OPN expands PFA partnership to give out-of-contract players greater visibility
OPN has expanded its partnership with the PFA to give out-of-contract players a verified data profile that can be shared with clubs during the summer window.
OPN, the digital sports infrastructure company co-founded by former professional footballer Aaron Wildig, has expanded its partnership with the Professional Footballers’ Association to support out-of-contract players with verified performance data and greater visibility to clubs.The agreement makes OPN the official Digital Athlete Passport partner of the PFA pre-season programme, which offers free agents a structured training environment and a route back into the professional game.OPN will provide players attending the expanded 2026 camps with access to performance records, GPS data, physical testing, wellness monitoring and analytics during the programme.Wildig 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.”The PFA pre-season camp runs across 12 weeks from June 29 to September 16, 2026, with daily on-pitch sessions, strength and conditioning, friendly fixtures and physical and mental wellbeing support.Dedicated camps for out-of-contract WSL and WSL2 players will be introduced for the first time, extending the programme’s reach across the women’s professional game.OPN’s platform is designed to give clubs, scouts and recruitment staff a more complete view of available players by combining current physical outputs with a structured record of readiness and development.The 2026 programme will include an Opta integration, enabling clubs to view physical testing, GPS and wellness information alongside match analytics and performance statistics.More than 200 professional footballers are expected to attend the PFA pre-season programme each year, with friendly fixtures arranged against opposition including development teams at Fulham, West Bromwich Albion and Queens Park Rangers.The PFA programme has helped hundreds of free agents land new deals since launching in the 2022-23 season, with former Sunderland and AC Milan forward Fabio Borini signing 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.”OPN said it works with more than 50 professional clubs across the UK and is also extending its approach through OPN Academy, aimed at 12 to 16-year-olds who are entering a data-led development environment.