The Soccer Analytics Revolution:
Enhancing Performance
On and Off the Field
Table of
Contents
4 Soccer Data Types and Analytical Approaches
5 The Future of Soccer Analytics
6 Analytics Off the Field
8 Soccer Analytics and Maturity: Lessons for
Business
9 Final Thoughts
2 THE SOCCER ANALYTICS REVOLUTION: ENHANCING PERFORMANCE ON AND OFF THE FIELD
Soccer is the most popular sport on earth, Though soccer is not at the Moneyball level
with an average of 30 billion viewers of analytics use, the sport is quickly being
in more than 200 countries every year. revolutionized through the application of
The 2023 Women’s World Cup saw 172 data and analytics. Most teams use data in
countries trying to qualify for this biggest some way to improve team performance,
stage, with an expected 1.12 billion viewers recruitment, or analyzing data.
ready to tune in and watch worldwide.
While soccer is still advancing in analytics
Despite its success and the fact that it maturity, teams are already seeing the
has existed for centuries, soccer as a ways that analytics and data can improve
sport is in the beginning stages of its competitiveness. Introducing and
analytics journey. Unlike baseball, which adopting new technologies will likely be
has driven the sports analytics revolution the difference maker in taking soccer from
by popularizing sabermetrics – famously the regional leagues to the World Cup on
chronicled in the book and film Moneyball the sports analytics world stage.
– soccer analytics teams are still in the early
maturity stages, building their approaches
and use cases. Richard Battle, Founding
Director of Left Field Football Consulting,
describes it as “... a journey that not many
people in football have been on before.
There's no template for what good looks
1.12 Billion
like. There's no template for the right way expected viewers for
to do things. Clubs are really discovering the 2023 Women's
as they go – as, of course, are many World Cup
companies in other industries as they go
through their own processes of digital
transformation.”i
3 THE SOCCER ANALYTICS REVOLUTION: ENHANCING PERFORMANCE ON AND OFF THE FIELD
Soccer data types and analytical
approaches
Though analytics use is not fully mature
across soccer, the sport does have a long
Whether it’s GPS, heart rate
history of incorporating statistics and
tracking...being able to integrate
data. In the 1950s, Hungarian coach Bela
that [data] in our physical program
Guttmann used video footage to collect data
to bring on the pitch, has been a
and study opponents' tactics and strategies.
total game changer.”
Clubs now have entire teams dedicated to
—Megan Rapinoe
analytics, and the field has grown rapidly in
recent years.
The collection of data has been one of the biggest hurdles for clubs to overcome when
increasing maturity. Club resources largely dictate what types of data they have access
to and how in-depth their insights might be.
There are three main data sources that clubs use to improve performance.
Event Data Tracking Data Player Recruitment and
Event data focuses on describing Tracking data plots the position Contract Data
what happens to the ball in a of every player on the pitch. This Many soccer clubs track data
game. How many times is the data can get incredibly granular, related to player contracts and
ball passed before possession as it records player position at a compare this to event data.
is lost? How far does the ball rate of 25-50 times per second. This allows teams to scout and
travel? How many people touch This allows clubs to analyze recruit based on predictive
the ball? This type of data is the positions of players who models made from event data
largely used in descriptive use aren’t interacting with the ball compared to contract value.
cases, focused on explaining why in addition to any movements Both top teams and those
something happened or what that the ball makes. Tracking with more limited budgets
caused something to occur. data is not widely available, with are leaning heavily into data
Event data is available to most only the top divisions commonly analytics to analyze player
clubs, and several third-party collecting it. This will likely performance, fit and potential
companies sell these data sets, change as new technologies like while identifying who may
which they create from stadium optical tracking come to market. be undervalued in the highly
video feeds. competitive transfer market.ii
4 THE SOCCER ANALYTICS REVOLUTION: ENHANCING PERFORMANCE ON AND OFF THE FIELD
The Future of Soccer Analytics
...thinking about starting out in the analytics journey being all about, "Okay.
What did the data show us? What happened in this game?" Going from that
to, "What's going to happen in the next game? What's going to happen next
season?" Shifting that conversation, I just feel like, is a huge leap forward.”
