How to get data for sports analytics

Ok, so you want to start doing more sports analytics and you are looking for data, where do you start?

There's much more data available now from various websites and providers but it's not always obvious which websites are maybe the best, or are even accessible. Data can of course cost you money, or be from a free source, so it depends where you are in your journey and what resources you have.

You've probably heard of the likes of Opta, Statsbomb and Wyscout. The data from these guys will come at a cost. Opta and Statsbomb data is usually provided to leagues/clubs/ organisations rather than individuals but I have seen that they sometimes release certain data sets for free. So keep your eyes open for that.

Wyscout can be used by individuals but I have heard a lot recently about how the price and value of this is no longer accessible for many and so you may need to look for alternatives that can give you data for free.

FBref.com
A great place to get started with free data as it covers the top 5 European leagues. 

Sofascore
Another popular site with free data from football, but also many other sports too.

Transfermarkt
Has transfers and news too, but also lots of stats on performance

Once way in which you can get the data you need is by scraping it from the above 3 websites. There is a little work to this but one you get used to it, you should be able to get all the data you need to start creating great analysis.

Firstly, what is data scraping?

Data scraping, often referred to as web scraping, is the automated process of extracting data from websites. It involves using software tools to navigate through web pages, locate specific information, and then collect that data in a structured format. Essentially, data scraping allows users to gather large volumes of data from various online sources efficiently and systematically, enabling analysis, insights, and decision-making across a wide range of fields, from business intelligence to academic research to sports analytics.

One great resource on data scraping that you should definitely check out is McKay Johns. You may have seen McKay on Youtube (we actually did a podcast together) and he has done tutorials on how to get data from these types of sources. He also put together a very useful course on how to create your own data pipeline. If you are looking to create projects and take sports analytics more seriously, this really is a skill you should have.

If you click the image below, it takes you right to it.

Effectively, for a small fee, you can gain the skills to get free data, efficiently, forever.

You can hear more from McKay Johns in the video below which is a full length podcast episode we did together. We touch on data scraping, and other tips on how to get started in sports analytics.

Thanks for reading this article and be sure to check out some more of my podcast episodes where I have spoken with many analysts from the world of sport. I always ask them for tips and advice as well as sharing more about their different positions.

Good luck with your own journey into sports analytics!

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