What skills does a sports analyst need?

In this post I will be talking about the skills required to become a successful sports analyst.

Coaching Knowledge/Qualifications
This is something that I often get asked about and one that differs opinion depending on who you ask. People without qualifications will probably say they aren't needed, whilst those that do have them, will say otherwise.

I think it really depends on the type of analyst that you want to be. If you are going down the data route, I would say it's probably not too important. However, a lot of first team analysts are closer than ever to the coaches these days and so a strong knowledge of the game can be essential. This doesn’t mean that you need to rush out and do all of you qualifications immediately, but you should look to be improving your knowledge over time.

You can do this by coaching qualifications, but also by reading books, and learning from others around you. Having a solid understanding of the game (coaching principles/tactics) as a first team analyst will help to give you credibility and help to build trust with other coaches. The line between coaches and analysts has become more blurred overtime and so both roles require a crossover of skills.

I posed the question of whether coaching qualifications were important for an analyst when I have a chat with Phill Hudson (First team analyst at Middlesborough FC). You can check out his response below...

Communication Skills
A pretty obvious one but definitely one that is underestimated in my opinion. You can be the greatest analyst in the world but if you cannot get your message across to the players and coaches, you likely are not going to have much of an impact.

This point doesn't just include verbal communication skills, but also things like presenting to a group, and also delivering reports or presentations in a way that is concise and easy for the coaches and players to take action from.

You job isn't to confuse or bamboozle the coaches. Your job is to offer the coaches insights that they can easily take on board to affect an outcome. You may think your data visualisation looks pretty, but if it makes no sense to the person you are delivering to, it is useless!

As part of this point, I also want to include that you should also be approachable. You want it to be easy for players and coaches to contact you and spend time reviewing clips/stats. This is important if you are working with both the first team, and younger academy players.

Data Skills
The level of detail you go into on this point will depend on the type of analyst that you wish to become.

As a data analyst or data scientist, you will of course need these skills, but I think even if you are going the first team route, you should aim to have a basic understanding of different ways in which you can use and interpret data to your advantage.

A popular video over on my channel covers tips on how to get started. You can check that out here...

The way the game is going, data is becoming more and more prevalent and if you let this pass you by, you may get left behind. The higher up the leagues you go, you will likely find that clubs will exclusively employ data guys, and then the typical '1st team analyst' guys that are more video and tactical based. However, with limited budgets, not all clubs will have this luxury.

I think be having an understanding of the basics will be a huge benefit and allow you to present better things (in better ways) to your squad of players and coaches.

Knowledge of Analysis Software
When you start at a club, you will be using some software. This may be a single piece of software or more likely, a range of different things. This includes online and offline tools, telestration software, and even data software etc.

Although you may have learnt how to use some items at university, I would make sure you try to expose yourself to as many different tools as possible to at least be able to use different ones to a decent standard. You can usually get free trials of software and so this is a great way in which to familiarise yourself with a new product without having to pay for it.

For example, you can grab a free trial of In-Play Online here.

If you spend all of your time learning as mastering just one tool, you may find that the club that you are attempting to get a job at does not use that tool at all. Yes, most tools do have some crossover and have many similarities, but wouldn't you rather have the skills to be able to confidently talk about and use just more than one thing?

Organisation & Time Management
For perspective on this point, you may want to check out the video below in which I walk you through the busy week of a football analyst working from game to game!

It is often said that the role of a 1st team analyst is a very busy one, especially if you are playing 2 games a week for the majority of the season. You have to be able to hit strict deadlines and plan ahead depending on the fixtures that you have coming up.

Also, did I mention that you will likely get last minute requests from players or coaches to complicate things further? Well, there is that too...

The video above will give you a full overview of why this point is really important. You have to work around training session, games and also travel. Once one game is done, you have to be ready for the next, and this cycle continues, relentlessly for the duration of the season!

Additional Language
I've added this as a bit of a bonus one as it is certainly not 100% required. However, in the modern game you will likely have a squad full of players who speak a variety of languages. The club you work at may even bring in a new manager and the chances are, English may not be their first language either.

I understand this isn't just something that you can do over just a few weeks, but if you are able to commit sometime to it, I think having a 2nd language could be massive for your career.

This is linked to other skills already mentioned if you think about it. For example, you will likely make yourself more approachable and be able to create better bonds with players and coaches.

Again, I understand this is a big ask. I do not have a second language and many analysts that have made it to the top don't either, but I'm sure if you asked them, they would likely say that they would like to have that skill. I know I certainly would!

It would really make you stand out from other analysts too, just as it does with multi-lingual coaches.

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