Pathway · Step up
Performance Analyst (Academy / Lower League) to Football Data Scientist
How to move from Performance Analyst (Academy / Lower League) to Football Data Scientist: what to learn, what to prove and what formal steps, if any, are needed.
Qualification check for Football Data Scientist
Strongly preferred
Most employers will expect a qualification for the new role, but evidence of experience also counts. Clubs expect strong quantitative training, usually a degree in maths, computing, statistics or similar, alongside football knowledge. Public projects often decide interviews.
2 to 4 yearstypical timeline
4new skills to build
1qualifications to consider
+159%mid-point UK pay change, illustrative
The move at a glance
Performance Analyst (Academy / Lower League)
Films, tags and presents match and training video for coaches.
Football Data Scientist
Builds models to support recruitment, performance and injury decisions.
Skills and knowledge to build
Experience and routes that help
Qualifications to consider
Tools to learn
What the new role asks of you
- Build player-evaluation and match models
- Create dashboards and tools for staff
- Test model results with coaches
Practical steps
- Ask for a small piece of the new role's work before you apply, for example one of the tasks above.
- Close the top gap first: Python or R Programming.
- Keep a record of two results that show you working at the next level.
- Talk to three people who do the job. Ask how they got in, and who they would recommend you speak to.