Ryan Stepfner (29), Benoit Lievin (30) and Tim van Harten (23) started at the same time, each in different positions. These appointments fit within the ambitions and objectives of Forward Football, which stem from its mission statement ‘we improve football’.
Beer Flik (CEO) explains: “We set the bar high with our mission. To improve football we will always have to focus on football in all its facets. To develop unique and groundbreaking insights and benchmarks from there, you need creative and intelligent people with truly relevant experience in software and data technology and applications in machine learning, AI, gaming, etc. This is exactly where Benoit and Ryan’s expertise lies. . They will help us provide football clubs with high-end data analysis applications and presentation, which will help them gain even better insight into the level, development and potential of their talents,” says Flik
“It is no less important to make these outcomes and applications understandable, relevant and indispensable for professionals: (performance) coaches, heads of youth training and technical directors. This requires football know-how, persuasiveness, a high level of service and building real partnerships. Tim will strengthen that part of our organization,” explains Beer Flik.
Benoit Lievin (30) is a full stack (Python) software developer with a special interest in AI and gaming. Benoit is of French (Lille) descent and obtained his Msc Computer Science there in 2017. He worked for Numeca/Cadence and Decathlon as a software engineer before moving to Taiwan in 2019 to work for XADA in Taipei. At the end of 2020, he switched to Synopsys in Hsinchu. In the summer of 2023, Benoit was scouted by Forward Football and had since been promoted to Senior Software Engineer. Benoit is an avid supporter of Lille FC.
Ryan Stepfner (29) is a data scientist with a special interest in and knowledge of machine learning and deep learning. In 2021, Ryan obtained his BSc Computer Science in Sydney. From 2014 he worked for the Royal Australian Navy. and the Department of Defense, which he started combining with his studies in 2018. He soon hopes to obtain his Msc Computer Science (Computational Intelligence) from the University of Newcastle in Australia. In Australia, Ryan was an avid rugby player. He is now orientating himself on who will be his favorite football club in the Netherlands. Ryan has been living in Amsterdam since October.
Tim van Harten (23) obtained his Msc Human Movement Science at VU Amsterdam in September this year. Tim did an internship at InMotio where he came into contact with performance data, technology and analysis software. He really wanted to remain active in football and combine this with his fascination for data and performance and that is how Forward Football came his way. Tim will mainly focus on utilizing our commercial potential by further professionalizing and perfecting the process of matching supply and demand between clubs and Forward Football. Tim plays in the 2nd team of TAVV in Ter Aar.
