A sports technology startup that supports the growth of soccer players with AI and deep learning-based training data analysis solutions.
– Quantify goal contribution, optimize training processes, and predict match performance through MG10S, EGTS, and AI SOCCER.
– Targeting entry into Asia and the Middle East, including Vietnam and Saudi Arabia, in 2027, the Americas and Europe in 2028, and the global market in 2029.
“We prove the process of making goals with data.”
The global soccer market is a massive industry, estimated to be worth hundreds of trillions of dollars annually. However, player training, at its core, remains largely analog. While match results are quantified, the training processes that produce those results often rely on intuition. Despite repeated training sessions, it's difficult to quantify what's working well and what needs improvement. A startup has tapped into this gap. Galloping, a sports technology startup, is redefining player development scientifically with its AI and deep learning-based training data analysis solution. With the vision of "proving the goal-making process with data," Galloping is ushering in a new era in soccer training.
Direction created through trial and error
Galloping was founded three years ago by CEO Son Yikyung. While not particularly interested in soccer, he was drawn into the industry by his father's passion for business and economics. Working with his father as a performance consultant at the Son Doctor Soccer Academy for over a decade, he discovered countless players across positions and ages faced the same challenges year after year. Players were evaluated solely on results, leaving individual growth to be managed independently, an inefficient reality. Sensing this real-world limitation, he became convinced that the answer lay in enhancing goal-scoring, the essence of soccer. “Training players requires a significant amount of time and money, yet growth still relies on intuition. It's not scientific. So, I started with the question, ‘How can we quantify the process of player development?’” This was how Galloping's AI training analysis solution, which quantifies goals, the core of soccer, through data analysis of over 10,000 games over a decade, was born.
Born from this, Galloping developed an AI training analysis solution that analyzes individual player skills using data to quantify each position's "goal contribution." This technology has led to successes like recruiting a K-League youth team member and producing a national tournament scoring champion. Collaborating with Hwaseong FC, Changwon FC, and Busan IPark, the company has created an environment where coaches can reduce administrative burdens and focus on player development. CEO Son's philosophy, "Technology is meaningful only when connected to the field," is synergistic with Galloping's vision, and is resonating with the market.
While existing systems merely recorded match results, "Galloping" quantifies the entire training process to predict future performance. CEO Son emphasized, "A 1-2% improvement in dribbling success rate significantly impacts the game," and added, "Players and coaches should be able to verify the changes through data." To achieve this, Galloping is focused on building a feedback system that anyone can intuitively understand and persuading coaches and managers. As CEO Son puts it, "No matter how good the technology is, it's meaningless if it's disconnected from the field." Galloping sets a new standard for soccer training by harmonizing data and the field.
MG10S·EGTS·AI SOCCER: Everything that contributes to a goal is turned into data
"Galloping" technology consists of three core elements focused on "goals," the essence of soccer. The first, MG10S, is an AI model trained on the play data of elite players around the world. This system analyzes a player's performance, quantifies their "goal contribution" across all positions, and then suggests personalized growth strategies based on this data. For example, it analyzes Messi's dribbling patterns or Ronaldo's shooting angles to identify high-success plays, helping players compare their skills to global standards and clearly identify areas for improvement.
Next, the Electronic Growth Tracking System (EGTS) is a camera-based AI video analysis technology that goes beyond the existing GPS-based Electronic Performance Tracking System (EPTS). It measures detailed skills like dribbling, passing, and shooting in real time, identifying immediate areas for improvement during training. Beyond simply recording results, this technology converts each player's movements into data, providing a concrete roadmap for growth.
Finally, the "Galloping AI Soccer Center," the physical training space for AI Soccer training service AI SOCCER, is located in Seongnam, Gyeonggi Province. Combining software, hardware, and content, it creates an indoor training space that simulates real-world match situations. It utilizes over 1,250 evaluation indicators to provide personalized training programs, and intuitive data visualization helps coaches quickly identify players' strengths and weaknesses, enabling them to optimize training plans.
Galloping, which opened an AI soccer center in Seongnam, Gyeonggi Province, is setting a new industry standard by quantifying the entire training process. While existing EPTS systems were focused on results, Galloping data-driven training processes to predict future performance. The effectiveness of this technology is proven by the success of young players who have achieved national scoring titles or joined K-League youth teams.
Global Expansion: Connecting the Soccer Market with AI
Galloping is pursuing expansion into global markets beyond Korea, including Vietnam and Saudi Arabia. With the price of global data analysis platforms expected to surge tenfold between 2023 and 2024, the need for accessible alternatives for small and medium-sized clubs and the amateur market has grown. Galloping, which has secured KRW 1 billion in pre-A funding from CNT Tech, SMBA, Korea Credit Guarantee Fund, and The Invention Lab, and has been recognized for its technological prowess and marketability, aims to expand into Asia and the Middle East in 2027, the Americas and Europe in 2028, and the global market in 2029. Galloping is achieving results through on-site collaboration through contracts with Hwaseong FC, Changwon FC, Busan IPark, and the Hwaseong FC youth team led by coach Cha Du-ri, using the AI SOCCER platform. Since implementing the AI solution, coaches have been able to reduce administrative burdens and focus on individual player development.
As a startup founder, CEO Son Yikyung says, "Startups require extraordinary results in extraordinary timeframes," comparing it to "building an airplane and flying it simultaneously." Even amidst a series of uncertain choices, his unwavering focus remains on the customer. While ten people around him may discuss a dozen different things, he remains steadfast in his commitment to the customer, never losing sight of his ultimate goal: creating what customers truly need.
Furthermore, what he cares most about on the soccer field is the players' potential, and more important than performance is ensuring that that potential isn't thwarted. "The very reason for 'Galloping' is to show players their potential for growth through data, so they don't fall prey to the anxiety of 'I might not be good enough.'
"Failure is just a process, and we're running towards better failures," says Galloping, designing a future where players and coaches grow together through data. True to its name, Galloping proves player growth with data and continues its relentless run toward the goal on the global soccer stage.
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