—Richard Battle
Left Field Football Consulting
The types of data collected and the Machine learning models are also beginning
availability of that data is one of the largest to drive some changes. For instance, the
factors in soccer's analytics maturity. While German Bundesliga started using AI and
most soccer clubs are using descriptive machine learning to deliver a richer fan
analytics, only the most advanced have experience by generating and sharing in-
moved to making predictions from their depth, real-time strategic insights during
data. matches.v
This is expected to change rapidly as new
technologies become available to more
clubs. I think that we’ll get to a point
where we don't need 15 people
For example, Liverpool FC uses GPS trackers watching all of these games and
to help maximize player performance breaking everything down and
while reducing injury risk. By consistently coding everything individually. So
monitoring player stats like total distance, much of it is automated now. You
high-intensity distance, sprint distance, can go in and see the attacking
and top speeds, coaches can tailor training touches, defensive touches, tackles,
exercises to be demanding without crossing passes forward, passes back.
certain thresholds that may invite injury.iii You can see the game and all its
Another new technology – computer vision
different phases and then you can
image recognition – hopes to democratize
start to put that together.”
sports analytics, helping teams capture —Megan Rapinoe
their own data and generate rich reports
and videos using nothing more than a basic
camera and connection to the cloud.iv
5 THE SOCCER ANALYTICS REVOLUTION: ENHANCING PERFORMANCE ON AND OFF THE FIELD
Analytics Off the Field
While the on-field use of analytics to better prepare for upcoming matches.
inevitably grabs the headlines, we are also And they add much-needed nuance when
seeing a number of applications off the delving into fashionable but sometimes
field, where clubs are leaning into data misleading stats like “expected goals” that
to assess talent and drive deeper video measure the quality of chances.vii
analysis.
While no one would suggest data should
replace the in-person scouting function
at clubs – the eyeball test still means a lot
I feel like maybe the best
when vetting potential new players – data
thing about all the data is that
is playing a larger role in supplementing
we're not training as hard as
valuable scouting information. Teams can
much all the time and then
build their own analytical models based
trying to play the games.
on needs and use data to accelerate the
We're understanding that the
process of finding players who best fit those
game is really sort of like the
needs. Also, because data-driven scouting
pinnacle. So we can look at
can be done from anywhere, it vastly
not just high speed but sprint
increases the number of players a club can
distance. We can look at accels,
look at.vi
decels, and total distance. We
Major League Soccer (MLS) clubs in the can look at that over a period
United States are using data to get more of time, preseason, middle of
out of video analysis. Data scientists work season or at the end of season.
closely with coaches to analyze a team’s And then you can start to build
own players, highlight teaching moments this holistic picture for each
and suggest areas of improvement. They individual athlete, which I think
also use data to analyze their opponent’s is really important.”
style of play, areas of possession build, set —Megan Rapinoe
piece tendencies, and substitution patterns
6 THE SOCCER ANALYTICS REVOLUTION: ENHANCING PERFORMANCE ON AND OFF THE FIELD
Soccer Analytics Use Case How Alteryx Can Help
Alteryx's machine learning algorithms can be
used to analyze player and team data such as
Use data to stats, health data, playing habits, and more to
identify areas for identify areas for improvement. For instance,
Improve
improvement and regression analysis can be used to understand
Performance
develop game the relationships between different factors
plans. affecting performance. It can also identify key
performance indicators (KPIs) and use these
insights to develop game plans.
Alteryx Machine Learning can analyze fan
Analyze fan behavior and preferences using classification
behavior and algorithms. Group fans based on shared
Improve
preferences, characteristics or behaviors, making it easier
Customer
offer targeted to offer targeted promotions and incentives.
Experience
promotions and By predicting what a specific group of fans
incentives. might prefer, overall customer experience and
engagement can be improved.
Risk monitoring involves identifying and
understanding potential pitfalls or issues that
Identify risk could negatively impact your organization.
factors and Alteryx can help by using machine learning
Monitor Risk recommend models to predict potential future risks based
mitigating on historical data. It can analyze a wide range of
strategies. data points, from financial data to player injury
records, to identify risk factors and recommend
mitigating strategies.
Build
Alteryx's predictive analytics capabilities can
personalized
be useful in identifying trends and patterns in
marketing and
ticket and merchandise sales. This information
advertising
can help in creating personalized marketing
Build Brand campaigns,
and advertising campaigns targeted at the right
Recognition analyze ticket
audience. In addition, Alteryx's text analytics
and merchandise
can be used to analyze customer feedback and
sales, and identify
reviews to understand brand perception and
opportunities for
identify opportunities for growth.
growth.
