denmark and when they saw great success with their app, they expanded into the neighbouring countries Sweden and Norway. After a slow expansion and growth, the app now has over 1,6 million users across Europe with operations in the prominent football markets of France, Germany and the United Kingdom.
Tonsser utilizes the camaraderie of football by acting as a social network within amateur and semi-professional youth leagues across Europe. The concept of the app relies solely on the integrity of its users, as players are required to enter their own scores and statistics to improve their identity on the app and get the opportunities that Tonsser can provide. Thankfully, due to the app’s user density, fraud and lying are easily avoidable as the peer pressure between teammates maintains accuracy across users.
The Danish application offers numerous opportunities to its users, including chances to trial at professional clubs, the possibility of attending events for brands such as Nike or Adidas and obviously the ability to record one’s competition between their peers.
Most importantly though, Tonsser bridges any financial disparities that may be hindering a players opportunity to get their talent and potential noticed by scouts of professional clubs. The app is completely free to use and will remain that way throughout its longevity, and for any opportunities that a player is offered by Tonsser, the donors and investors in the company will pay for travel and accommodation arrangements that the player may not be able to afford. Tonsser’s philosophy demands equality and the company’s scouts maintain objectivity in analysis over all other factors.
Tonsser is an innovative tool in the sphere of football scouting and its impact is only beginning. The application is currently not available in South Africa, but over the coming years, hopefully, this kind of tool will be able to aid in the scouting of youth talent in the country.
To hear more from Oliver Dürr Dehnhardt and learn more about Tonsser, tune into this week’s episode of the I Prefer not to Speak Podcast on Apple Podcasts or Spotify.