The Russian Football Union together with the Skolkovo Institute of Science and Technology took part in the UEFA Research Grants Program. It is intended for scientists working in partnership with national associations to conduct research that helps make strategic decisions in European football. As part of the application, the RFU presented a study "Development of a comprehensive feedback system on the development of mass football in the regions of the Russian Federation: an online RFU panel and an analytical platform using machine learning technologies", which is being implemented by Andrey Somov, professor of the Skoltech Center for Information Science and Technology. This project entered the top 6. The development of mass football is among the priorities of the RFU. One of the key functions within this area is to identify and work with people who are interested in football, but do not play it, and people who play football, but do not participate in competitions. The result of this work is the gradual growth of registered amateur players. The essence of the project presented by UEFA is to form an online panel of Russian residents interested in football (women's, youth and adult amateur football) branded by the RFU to conduct regular surveys of representatives of various audience segments on topics related to football. The innovation of the project lies in the process of processing the data obtained using artificial intelligence technology – machine learning and predictive analysis. We should add that the UEFA Research Grants program was created to support significant research on European football. After completion, they are transferred to 55 UEFA member associations and used for growth and development purposes.