Alteryx Machine Learning can assist in tracking
and assessing player performance data. By
creating a predictive model based on the
Track and
Recruit Top characteristics of successful players, it can help
assess player
Talent identify promising talent. Additionally, it can
performance.
be used to analyze data from scouting reports,
college stats, and other relevant player data to
make data-driven recruitment decisions.
7 THE SOCCER ANALYTICS REVOLUTION: ENHANCING PERFORMANCE ON AND OFF THE FIELD
Soccer Analytics and Maturity:
Lessons for Business
Soccer may have gotten a slower start on the analytics front than its counterparts
in baseball, but recent years have seen a true acceleration in the way clubs are
leveraging data to get better. Businesses of all stripes are wise to pay attention to the
experiences these clubs have had and learn from the ways they have turned data into
insights to improve performance. Whether you’re a soccer club trying to win a title or a
manufacturer trying to find efficiencies that impact your bottom line, data analytics can
help you make better decisions, be more agile and serve your customers more effectively.
8 THE SOCCER ANALYTICS REVOLUTION: ENHANCING PERFORMANCE ON AND OFF THE FIELD
Final Thoughts
If you're interested in exploring sports
analytics, Alteryx can help. Alteryx
is used by more than 30 sports
organizations worldwide – from the NFL
to the NHL – as their go-to analytics
solution to improve performance.
Alteryx makes it easy to make sense
of complex data sets and uncover
valuable insights that can improve player
performance, fan engagement, and
commercial partnerships. Try Alteryx
today to unlock the power of data and
take your sports analytics to the next level.
Next Steps
Discover how McLaren Racing fast-
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competitive edge and accelerate
performance on the racetrack!
Read Customer Story
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predict game outcomes, analyze player
stats and more with the Fanalytics
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9 THE SOCCER ANALYTICS REVOLUTION: ENHANCING PERFORMANCE ON AND OFF THE FIELD
About Alteryx
Alteryx (NYSE: AYX) powers analytics for all with the award-winning Alteryx
Analytics Cloud Platform. With Alteryx, enterprises can make intelligent
decisions across their organizations with automated, AI-driven insights.
More than 8,300 customers globally rely on Alteryx to democratize
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learn more, visit www.alteryx.com.
End notes
i Dibble, M. (Host). (2023, April 19). Scoring big with analytics in football (No. 132) [Audio podcast episode]. In Alter Everything,
Alteryx. https://community.alteryx.com/t5/Alter-Everything/132-Scoring-big-with-analytics-in-football/ba-p/1115422
ii Ntsoane, T. (2023, March 8) 6 Football Clubs Who are Making Great Use of Data Analytics. Sportskeeda.
https://www.sportskeeda.com/football/6-football-clubs-making-great-use-of-data-analytics
iii Carroll, C. (2022, July 3) How a Premier League Side Uses GPS Tracking to Improve Performance and Minimise Injury. StatSports.
https://pro.statsports.com/how-a-premier-league-side-uses-gps-tracking-to-improve-performance-and-minimise-injury/
iv Merritt, R. (2022, May 17) AI on the Ball: Startup Shoots Computer Vision to the Soccer Pitch. Nvidia Blog.
https://blogs.nvidia.com/blog/2022/05/17/ai-soccer-track160/
v Amazon Web Services Brandvoice. Forbes. (2021, December 20) Reinventing Game Day: How the Bundesliga Uses Machine
Learning to Deliver Real-Time, Data-Driven Soccer Insights
https://www.forbes.com/sites/amazonwebservices/2021/12/20/reinventing-game-day-how-the-bundesliga-uses-machine-
learning-to-deliver-real-time-data-driven-soccer-insights/?sh=327078123bb0
vi Analyisport. (2021, November 24) How Football Clubs Use Data to Sign Players.
https://analyisport.com/insights/how-football-clubs-use-data-to-sign-players/
vii Bogert, T. MLS Soccer. (2020, April 16) How soccer analytics impacts MLS clubs: 3 real-life examples.
https://www.mlssoccer.com/news/soccer-analytics-three-real-life-examples-that-show-how-analysts-impact-clubs
