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Stats addict? 7 pages you need to know in football analytics
Don’t leave your tracking sheets without them
We previously wrote about important influencers to follow in the world of football analytics, but equally important are the outlets they work at or that exist independently of them, and the groups they talk in. We have collected a list of mostly free-to-access outlets to help you collect and analyze your own data.
Who’s who in analytics
This youtube channel is hosted by two data scientists we mentioned in the previous article, Dr. David Sumpter and Dr. Catherine Pfaff, and it provides educational videos about data tracking. They’re not alone at it, however, and their videos include many other names that will get repeated in this list, and for a good reason; the expertise on display is unmatched, and this channel is a must-view for anyone looking to understand football analysis’ technical aspects and innovations.
Part of a larger and well-known website titled Sports Reference, which includes other sports, Football Reference is an immense stride ahead in the democratization of football data. Their website is not for the easily dismayed, as seeing an immense trove of statistical information is daunting, but the same trove is why it is so valuable. The website has a huge amount of data on teams, players, matches, and leagues, from intuitive metrics like wins and losses to the more complex ones like expected goal assists.
Friends of tracking - a fantastic source for educational videos
Read about analytics
A handy resource for anyone involved in football, Keep It On The Deck is not specifically designated for analysts. It is designed for any involvement in the game, with downloadable guides aiming to teach how to play a smarter and better game. Its blogs are also fascinating, with a focus on coaching techniques. It has two Twitter pages, Keep It On The Deck and Obsess Footy
This website, on the other hand, is entirely dedicated to analysis. Total Football Analysis features deep dive into a variety of fields in football analysis, trying to use data to determine the best forwards in top African leagues or why a single player can help a team. They have an app, a magazine, and a vast trove of information.
With a focus on the behind-the-scenes of football, Training Ground Guru looks into coaching, analysis, and many other facets of building a great team. Their focus is on spotlighting the parts of football that don’t get as much mainstream attention, and as a direct result, they have excellent materials on football analytics. Their editor has written a piece about our partnership with Hoffenheim that can be found here.
Training Ground Guru's football analytics page
The social side of analytics
This Facebook group is the largest group dedicated to football analytics. Its members include some top analysts, and the activity in the group means that every analysis uploaded will itself get analyzed and improved upon.
This Facebook group is very active and dedicated to video analysis of football games. As a private group, you need to be manually approved, but the content is well worth the approval wait. People post and reply to videos of training exercises and analysis of the top teams in the game. While videos are the focus, they’re not everything in the group. There are also great articles and posts shared there.
A video that was uploaded to Football Tactics Analysis Facebook group
This list is not and can not be exhaustive. Please reply in the comments if you have websites or groups that we missed!
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