Confidential briefingPrepared for the readerEurope · Middle East2026

StrategyBusinessInvestmentFootball

Subject: Jon Soler — independent advisory practice at the intersection of the four.
Position: Strategy, business and investment for clubs, investors and public institutions.
Method: AI-enabled research and strategic intelligence, applied with judgement.

§ 01

Background

Over a decade working with major companies, regulators and governments across Europe and the Middle East on strategy, organisation, growth and implementation.

Later, a formal football education through the UEFA Academy and University of Lausanne, Universidad Europea and the Real Madrid Graduate School, Barça Innovation Hub and The FA, alongside applied work in talent development, scouting and data analysis.

The professional focus is football strategy: the same discipline, applied to the major decisions facing clubs, investors, sports organisations and public institutions.

The practice itself is AI-enabled: research, benchmarking and document synthesis amplified by AI tools, delivered with bespoke strategic judgement rather than automated advice.

Note — the combination is the point. Football knowledge is common; senior institutional advisory experience and a career spanning Europe and the Middle East is not.

§ 02

Areas of work

Figure 1 — Four areas, in order of application

Government and institutional sports strategy
National and city football and sports strategies, sector development, governance, participation and talent pathways, and investment priorities.
Ownership and investment strategy
Strategic and commercial assessment of football investments, ownership priorities and post-investment strategy, working alongside financial and legal specialists.
Club and federation strategy
Long-term direction, governance, organisational design and strategic priorities.
Growth, internationalisation and organisation
Market entry, partnerships, institutional relations, organisational models and implementation across Europe and the Middle East.

^†Additional football capabilities: talent-development systems, academy strategy, scouting-function design and data-informed decision-making.

§ 03

Record

Period	Position	Detail
2026–	Independent advisory practiceStrategy · Business · Investment · Football	Advising clubs, investors, sports organisations and public institutions on strategy, organisation, growth and investment in football and sport, with AI-enabled research and analysis behind the work.
2018–2025	Oliver Wyman — Dubai, UAEAssociate Partner from 2020	Multi-year strategy and transformation programmes for major Middle Eastern tech groups; advisory to national regulators on sector strategy, organisational transformation and data governance, including a national ICT-sector assessment in a major Gulf economy.
2017–2018	Delta Partners — Dubai, UAEManager, Advisory	Cross-continental engagement across Asia, the Middle East and Africa for a Global Fortune 500 corporation.
2016–2017	Government of the Canary Islands — Tenerife, SpainEconomic and Strategic Advisor	Economic internationalisation programme: strategy, stakeholder alignment, market targeting, investment attraction. Published in the Financial Times’ fDi Magazine.
2015	Uber — Barcelona, SpainOperations Manager	Operations lead in the launch of a new product that pivoted the company’s business model in Spain.
2013–2014	Delta Partners — Barcelona, SpainStrategy Consultant	Began a career in strategy consulting between Europe and the Middle East, working with executive boards from the first year on ambiguous, high-stakes strategic problems across markets, industries and cultures.

§ 04

Applied football work

Selected academic and independently produced football work. Not presented as client engagements.

Figure 2 — Selected items

Youth talent-development model — Real Zaragoza U13/U14 case study
Master’s thesis.
Opposition and match analysis — Real Zaragoza case study
Independently produced tactical and statistical analysis.
Player assessment and scouting
Individual scouting report.
UEFA Certificate in Football Management — applied case work
Individual and six-person group coursework.

^‡Selected samples available on request.

§ 05

Qualifications

Class	Award	Institution
Football	UEFA Certificate in Football ManagementCAS · 10 ECTS	UEFA Academy and University of Lausanne
Football	Master’s in Football Management and Game Methodologies60 ECTS	Universidad Europea / Real Madrid Graduate School
Football	Certificate in Football Data Analysis6 ECTS	Universidad Europea / Real Madrid Graduate School
Football	Coaching and scouting qualifications	Barça Innovation Hub · The FA
Academic	MSc in ManagementSantander Scholarship	London Business School
Academic	BSc Economics · LLB Law · BA Liberal Arts	Universidad Central de Venezuela · Universidad Metropolitana