PFSA announce a new EXCLUSIVE partnership with Instat

The PFSA sign an exclusive partnership with leading scouting analysis platform Instat.

THE PFSA has signed an exclusivity deal with InStat that will bring an even greater sense of applied learning to our scouting course online and for bespoke courses delivered direct to clubs and national organisations.

The initial 12-month agreement ensures PFSA scouting courses will be the only ones in the UK with official access to the InStat platform which covers matches in virtually every league worldwide.

PFSA tutor Kev Braybrook could not hold back his excitement at the possibilities the tie up with a platform used by leading clubs worldwide will provide him in delivering realistic practical tasks as part of Talent ID and Opposition Analysis Courses.

He said: “We deliver courses to a wide range of people, from those already in the game who will have knowledge of video platforms and people who are looking to get into the game and not have any experience of what they are capable of doing.

“InStat is a great platform with a wide range of content, data and features and it will be great to allow those from clubs to have the opportunity to really see what they can do with InStat and for those new to it to get a real sense of how scouting and recruitment departments work with video analysis and data.”

He also pointed out that the move has come at an opportune time, with football clubs forced to rethink their scouting strategies, as they cannot send scouts to matches due to the Coronavirus pandemic.

Kev added: “It is almost perfect timing.

“Scouting is going to be very different in the short term, and it could remain that way in the long term.

“So being able to access InStat and all the analytical side of the game far greater than just a traditional way can only be of benefit to the people on the course.

“It is going to be looking at data, looking at stats, looking at genuine evidence to try and formalise what your recruitment strategy could be.”

InStatHead of Sales for the UK and Ireland Neil Murray believes the user friendly platform offers a nice entry level for those looking to break into the game via a PFSA course and for club practitioners looking to upskill.

Neil said: “At the base level, it is a video platform where you can see matches worldwide and we have probably got the highest amount of content of any provider.

“All of the metrics are easy to understand. We have our methodology which explains how we code the matches and the terminology we use to define the basic actions are clear and precise.

“It is possible to download the videos and code them yourself. It is also possible for users to draw diagrams on clips and share them with others.

“From a scouting point of view or coaching point of view, you can share those clips with other people once you have drawn diagrams on them.”

InStat has a Smart Search which allows scout to zero in on specific types of players or matches opponents have played against teams who play 4-3-3 or zonal mark at corners.

Neil said: “You can use the smart search to look for players within certain parameters or you can use it on the club side for opposition match reports and check out how other clubs play in the last three, five, ten or however many games you like and see videos of corners, set pieces or the ways they defend and attack in open play.”

Both Kev and Neil agree InStat is a powerful tool for scouts looking to work worldwide with its breadth and depth of coverage proving even more relevant with the Covid-19 restrictions.

With the PFSA also delivering bespoke courses for clubs and international federations, Kev is delighted to have a resource at his fingers that allows him to provide more applicable tasks for club and international scouts and analysts.

He added: “The PFSA brand has become far more diverse in terms of going to different countries to deliver courses and now with the online courses.

“So when we have been to Scotland or Orlando or wherever we have delivered course you want to tailor the course to fit the club or market you are in.

“It devalues the course if we go to Egypt and we start talking about Italian football. You want to make it current and applicable.

“To deliver a course and use games from their league and maybe look at stats and data that can be added to that just makes the course more relevant and authentic, to say ‘this is your league’ and we are doing stuff with you can utilise for your club or league that is far more powerful.

“For example in Orlando, they take a lot of players from Chile and around South America so we would use InStat on the course to look at those leagues for players who fit their KPI’s, that fit their model for recruitment and playing philosophy and really are within their price range.

“When you are able to deliver something directly applicable to what people do, it is really something they want to engage with.

“It is a powerful tool.”