Football scouts are a vital part of the football industry. They work with football teams to collect data and deliver it to data collecting companies that use it for third parties and their respective purposes.
No worries! If you have trouble understanding the process behind football data collection, I will clarify everything.
In this article, I will explain what football scout data collection is. I will also tell you:
- What software do football scouts use
- The skills required to become a scout
- How companies use analytics in football
- Why is that data invaluable for betting operators and sports data collectors?
What is Football Scout Data Collection?
Football scout data collection refers to the process of collecting data from a football match. This helps coaches, scouts, and other sports data collecting companies with statistical analysis of a team's or player's performance and improves decision-making processes across the club and the betting industry.
Data is used for a variety of things in football. You can use data to
- Discover hidden gems in the league
- Opponent passing patterns
- Improve player training
- Create betting markets for betting operators
- And much more!
In this article, I will discuss football data collection from a sports data-collecting company’s point of view.
In the infographic below, you can see how it works:
What Does a Football Live Scout Do?
Live scouts have always played an important role in the football industry. Even before the use of technology, scouts would gather information about the match. Today's football live scout requires tools to effectively do their jobs.
The main responsibility of a live scout is to cover live sports events directly from the venues or TV. They quickly tag every key incident of the game according to sports data providers’ rules and definitions.
Let's go over some Frequently Asked Questions about sports scouts and see what we can learn about this profession.
- Who can become a data scout?
People of age who want to gain experience in the Sports and Media industry are welcome to work as Data scouts.
- Where do scouts apply to join the network?
Sports data providers are in a constant search to augment their network. You can view FeedConstruct’s open positions here.
- What kind of contract does a live scout have?
Companies collaborate with live scouts on a freelance basis, meaning there is no employee/employer contractual relationship.
- What are the main responsibilities of a live scout?
Scouts are responsible for attending events on time, being active, and providing timely, unbiased events through a dedicated app downloaded to their own devices.
- How much are the fees per event?
The fees differ depending on the competition, the country, and the division. For each game, you receive a fixed amount for your match fee and your travel expenses, or a base amount plus additional expenses refunded.
What Software Does Football Scouts Use?
Data collection companies provide their in-house software for free so that football scouts can use it in data collecting. It is quite different from what the coaches and recruiters use.
The data that is collected by the scouts will later be used by the analysts to build a flawless player experience for betting operators.
Football scouts need to be fully adapted to the software they use because they must be able to perform an accurate data collection process as fast as possible.
What is vital in football data collecting software?
- Intuitive Design
- Machine Learning
- Automated Commands
- And much more!
How is Data Used in Football Analytics?
Data has become a key component of football. Data analytics are used in football for different purposes, from acquiring new talent to improving fan experience on matchday.
However, contextualizing the information and extracting valuable insights is not always an easy task.
Interpreting data can sometimes be challenging. For example, if football teams are flooded with huge streams of numbers, but lack the internal know-how to interpret them and extract actionable information, the said data becomes almost pointless.
It's like giving all the prices, ratios, and indicators on stocks, currencies, and commodities to a person who doesn't know about financial markets. To make good decisions, football teams need data, of course, but they also need analytics to make sense of it.
The language and terminology of data analysis can be difficult for coaches to grasp, especially when they're busy recruiting, game-planning, instructing the players, and managing their roster.
But data analysts are increasingly proving that data is a powerful tool for sports professionals. Statistics don't just find "game-breaking" trends in the sport: they can help us understand how the game is played, who's leading in key categories, and what we should expect next.
Final Words on Football Scout Data Collection
I hope I've shed some light on the role of a Football Scout and how they spend their days at matches. While being a football live scout is certainly not for everyone, as it requires a sharp eye and concentration, it is something that we think many people would be suited to.
Hopefully, this article has answered a few questions about Football Scout Data Collection. It is an important part of football scouting as it allows coaches and scouts to view players in-depth and compare players across different positions. It also serves betting operators and sports data-providing companies.