Breaking into football analysis requires persistence and willingness to start in entry-level positions to gain valuable experience.
To land a role as a football analyst, you need a combination of qualifications and experience. This guide aims to help you understand the basics to get started and break into working with professional football clubs in this exciting and interesting field.
What Does a Football analyst do?
A Football analyst studies a team or individual athlete’s performance by tracking statistical and visual information. They work closely with coaches and players, providing information and insights on performance. These insights are used to optimise game performance and training. It can be challenging for athletes and coaches to recall precisely how events unfold in competitions. A sports analyst provides objective feedback based on data and observation.
They do this using the four principles of performance analysis-
Capture– recording training, events and matches
Code– breaking down performance to set pieces, for example, a tackle or long pass.
Analyse– discover insights from the performance data
Feedback– data-backed observations of performance
In this role, football analysts work closely with the coaches and players. They need to have the analytical skills and understanding of the sport to provide valuable insights, as well as the people and communication skills to work collaboratively within the team.
Research Football Industry Adverts
A good place to start is to review current analyst jobs advertised. These roles will give you an idea of the skills, experience, and qualifications professional clubs are looking for. When writing the article, we reviewed a number of open positions at UK football clubs, and the following breakdown is based on what clubs are actively recruiting for.
Types of Football Analyst Roles
Below are a selection of football analysis job titles advertised in the UK. Analysts work within professional football clubs’ coaching and talent development teams. There is a lot of crossover with coaching, and clubs often look for experience in both analysis and coaching for more senior roles.
- Player Performance Analysis
- Community Coach
- Football Development Officer
- Academy Lead Coach
- Academy Performance Analyst Intern
- MSc Applied Sports Performance Analysis Placement
- Soccer Data Scout
Formal Qualifications and Skills Development
For all of the positions at professional football clubs we reviewed, they asked for an undergraduate degree in sports analytics or a postgraduate degree in a related area. A number of roles also stated that coaching qualifications were desirable.
If you are at the start of your higher education journey, taking an undergraduate degree in sports analysis is a great way to enter the industry.
If you already have an undergraduate degree in another subject or want to gain a further skills of the subject, a Master’s degree is a pathway recognised by professional football clubs. A recent trend is for clubs to look for current students taking MSc courses. This is a fantastic opportunity to help secure your first position working in the football industry.
Suitable Undergraduate or postgraduate degree subjects
- Sports Performance Analysis,
- Football Coaching
- Sports Science
- Sports Coaching Science
- Performance Analysis in Football
- Football Coaching & Analysis
Networking and Professional Development
Getting experience with or without a formal sports analysis qualification is a great way to boost your CV and strengthen your application when applying for positions. Getting involved in grassroots football clubs and taking coaching certificates shows a passion and dedication to the sport and your personal development.
Being involved in grassroots football also helps you build relationships with like-minded individuals and opens networking possibilities that can help you navigate landing your dream job.
Summary and Next Steps
The roles football clubs are recruiting for shows are looking for relevant undergraduate or postgraduate qualifications in sports analysis or related subjects. In addition, some of the roles consider coaching experience and certificates, as well as a university degree, desirable.
Football analytics is a specialist skill that requires a formal qualification to get your break in the industry. In addition, gaining coaching experience and qualifications can help strengthen your CV.
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