PFSA Level 1
Technical Scouting In Football
Created by a pioneer in data science engaged with Real Madrid, PSG and Chelsea
Developed by an ex-Cambridge lecturer and leading statistical consultant who has consulted for the likes of Chelsea, PSG and Real Madrid. The PFSA Level 1 is exclusively endorsed by several leading analytics platforms, including Wyscout, the world-leading football analysis platform for elite clubs.
Developed by a senior consultant to the likes of Chelsea, PSG and Real Madrid to name a few, the Level 1 in Technical Scouting delves deep within the profession by intoducing data and how it can used to significantly improvie your reports.
Major advancements in information technology and numerical data science have recently transformed football player evaluation and the scouting process. These quantitatively-based information systems complement and build upon existing forms of scouting to help provide a complete and more thorough player assessment.
Modules Include:
- Traditional & Technical Scouting Differences
- Technical Scouting Tools
- Data Types: Traditional / Physical / Event / Tracking
- Ranking and Benchmarking
- Using data in the Player Recruitment Workflow
- Advantages and Limitations of Technical Data
Learning Outcomes:
- Differentiate between traditional and technical scouting methods and understand their respective roles in player evaluation.
- Utilise various technical scouting tools to enhance talent identification and assessment processes.
- Comprehend the different data types used in scouting, including traditional, physical, event, and tracking data, and their applications in player analysis.
- Apply ranking and benchmarking techniques to compare and evaluate players based on their performance metrics and potential.
- Integrate data-driven insights into the player recruitment workflow to make informed decisions during talent acquisition.
- Recognise the advantages and limitations of technical data in scouting, and develop a balanced approach towards player evaluation and selection.
"Really enjoyed the PFSA Scouting Courses. They're full of insightful content. I would highly recommend."
What is technical scouting?
Technical scouting is an approach to player evaluation which draws on information technology and data science. It is not a replacement for traditional scouting. Instead, it makes new kinds of information available to scouting teams, including objective measures of performance.
Technical scouting also creates new possibilities for scouting teams. For example, while the coverage of a traditional scouting team is limited by its resources, technical scouting methods can be used to screen a virtually unlimited number of players, all over the world.
Although technical scouting uses advanced mathematical techniques in the background, the basic principles are straightforward. Even those with little mathematical knowledge can use technical scouting insights to evaluate players.
What is the difference between traditional and technical scouting?
The key difference between traditional and technical scouting lies in the kind of information each method relies on.
In traditional scouting:
- Information is provided by scouts, who are employed by a club to watch players in action and report on their impressions.
- This information is subjective, relying on the perspective and judgment of individual scouts. Even experienced scouts may disagree about a player’s skill set, or his overall potential.
- Scouts present their information primarily in the form of written reports. A written narrative is less precise than a numerical report, but can often convey nuances that numbers and graphics cannot.
In technical scouting:
- Information is provided by commercial companies. These companies use video and/or tracking technology to collect player-activity data from a large number of matches. They sell this data on to clubs, and sometimes leagues.
- This information is objective. A player either has above-average statistics for a skill or he does not. There is no room for disagreement.
- A technical scouting report presents information as lists of numbers, tables, and graphic visualisations. Numerical reports provide a precise picture, but they cannot capture subtle nuance.
The PFSA Level 1 Technical Scouting In Football course is 100% online and self-paced, meaning you can complete this course in your own time and at your own pace. Expect to spend 4-6 hours completing the course, with additional time spent on assessments and research.
Self-paced including online presentations and interactive tasks, multiple choice, short answer and matching questions, review exercises and private study.
The assessment for this course will consist of satisfactory completion of the online learning tasks and exercises.
Learn with Confidence: University-Endorsed Material
The PFSA Scouting and Analysis portfolio is officially endorsed by several Universities and we have certified most elite football clubs in the UK and overseas, we provide thousands of students with access to our full portfolio, including UCFB | GIS who have campuses across some of the worlds most iconic sporting venues including Wembley, Inter Miami, Red Bull Arena and Australias MCG to name a few. Meaning that you can be confident that our content is trusted and delivered by the experts!
