José Luis Hernández Henao is a graduate of the University Master’s Degree in Sports Management Barcelona. After gaining professional experience in the sector, he launched Football Combine Segovia 2026, a sports and social project aimed at identifying, assessing and supporting young football talent from the region.
Throughout his career, José Luis has combined his background in social communication and journalism with different experiences in the sports industry, from setting up a football academy to completing an internship at a player representation startup and volunteering at events such as Ironman. His training in sports management in Europe allowed him to broaden this experience and understand sport also as an industry and a space for creating new opportunities.
Today, this journey is reflected in Football Combine Segovia 2026, a project that aims to identify and support young talent from regions with limited access to opportunities, connecting them with European football clubs and professionals.
In this interview, José Luis explains how the initiative came about, the sporting and social impact it aims to create, and the importance of building bridges between the Americas and Europe to develop sporting talent.
José Luis, as a Johan Cruyff Institute graduate, what knowledge and skills you gained at the institution do you apply directly to your work today as a sports manager?
I think there are two fundamental things I took away from Johan Cruyff Institute. The first, obviously, is the technical side of sports event management. That was one of the subjects I enjoyed most during the University Master’s Degree in Sports Management Barcelona, and it gave me the tools to understand how a sporting event is managed on a global scale and how to adapt it to a specific context, because obviously we do not have the same infrastructure in Colombia as we do in Europe, for example.
“It was also very important that the professor had put into practice many of the things he taught us. This gave us the tools to understand how to adapt theory to practice, which is fundamental when managing sporting events, especially when they take place in regions that are somewhat marginalised, such as certain areas of Colombia.”
On the other hand, there is the importance of networking and getting to know other people in the sports industry who can help you grow, support you and accompany you along the way. In fact, we are currently organising this event together with a company founded by another Johan Cruyff Institute alumnus.
What does the Football Combine Segovia project involve?
Football Combine Segovia 2026 is basically a platform for creating opportunities in the world of football.
The idea is to organise this event year after year in different regions of the Americas. We are starting in Colombia, specifically in Antioquia, in a municipality such as Segovia, with the aim of bringing a direct connection to real opportunities in sport to regions that have historically been marginalised, particularly when it comes to sport.
We see a lot of talent being lost every day because there are no platforms through which it can develop at a professional level. So, we identified this need and created a kind of sporting festival.
“Over three days, we will open applications for 200 athletes between the ages of 15 and 23, footballers who will be assessed using as a reference a sport that I personally love: American football and the NFL in the United States.”
Before the Draft, the NFL holds an event called the NFL Combine, where all the prospects coming out of college are assessed. But not only from a technical perspective; they are also evaluated physically and athletically: their speed, jumping ability, athletic capacity, knowledge of the sport and mental strength, in order to identify the most complete athletes when it comes to entering professional sport.
We see that as one of the major differences between the Americas and Europe. In the Americas, we have a lot of talent, but our physical development, particularly in countries such as Colombia, is not at the same level as the systems in Europe. So, what we are trying to do with this initiative is encourage athletes, coaches and football academies to place greater emphasis on this holistic approach to development.
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It is not enough to simply know how to play football. You also need to prepare mentally, eat properly and be physically prepared for competition. We want athletes to start developing in a more comprehensive way and understand that every year they will have an opportunity to be assessed.
In this case, the 10 highest-rated players will travel to Europe with all expenses paid, where they will take part in a series of tryouts with sporting directors from first-, second-, third- and fourth-division clubs in Spain, with the possibility of earning an opportunity to sign for a club in Spain.
So, it is about opening up opportunities and, in a way, democratising football for people who do not have the resources to travel directly to Europe or even to travel from these regions to the country’s major cities to try their luck at a football club.
What kind of impact do you expect the project to have, both from a sporting and a social perspective, in Segovia?
From a sporting perspective, I think there is a very significant impact, both for Colombia and for Europe. In Colombia, because a lot of football talent is being wasted due to a lack of financial resources and opportunities. In Colombia, we have only 36 professional clubs for a country with a population of more than 50 million people.
