The past, present and future of tracking data

Tracking data has transformed the way clubs analyse the game.

This cornucopia of information is shaped and analysed by data scientists to create valuable insights for coaches, managers, Heads of Recruitment, Sporting Directors and more.

But how much do you know about tracking data? Ie what it is, how it's collected, how it's analysed (and by whom), and how different departments and personnel use it?

This episode of the TGG Podcast sets out to answer those questions and more. 

Our guests are:

Michael D'Auria: The Executive Vice President of Partnerships, Sports and Technology for Genius Sports, the official tracking data provider for the Premier League. Michael has been at the cutting edge of tracking data provision for more than a decade, having previously been Chief Commercial Officer for Second Spectrum.

Dominic Jordan: Chief Data Officer for Twelve Football and the former Director of Data at Manchester United. Dominic 'builds great teams to help great companies become leaner, greener and better equipped to succeed in a data-rich world.'

SHOW NOTES =>

MICHAEL D’AURIA

02:03: Michael defines tracking data.

06:00: Relaying the data to teams and users after matches.

07:17: How tracking data revolutionised data science.

08:20: The origins of tracking data.

08:50: The first time football started to use it.

09:23: Capturing the data at Premier League and Championship matches.

11:56: Positioning tracking cameras inside a stadium.

12:40: Methods of passing data to coaching staff during a match.

14:05: A club data scientist’s job on a matchday.

14:45: The software used to present the live data.

16:00: What managers and coaches see on their tablets during a game.

18:53: Liverpool’s use of data over the years.

19:48: Tracking data’s ways of assessing a player.

22:34: Hopes for sharing data between worldwide leagues.

24:10: Mesh tracking explained.

30:05: Liverpool’s views on early tracking data.

31:24: The future of data science staff at football clubs.

32:32: Does use of data lead to success?

DOMINIC JORDAN

37:13: The difference between event data and tracking data.

38:58: Rise in the number of data staff at clubs.

42:04: Different kinds of tracking.

44:55: How clubs use tracking data.

49:02: Getting tracking data to clubs during a match.

51:07: Tracking data workflows.

56:49: Managers’ views on the use of data.