OPN And PFA Use Digital Athlete Passports To Transform Football Recruitment

OPN, the digital sports infrastructure company co-founded by former professional footballer Aaron Wildig, has expanded its partnership with the Professional Footballers’ Association (PFA) to provide out-of-contract players with verified performance data and greater visibility to clubs during the summer transfer window.

As the official Digital Athlete Passport partner of the PFA pre-season programme, OPN will provide players attending this year’s expanded camps with access to performance records, GPS data, physical testing, wellness monitoring and performance analytics throughout the programme.

The PFA pre-season camp gives out-of-contract players a professional training environment during the summer, with daily on-pitch sessions, strength and conditioning, friendly fixtures and physical and mental wellbeing support. This year’s programme will run for 12 weeks from June 29 to September 16, 2026, with dedicated camps for out-of-contract WSL and WSL2 players being introduced for the first time.

OPN’s technology will support the programme by helping players showcase their current level, readiness and potential through objective performance data, while giving clubs, scouts and recruitment teams a more complete picture of available players.

The partnership builds on OPN’s work with the PFA in 2025, when its Digital Athlete Passport technology and digital transfer list supported out-of-contract players seeking new clubs. The platform allows recruiters to access player profiles and performance data gathered throughout the programme, helping them make more informed decisions based on current evidence as well as playing history.

The 2026 programme will also include an integration with Opta, giving clubs access to deeper performance insights by combining physical testing data, GPS metrics and wellness information with match analytics and performance statistics.

Wildig, who had a 15-year professional playing career with clubs including Cardiff City, Shrewsbury Town, Morecambe and Newport County, said his own experience in the game had shaped OPN’s player-first approach.

He said: “My own career taught me how quickly football can move on without you. One minute you are in a club environment with all the support around you, and the next you are on your own trying to prove your value again. That experience has never left me, and it is a big part of why OPN exists.

“The work we are doing with the Professional Footballers’ Association is about giving players proper evidence of who they are, what they can do and how they are developing. Talent should not disappear just because a contract ends or because someone has not seen the full picture.

“Football has always been full of opinions, but players deserve more than opinions. They deserve verified data, proper context and a record that travels with them throughout their career.

“OPN is a way of giving something back. I know how vulnerable players can feel when they are out of contract, injured, overlooked or trying to find the next opportunity. If we can help them walk into conversations with clubs with greater confidence, then that matters.

“Throughout my career, I’ve seen how talented players can miss out on opportunities simply because clubs don’t have the full picture. By combining the PFA Transfer List with a player’s Digital Athlete Passport, we’re helping clubs find the right talent faster, while giving players greater visibility and control over their own careers during what can often be an uncertain time.”

More than 200 professional footballers are expected to attend the PFA pre-season programme each year, with a schedule of friendly fixtures arranged for attendees against opposition including development teams at Fulham, West Bromwich Albion and Queens Park Rangers.

The PFA pre-season programme has helped hundreds of free agents land new deals since its launch in the 2022/23 season. Former Sunderland and AC Milan forward Fabio Borini signed for Salford City after attending the 2025 camp.

Borini said: “What the PFA has done with this initiative is very helpful. It gives players the opportunity to stay fit the best way possible, with the facilities they provided.

“It is also a great opportunity to be seen, which is why Alex [Salford Assistant Manager] and other clubs texted me to say they were interested. I suppose it was the same for other players. If you train at home in your own back garden, no one is going to see you.”

OPN currently works with more than 50 professional clubs across the UK, building Digital Athlete Passports that give players, coaches and clubs a shared picture of development over time.

The company is also extending its technology to younger players through OPN Academy, designed for 12–16 year olds who are already growing up in a data-driven world.

Wildig added: “The Academy is the next step. We want young players to understand their development earlier, stay connected to their clubs, and use technology in a positive way – not as pressure, but as support.”