The future of football   Following their sensational 4-1 win at Old Trafford in March, the English media heaped praise on Liverpool and Rafa Benitez. The Spaniard has long been considered a ‘student of football' and The Sun were quick to interview his former assistant coach Pacos Herrera on the secrets behind the throne at Anfield   Herrera revealed that Benitez “has a database with information on more than 10 000 players... where every day all the scouts are putting information on all the players they are watching – I would say it would be closer to 14 000 players.”   This revelation was treated with great reverence by the English press and Herrera went on to claim that there is also a video room at Liverpool 's Melwood training ground which has DVDs of games from the top 12 leagues in the world.

Whilst Benitez has undoubtedly built up an impressive scouting network at the Merseyside giants, this is only a sign of the future of football. With players from every corner of the globe playing in the Premier League it is little wonder that clubs with ambition will have scouts watching potential transfer targets in every major league in the world.

Which is why so many of Europe 's top clubs are utilising IMScouting – the groundbreaking database – endorsed by the ‘super-agent' Pini Zahavi.

Putting Benitez's database to shame, IMScouting has detailed analysis on over 40 000 professional footballers worldwide and covers all the major leagues in Europe, South America and Asia . IMScouting.com is also the first system of its kind to deliver comprehensive player updates from leagues in African countries such as Ghana , Egypt and South Africa .

Some of Europe 's most forward-looking clubs have been taking advantage of the IMScouting database – which has been in existence since September 2008 – as well as the scouting opportunities afforded to subscribers of the system.

Among the major clubs which use IMScouting are: Borussia Dortmund, Panathinaikos, Olympiakos, Lille , Le Mans , Anderlecht , Club Brugge, CFR Cluj and Maccabi Haifa.

Dvir Ben-Aroya, the CEO of IMScouting, is delighted with the initial success of the scouting service: “We are happy so many clubs are using our groundbreaking system and we look forward to establishing ourselves as the leading data and consulting company in world football.”

It is not only the clubs that are utilising the scouting services available through IMScouting: some of the biggest agencies in the world of football, including SEM Agents, StarFactory Football Management and The Stellar Group, are also benefitting from ‘e-Scouting' online.

IMScouting is a database and a service that can be used by both clubs and agents to work together to further their own aims. The database brings together the two most important power brokers in professional football who can communicate in a secure online forum.

First and foremost, IMScouting can be used as a scouting tool which will aid almost any club in world football. All players on the system have updated player performance monitors as well as dossiers including video highlights, injury records, estimated salary and market value.

The IMScouting system has a powerful and easy to use search engine which means a club can search for the kind of player they are looking for. Crucially, the database provides reliable and in-depth information on players who are not that well-known, from the less famous leagues.

Every season in the Premier League, new players are signed on the cheap who have an immediate effect from leagues that are not as well known around the world. For example, Marouane Fellaini has been a revelation at Everton in 2008/2009 but many clubs were unaware of such a potential star player; IMScouting can highlight the player your club needs.

Pini Zahavi, probably the most famous agent in world football, recently said of the IMScouting system: “Now all a football professional needs is a laptop and a username and password to IMScouting to scout and find players from all over the world.”

While IMScouting is proud of its database, as an emerging company in the football professional world, they also provide services which enhance a club's scouting system. After working closely with some major teams around the world they realised that they can ensure in-depth analysis tailored to the individual needs of each club.

Through IMScouting's VIP packages, clubs can receive multiple subscriptions whereby they can share information between their own scouts who will all have access to the reports they add to the system.

In addition, IMScouting can provide scouting reports for any player in the world – clubs such as Panathanaikos and Omonia Nicosia have praised this service. The reports will include not only the basic data on the player but also valuable information on character, injury history and the opinion of a local football expert on the individual player.

And, while Liverpool have a video system tracking the top 12 leagues in the world, IMScouting can guarantee a DVD of any match in the world, on request – a service provided for all VIP subscribers. IMScouting aims to expand its services for clubs to provide a personal service that covers all of a club's needs.

Prior to launch there were a select few clubs using the system, Pini Zahavi was widely quoted in September 2008 saying that “the website played an important role in at least four major transfers on deadline day earlier this month.”

The same trend continued during the January 2009 transfer window, with numerous football professionals identifying and scouting for players online. We can expect the IMScouting database to be a key tool for football professionals in the summer 2009 transfer window, which more than ever will demand that clubs spend their money frugally and on the right players.

• For more information on IMScouting see: www.imscouting.com

• For a free demonstration of the IMScouting system, please contact: info@imscouting.com

• IMScouting's CEO Dvir Ben-Aroya will be attending the upcoming Soccerex conference