Through initiatives like this, these talents can find platforms that we currently do not have in the country and gain access to other markets where there are more opportunities, such as Europe. This means that the possibility of making a living from the sport they are most passionate about is no longer limited to Colombia or the Americas.
It also creates an opportunity for different clubs to identify talent in South America with virtually no investment. We are responsible for bringing the talent there and putting it in front of them.
“Clubs do not have to make major investments or necessarily have extensive scouting networks in South America. Instead, they will be able to assess these players and understand which ones could fit into their sporting projects.”
So, there is a sporting benefit for both sides.
From a social perspective, it is important to bear in mind that, for example, in this first edition in Segovia, the region has historically been severely affected by violence. These limitations often lead young people to leave in search of a future in areas that are somewhat outside the law.
What we want to achieve through this initiative is that, regardless of whether your family has significant financial resources or not, you can have other opportunities in life, such as sport. If you are passionate about it, it can become a professional opportunity in regions that have historically been marginalised by the state.
What is the synergy between the public and private sectors involved in this project?
That is very important, because it means the event can have both a sporting and a social impact. There has been a great deal of interest from both the private sector and the public sector in supporting young people in these municipalities. Both are interested in creating more opportunities.
Local authorities have been heavily involved, providing support with registrations and logistical matters. The same applies to educational institutions, foundations and CRIPE, which is helping us give the event greater visibility and also providing academic support.
“This is a region where many people are passionate about sport but are completely unaware of these kinds of platforms. Not only in-person platforms, but also many online programmes, not just for players but also for people who want to work in sports management, become football coaches or pursue further education.”
I believe that, because of its characteristics and its sporting and social components, this event has brought together the entire public, private and academic ecosystem so that they can work as a team to develop these opportunities.
In this regard, I would like to thank everyone who has been involved so far, especially the Segovia Municipal Government. I would also like to thank all the sponsors who have joined the initiative and invite all sports professionals to take a closer look at initiatives that have this kind of social impact, so that we can get involved and understand that sport can also have a social impact.
In addition to your professional training in the sports sector, you have been involved in a number of sports-related projects from different perspectives. How has your career evolved to the point of launching the Football Combine Segovia project?
Yes. I graduated with a degree in social communication and journalism, but I have always been drawn to sport.
When the pandemic hit in 2020, my brother, who has a background in sports, and I started looking at the needs and the talent we had in our region that lacked opportunities. So, we structured a football academy that had previously operated in a more informal way. We obtained official sporting recognition and worked towards establishing the academy as a properly registered football club.
“That was my first project and my first realisation that there was a lot of opportunity and a lot of talent, but very few opportunities within the sports industry.”
That is when the idea of training in sports management emerged. I found the best option for doing so, came to Europe, gained an understanding of sport as a business and an industry, and began to understand the dynamics of the sports sector.
I completed an internship at a company called Sport Society, a sports startup that also works in player representation. That is where I began to understand the dynamics of the business.
I also volunteered at different editions of Ironman through Johan Cruyff Institute, where I gained an understanding of the context and dynamics involved in organising sporting events.
Based on this theoretical and practical knowledge, combined with my earlier desire to create opportunities for the region I come from and for the players and athletes whose talent is constantly being lost, the idea for Football Combine Segovia was born. The project is a way of building a bridge between the Americas and Europe for sporting talent.
Based on your professional experience, what advice would you give young students who are looking to start working and get their first opportunity in the sports sector?
There is something very important: do not wait for someone else to give you an opportunity. You have to show up, prepare yourself well, get a good education and make the most of as many opportunities as possible, whether they are jobs, internships, volunteering opportunities or anything else, so that you can develop the tools you need.
If it is not through a company, you can do it yourself, because the sports industry is becoming increasingly competitive. There are more professionals and fewer positions available in established companies.
“You have to understand that, many times, you have to take that step yourself, overcome that fear, enter the industry, do things on your own and recognise that, through platforms or institutions such as Johan Cruyff Institute, you have access to an impressive network and a large number of professionals who can contribute to and support you, and with whom you can develop and drive your projects forward.”
So, I think the biggest piece of advice is this: do not limit yourself to looking for a job at another company. Make the most of all your knowledge and experience and take the leap to pursue your dreams independently as well.
