PFSA Level 2
Opposition Analysis In Football

Leading opposition analysis course in the UK and overseas delivered by industry-experts

Get certified and establish a career in professional opposition scouting. Designed and developed by leading experts to equip football scouts with the ability to effectively analyse the opposition using industry best practice. EXCLUSIVELY endorsed by Instat.

Collecting precise, up-to-date and insightful information about upcoming opponents (and reporting it effectively) is absolutely vital to team and club success. This PFSA Level 2 Opposition Analysis in Football course was developed by elite Premier League Opposition Scouts, Scouting Department Heads and Academy Managers.

Successful completion of the course leads to a certification as a professional Opposition Scout, access to the Instat online football analysis platform, membership to PFSA Scouting Network, opportunities to generate real, detailed opposition reports for active first-team managers and coaches, career advice and much, much more.

Developed within the guidelines and framework of the English Premier League’s Elite Player Performance Plan (the EPPP), the course offers an unmatched insight into the world of elite-level opposition scouting. Equally important, it equips you with the tools needed to assess the matchday strengths, weaknesses, shapes, strategies and set pieces of opposing teams through the guidance and eyes of experienced and hard-working opposition scouts. Take your football analysis skills to the next level!

Suitable For

Football scouts with a deep interest for opposition and individual analysis and the demands set within the game
Football scouts with an advanced knowledge of the role looking to further their employment potential within a club
Industry recognition with a professional grade certification
Football scouts looking to enhance their talent identification and analysis capabilities
Football scouts looking to gain access on to the UK’s largest independent professional scouting network with the PFSA.

Learning outcomes

Successful completion of the PFSA Level 2 Opposition Analysis In Football course will provide you with the knowledge to:

Understand the complexity the role demands – within a department at a range of levels including advanced, intermediate and beginner.
Gain a solid understanding of the tools and technology utilised within analysis, meeting the adaptions within the game
Establish deeper understanding in applying and presenting reports in line with best practice methodology at a range of levels
Understand formations and their impact on gameplay and analysis
Ability to sufficiently analyse game performance and present with confidence to your peers.
Demonstrate understanding around systems of play, principles of play, units and outcomes. Aligned to club expectations.
Conduct advanced game analysis to consolidate learning objectives to achieve professional competences
Critically appraise different formations used within tactics, giving you the ability to adapt your analysis to certain styles of play

Units Include

Module 1 & 2
Understanding the role, aims and expectations of a professional opposition scout.
Evolution of opposition scouting
Opposition analysis and the recruitment workflow
Modern scouting developments and the use of metrics
Understanding systems of play
Analysing a teams formation
Analysing a teams style of play and how they are influenced
Understanding levels of performance and expectations

Module 3, 4 and 5
Set-plays and tools for application
Breaking down set-plays
Wide-angled match analysis
Compiling an effective opposition report
Using software, analysis tools and data applications
The future of scouting

Meet the team

Every PFSA Level 2 Opposition Analysis session will have a minimum of two tutors delivering. All have an extensive background in football including 2 UEFA Pro coaches and a current Head of Opposition Analysis for a popular Championship club.

Steve Jones

Steve holds over two decades of experience working within football, most recently as Head of Opposition Analysis for Cardiff City and Millwall FC. In addition to tutoring on the PFSA Level 2 Opposition Analysis course, Steve is a full-time 1st team analyst.

Having started as a guest tutor, Steve now delivers every month with the PFSA giving our users a 1st hand experience of life as a professional opposition scout at the top of the game.

Jason Blake

Jason holds the UEFA Pro coaching badge and has previously worked with Burnley in several senior positions under managers Sean Dyche and Eddie Howe through the academy and 1st team. Jason tutors for the PFSA across all of our tutor-led programmes, including talent identification, opposition analysis and advanced reporting.

Prior to his role with the PFSA, Jason was approached to work in the Chinese Super League with Dalian Yifang and was also Director of Coaching at UCFB a leading sports University and PFSA Partner.

Kevin Braybrook

Kevin is one of the PFSA’s lead tutors and has an exceptional background in football. Kevin currently holds the UEFA Pro License and has worked in several first-team roles from opposition analyst to scout throughout the football pyramid, including the Premier League.

Alongside his role with the PFSA, Kevin is head of UCFB’s Coaching Programme. UCFB are a leading Sports University in the UK and Overseas, with campuses at Wembley Stadium, Etihad Stadium and the 100k capacity MCG In Australia. UCFB is also a strategic partner to the PFSA and collaborates on several courses.

Richard Bredice and Guests

The Level 2 Opposition Analysis course have welcomed many guests over the years. One popular guest is PFSA member, Ex-Manchester City First Team Analyst and current RSC Anderlecht 1st Team Analyst Richard Bredice.

Richard has worked with the PFSA for several years, helping create the Level 1 and 2 Opposition Analysis courses. He also contributes to our tactical reviews, which he produces once a month. He currently works full time with Belgium outfit RSC Anderlecht having been asked to by Vincent Kompany during his days at Manchester City.

Overview

Duration:

Eight (8) hours of face-to-face (via Zoom) online learning sessions with additional time required for private study and completion of set workbook tasks. Online learning consists of two, 4-hour sessions

Teaching & Learning styles:

Online Zoom large group presentations by lead tutors, online Zoom breakout sessions and interactive tasks, tutor and student-led group discussions, workbook completion comprising player analysis tasks, multiple choice, short answer and matching questions, review exercises and private study.

Tutors:

Delivered by TWO of our UEFA Pro License tutors and one of our expert opposition analyst currently engaged as Head of Opposition Scouting for a Championship club.

Assessment:

The assessment for this course will consist of satisfactory completion of two course workbooks. The workbooks comprise additional course content, opposition analysis tasks, true/false, ranking, multiple choice and short answer questions, review and reflection tasks and private study. Once successfully completed, access to the Scouting Network will require successful completion of an additional individual assessment by a course tutor.

Dates:

All dates and times are in GMT

Level1
Opposition Analysis In Football included

The PFSA Level 1 Opposition Analysis course is 100% self-paced and can be taken at your own pace and in your own time. This is also included in the Level 2 Opposition Analysis in Football course. Once registered below, a member of the PFSA will be in touch with all the details on how to enrol, and claim the free Level 1 Scouting Course.

Register onto the level 2 using the form below

Use the dropdown menu below to register and enrol onto the PFSA Level 1 Opposition Analysis In Football course

The PFSA Level 2 Opposition Analysis in Football course is delivered 100% online. We recommend that you access the course on a PC or MAC and that you have the latest version of Google Chrome installed to ensure optimal speed and ease of use. Once you have completed the registration form below and made your payment, you will receive your assigned username and password (within 24 hours). Be sure to check your spam/junk folder in case of a delay.