It is no surprise that big data is changing the way we act, think and work. But a particularly important revolution is happening within the sports industry, and especially in football. Thanks to the numerous possibilities offered by data analysis, football teams have revolutionized the way they hire athletes, monitor players and develop their tactics.

Nowadays, football clubs are hiring more statisticians than talent scouts. At every game, athletes are monitored by numerous electronic devices which control their heartbeats, distances covered, passes but also their speed and positioning on the pitch, among other things. On average, about 4 million data are collected during the 90 minutes of a game. Although this technology is not exactly new, it is becoming increasingly precise, diverse and detailed. This wealth of data has made the difference on and off the field for clubs. 

The small Danish club, Midtjylland FC, had only one title in its history, a second division championship title before it was purchased by an English businessman, Mathew Benham. Midtjylland became the first football team to use data in Europe. Passionate about data and football, Benham is the founder of two sports betting companies, Matchbook and Smartodds. By taking over the Danish club, Benham quickly incorporated the use of data into the club’s philosophy. As an example, players unknown to the public, and playing in lower divisions, were signed thanks to data. The following season, the club went on and won the national championship, qualified for the preliminary round of the Champions League and then beat the giant Manchester United in the first leg of the Europa League last-32.

Another successful example is being applied by Liverpool. The Fenway Sports Group, owner of the club, has a profile focused on data collection. Its founder, John Henry, is known for having already invested in baseball. He offered Billy Beane, the man behind the Moneyball story, a $12.5 million deal to become general manager of the Boston Red Sox in 2002. Today, one of the data analyses used by Liverpool is “field control”. By tracking the field and perceiving the areas which are usually dominated by their opponents, the club can visualize the probability of a goal being scored in each action. The information can be complex, but once well used, it gives Liverpool a great advantage over their opponents.

Although we have some success stories, there are some details that numbers do not tell us. The English club, Fulham FC, started to use their analytics system known as RITA (Roster Improvement Through Analysis) in order to make their signings more scientific.That’s how Aboubakar Kamara joined the team. Even though he had excellent numbers, there is one thing that data couldn’t analyse: the character of the player. After a dispute at the training site, Kamara was arrested on suspicion of actual bodily harm and causing criminal damage. 

With the increasing use of data in football matches, some people tend to look more at statistics than the match itself. Data only gives a certain kind of information, but there are a lot of intangibles which shouldn’t be overlooked such as the player’s character and work ethic. We cannot deny that the use of data has become an important asset. Yet, there is more which needs to be taken into consideration when a club wants to sign a new player. A combination of useful data, technical skills and mental attributes are the recipe for success.

In the twenty-first century, elements of local and international influence of a government are changing due to the advancement and spread of technology; a country’s competitiveness will depend on science, technology, and human-beings rather than on the possession of natural resources.

Technology has:

• Allowed the spread of values, agendas, and injustices that may have gone unnoticed.
• Prevented conflict at times and fueled confrontation at other times.
• Emphasized individualism and promised better life standards.
• Empowered global companies to innovate and attract talented youth.
• Created industries requiring a new skillset.

Governments are now under the pressure to deliver in a ‘smarter’ and more demanding world. Sports has a major role to play due to its many benefits:

Sports promotes tolerance among people of same and different societies.

Governments are investing heavily in arms and cyber security systems. They are also keen to break the vicious cycle of intolerance leading to conflict. Friendly sports matches reduce ethnic, gender, and cultural stereotypes and foster values of peace and co-existence.

Sports increases national pride during periods of wars or economic difficulty.

Governments are concerned about the possibility of violence due to poverty and distress. Sports invokes loyalty to one’s country as it creates fans for athletes, teams, and nations. For sanctioned or war-torn countries, sports also helps restore broken national identity and pride.

Sports improves workforce productivity and reduces national health bills.

The global competitiveness of a country depends on its population’s health. Sports participation improves health and reduces stress levels. Public health expenditures can then be channeled to improve the country’s general health sector.

Sports teaches the essential skills of tomorrow.

Professions of the future require soft skills that athletes acquire on the field. An athlete knows the values of teamwork, communication, and common goals as teams share challenges and victories. Moreover, sports increases perseverance, creativity, and leadership.

Sports creates hope and confidence especially among youth.

Today, it is difficult to be a young person. One has to be more educated and more competitive. A good sports match creates successful role models through athletes. An athlete is a symbol of hope because he has the courage to dream and change the status quo.

Sports boosts the status of countries on the international scene.

Sports can be an efficient international policy tool due to its attractive nature. Emerging superpowers still lag in soft-powers essential to influence and push their agendas. On the other hand, post-conflict countries can rely on sports to promote their image and attract economic aid and foreign investment especially after a period of extreme violence.

Major media and entertainment conglomerates have quickly spotted the opportunity in sports and increasingly own sports clubs. This ‘privatized’ sports policy will expand due to the global reach and power of these conglomerates.

As governments are re-thinking their policies focusing on science, technology, and innovation, sports can play a complementary and important role in achieving government agendas during this transitionary and somewhat chaotic period.

Sports can influence people in a positive way in times of uncertainty

In the world amid the pandemic, people are more than ever in need of leaders and hope. Thus, athletes and clubs can play a very important role by encouraging and inspiring their communities. We have seen countless examples of athletes using their impact on social networks to influence people, especially kids and teenagers, in a positive manner. Club as well can show social commitments by helping those affected by the pandemic. This is happening through donations of medical resources and healthcare supplies to local hospitals and facilities.

Besides leadership, there is another crucial role of sports during this global crisis. At a time when we must practice social distance, continuing to exercise has proved itself to be fundamental to our mental health, as sports can boost our mood while reducing anxiety and stress.

Sports role and meaning keep changing during these times, but there is one thing that is certain: sports are more than entertainment, they are a way to help, inspire, and educate people.

Football is the world’s most popular sport. Its power lies in its ability to promote national unity, identity, and pride. It is also often extremely efficient in conveying a country’s values internationally through football teams and athletes. 

Football clubs recognize the importance of their home country as integral to their success and potential international presence. Clubs are continuously working to attract and raise the best athletes, upgrade their facilities and increase their attractiveness.

Raising a homegrown player contributes to national pride as a population can identify with this specific athlete. Yet, raising homegrown players may be challenging for many reasons, some of which are: 

• Significance of successfully producing players through clubs’ own academies
• Absence of expertise and competencies to train and groom a player
• Relatively high cost and effort 

Selective alliances between football clubs are a solution to transfer competencies and efficiently raise homegrown players without giving up their national identity. National identity is not only valuable for local population but for foreign fans too.

A club seeking to raise homegrown players may benefit from:

• Getting the know-how of the Academy in terms of expertise, experience, and education
• Developing a scouting and teaching program from scratch to the top adapted to the club’s environment
• Enhancing marketing and merchandising, key cornerstones for success

On the other hand, the club transferring skills would develop a Scouting and Teaching program from scratch adapted to its partner club’s identity and environment while benefiting from :

• Accessing the most talented players in another country either through transfer or loan
• Penetrating new markets facilitated through the partnership, a soft way for the commercial and marketing outreach
• Getting an affiliate club to loan players

Today, for clubs looking to develop and raise their homegrown players, alliances have proven to be the most efficient. Depending on the importance of the clubs, their cities, sponsors, and government policies, alliances between clubs may be expanded to build and strengthen political and economic ties between cities and countries.