The Digital Scouting Africa (DSA) U-17 Talent Showcase, which kicked off on January 27 at the Inspire Sports Academy Arena in Oshodi, Lagos, has already lived up to its billing as a groundbreaking platform for young African footballers. On Day 3, Inspire Sports Academy, one of the event’s key partners, put on a masterclass performance with a stunning 7-1 victory over 6th Avenue Young Boys.

This talent showcase, an initiative of Tosmicom Sports and supported by Inspire Sports Academy , is reshaping youth scouting by integrating digital platforms that provide young players with exposure to top international scouts. The Digital Scouting Africa Portal is central to this initiative, compiling player statistics, match data, and digital scouting profiles to enhance visibility for African talents globally.

Speaking on the academy’s involvement in the project, Francis Ogette, Head of Academy at Inspire Sports Academy, expressed his enthusiasm for the initiative:

“When Tosmicom Sports approached us with this project, we were immediately excited because of its uniqueness. We’ve seen many youth tournaments, but nothing quite like this—where digital scouting is integrated into the process from the start, ensuring that players are not just competing but also gaining global exposure. At Inspire Sports Academy, our goal has always been to nurture and provide platforms for young talents, and partnering on the Digital Scouting Africa Talent Showcase perfectly aligns with that vision. We believe this will open doors for many young players and redefine how football scouting is done in Africa.”

Also weighing in on the significance of the initiative, Melvin Balogun Chalobah—uncle to England international Trevor Chalobah, and a senior executive at Talent United Group, a partner firm to the organizers—highlighted how this project is a culmination of a vision long in the making.

“It is a great pleasure for me personally to see the fruits of Mr. Samuel’s (Adebayo Oluwasegun, CEO, Tosmicom Sports Agency and Founder, Digital Scouting Africa) hard work and labour from the conversation we had eight years ago regarding using digital media for the identification and promotion of African youth football talents,” Chalobah remarked.

He added: “Through his hard work and the committed focus of his team, we now have a platform that provides opportunities for talents from the school level right through to the youth level, both within the educational system and outside. This gives everybody a chance to be seen and to create events whereby international scouts can assess the players through not only the digital platform in videos, which is fundamental for the assessment of non-biased performance and assessment, but also a way to promote youth African football to the latest standards. I wish them continued success and will keep giving my support for this very important venture in raising the bar.”

Chalobah, who has been working with Nigerian international Alhassan Ibrahim ‘Muazzam’ for over eight years, played a key role in facilitating his move to Austria Vienna through Base Soccer Agency, now CAA Base, where he worked at the time as the company ‘s Business Development Manager and a Talent Manager. His continued involvement in African football scouting and player development underscores the importance of initiatives like the DSA Talent Showcase in bridging the gap between African talents and the global football market.

Following the conclusion of the DSA U-17 Talent Showcase, attention will shift to the U-20 Digital Scouting Africa Talent Showcase, scheduled for February at the same venue, Inspire Sports Academy Arena, Cappa, Oshodi. This next phase of the scouting initiative will provide even more exposure to young footballers looking to secure professional opportunities.

Ultimately, all data, performance reports, and digital scouting profiles gathered from both the U-17 and U-20 showcases will be utilized in the Digital Scouting Africa Scouting Championship in April. The Final event and comprehensive video and performance data collected will be used as part of Tosmicom’s strategy to invite international scouts from clubs in Europe and the USA.