How to get a job in sports analysis

Getting a job in sports analysis is difficult. In fact, it can be very difficult. With so many people graduating every year, a degree is simply no longer enough.

In this article I wanted to give some advice that will hopefully help you to secure your first job within sport analysis or even help you to get a better one.

Most sports jobs (even the internships) have so many applications. Just think, there are thousands of new graduates every year and you can bet that this number is growing much faster than the number of jobs that are actually available.

You have to make yourself stand out from the rest and by using some tips in this article hopefully you can do that!

Firstly, I am going to say that you need to make sure you have a good CV. Imagine there are 100 people going for the same job as you. Your CV needs to stand out from the huge pile of others that are lying on the hiring person’s desk.

A good CV will give you a much better chance of getting an interview, and along with a covering letter should be tailored to the position you are applying for.

I've actually done a full video with 10 tips on creating the perfect CV which you can watch below. It goes over things that you should and shouldn’t include, as well as a number of design and layout tips.

Aside from a CV, if I was looking to break into the sports industry right now, I would be doing my own projects or bits of pieces on the side to create a portfolio of work. Maybe you are still a student, or you are currently working another job. You can easily spend time on evenings and weekends to create some worthwhile content. Specifically to analysis, footage, and even data, is much easier to get hold of nowadays so be creative and produce some work that you can share to others.

When you get around to watching my video on CV Tips, you will see that I mention about linking to your work in a job application. If you create a good portfolio, this could be a great addition to your CV.

This leads me on nicely to my next point. Network and use social media. The content that you create in your portfolio can be shared online. Get a LinkedIn account if you don’t already have one and start connecting with different people in the industry.

LinkedIn is an amazing tool to get in in amongst other people in the analysis world. Share your work, comment on posts, ask questions, give your opinion. Just be seen. You could also share your work via twitter or through a blog. I have seen many people in the past get jobs in analysis that started out by doing just this.

Not only does it showcase your work, but it also shows that you are passionate about analysis. If you like it enough to work on it in your spare time, it is clear that analysis is something that you want to do.

So, after creating a good CV, a portfolio of work and networking, you need to begin to get some work experience. To do this you can leverage your portfolio and also tap into connections that you have made using LinkedIn.

So, on to back to work experience. This could be anything, at any level. Yes, we all want to get experience from a top club but that is not always possible right at the start. If you are university, go and volunteer with one of the sports teams.

You could put some time in at a grassroots team or non-league club. As long as you get experience being around a team, capturing footage and starting to analysing it, you are on the right track.

If you are messaging people on LinkedIn for some experience, then be polite. Don’t just make it about you. What can you offer them in return? Also, consider asking for something much shorter term such as going in for a couple of days to shadow. This is much easier for the analyst to agree to as it is less commitment for them. Then, once you are in, you have the opportunity to make a good impression and go from there.

Another important thing you can do is to continue learning. Like I mentioned at the start of this article, a degree is not enough. But you can be proactive in learning extra skills. Could you teach yourself some data skills? There are plenty of YouTube videos or cheap courses you could take to get you started and then you can begin to integrate these new skills into your portfolio of work.

I’ve seen people post things on Twitter or LinkedIn asking questions about how to do a particular thing in tableau. There is always someone who is happy to reply and give their input.

As well as data skills, you could maybe start doing some coaching qualifications, or video editing.

Finally, another point you consider is to branch out into other sports. Football analysis jobs can be hard to come by so if you have an interest in another sport, why not spend some time delving into that too? It doesn't mean you have to ‘give up’ on football for example, it just shows you have transferrable skills, and you may even find that something that is done in another sport can be introduced into your sport. It will give you a different perspective on how things can be done in different environments.

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📺 I also have a load of useful videos over on my YouTube channel including a podcast where I interview industry professionals to share more behind the scenes knowledge, advice and ideas.

📝 If you are wanting to improve your CV for a job in sport, you can grab my free template HERE.

💻 If you are a coach or analyst on the look-out for video analysis software (that is actually affordable!) then I got you… check THIS out.