PlayerStat Data the ideal solution for tracking performance

Avatar
PlayerStat Data
Image credit: PlayerStat Data

In the digital age, with clubs and athletes alike looking for any which way they can improve their performance on and off the pitch, one platform is looking to target the teenage development, allowing clubs to track their players progression and better help find areas of improvement within their squad.

PlayerStat Data are a development data platform, aimed at football teams and academies aged 13-19, targeting key development areas. They offer a flexible range of physical, on-field data performance, with the ability for coaches to add in their own assessment notes, allowing for a wholistic approach to player assessment and analysis. Their secure platform ensures that clients only have access to their own club’s individual data, as many Irish and American clubs are keen to investigate the possibilities of PlayerStat Data for their club.

However, PlayerStat Data does give the opportunity to compare metrics for players and teams, against the 100s of players stats already in their system, allowing coaches to gauge at how similar their players are performing to other players of that age and position. PlayerStat Data also takes clients match footage, and provides individual and player performance data insights, allowing for an objective analysis of a player’s performance over a match, month, or even the whole season.

PlayerStat Data has set its sights on teams aged 13-19, as they feel that is where the data can be extrapolated and utilised to its fullest potential. The ability for players and coaching staff to rectify player weaknesses earlier thanks to identifying the objective shortcomings of players, can allow coaches to focus more on a certain skill or technique, which can bring the player up to speed.

PlayerStat Data offers 5 key figures for measuring the success of a youth team or academy.

  • Player performance data output: collected from recorded match video footage.
  • Physical data output: (ie. GPS-driven data outputs, maturation tests etc).
  • Sports psychological insights: giving greater context around Youth Player Dev.
  • Socio-economic data collection: specific to the client’s own operations.
  • Coach Assessment: output of players’ ability at varying stages across the season.

There is also the ability to create highlight reels of game day and training, which is invaluable to a coach, who can show players what they are doing right, or where they are going wrong in specific passages. PlayerStat Data can also offer both team and individual player match reports, allowing coaches to find their shining lights during poor team performances, or areas that are struggling more than others.

PlayerStat Data looks to give coaches objective data, which can also benefit them come end of season, when retaining, re-trialling, and release procedures are under way, allowing clubs to explain their reasons why a player has been chosen for a certain category, and gives a player an understanding of where they need to improve. It also speeds up the process of analysing for coaches, who no longer need to watch through and edit match footage, as this is taken care of by PlayerStat Data.

PlayerStat Data, whilst popular in the US, Canada, and the UK, has not broken into the Australian market considerably. Much of Australia’s NPL youth teams have very limited statistical analysis, and more so the judgement of coaching staff. This can leave the clubs victim to potential coaching bias, which has seen the pathways of many youth players disrupted or halted due to coach favouritism, over objective measures of talent and ability. And whilst coaches can still utilise their own ideas and notes within PlayerStat Data, the more wholistic approach of having both objective and subjective information can allow for the most accurate decisions, and better coaching outcomes for both clubs and players.

For more information on PlayerStat Data, click here.

Previous ArticleNext Article

GIS Masterclass: Fan Engagement and Marketing with Terry Lynam and Karen Grega

Avatar
Image Credit: Global Institute of Sport

The Global Institute of Sport recently hosted a masterclass on Fan Engagement and Marketing, bringing together two industry leaders to tackle the field’s most pressing issues.

The Global Institute of Sport (GIS), which offers a Master’s in Sports Business and Sports Analytics through the University of Newcastle, regularly holds masterclasses with industry leaders as part of its curriculum.

The latest focused on fan engagement and marketing, covering two key themes: the growing tension between live sport and online streaming, and the role of data in shaping the fan experience.

The panelists 

Terry Lynam recently concluded her role as General Manager of Fan Experience and Events at Football Australia, overseeing the AFC Women’s Asian Cup on home soil.

Karen Grega is an experienced sports management consultant with a multi-code background. She currently represents Football Coaches Australia (FCA) and Heartbeat of Football, and has previously worked with Sydney Cricket Ground, Venues NSW and Sydney FC.

Live Sport and social media.

Terry Lynam opened with a pointed statement — one she acknowledged would be controversial. She argued that the sense of community unique to live sport is being eroded by social media and ‘snippet’ consumption.

Central to her concern is how marketing teams are failing to segment their audiences, treating casual online viewers the same as matchday fans.

“If they aren’t spending money on the sport we shouldn’t count them as spectators to the same level as match going fans.”

“What we want to consider as marketeers is how much we want to give away and how much we want our live sport element to remain,” Lynam said.

Grega echoed the sentiment, arguing fan engagement ultimately comes down to human connection. “It’s not rocket science.”

She suggested the industry revisit the concept of sport as a family outing to recapture that communal experience.

Data Driving Decisions

Both panelists highlighted data and analytics as central to modern fan engagement.

Grega recalled the introduction of computerised turnstiles as a turning point, enabling teams to track crowd movements and optimise staffing and entry times.

She also noted the continued value of fan surveys in informing marketing decisions.

Lynam pointed to ticketing technology as a significant data frontier.

Modern platforms like Ticketmaster’s ticket-transfer system now provide detailed customer insights.

“It allows us to have a better understanding of who’s getting the ticket and how they transport themselves there or when they arrive,”

“We can personalise their journey and sell content to them,” Lynam commented. 

The discussion also touched on data sourced from social media and on-field player tracking, as well as interactive stadium technology gaining traction in the US.

This included holographic assistants and player headset interactions that bring a broadcast-style experience to live events.

Activations That Educate

Activations rounded out the masterclass, with Lynam detailing how she created a fan zone on a modest budget for the Women’s Asian Cup.

The activation featured charitable partnerships focused on women’s health, including Heartbeat of Football, Endometriosis Australia and Share the Dignity.

“I’m very hopeful that that type of idea gets pushed through on other sporting events,” Lynam said.

Grega elaborated on the Heartbeat of Football activation, highlighting how a competitive element built around CPR and heart health kept fans engaged while also educating them.

“The whole health hub ticked all the boxes — it was immersive, it was interactive, it was there for all ages, both sexes.”

“That sort of blueprint is one that should be replicated as much as possible,” Explained Karen Grega

The masterclass offered students and industry professionals a valuable window into contemporary sports marketing.

As the competition for fan attention intensifies, the blend of live experience, smart data use, and purposeful activations can help define the next chapters of fan engagement.

More Than One in Five Football Australia Staff to Lose Jobs Amid Growing Financial Losses

Avatar
Image Credit: ESPN

Australian football finds itself in a curious position.

From the outside, the game appears to be riding a wave of momentum. Attendances, visibility and public interest have all experienced significant uplift in recent years, while major international tournaments and growing discussion around football’s future continue to place the sport firmly within the national conversation.

Yet behind that momentum, Football Australia is now confronting a far more challenging internal reality.

 

A compounding deficit

Chief Executive Martin Kugeler has reportedly indicated the governing body’s projected financial losses for 2025 are expected to exceed the organisation’s reported $8.5 million deficit from the previous year. Accompanying the financial outlook are substantial organisational changes, with reporting from Tracey Holmes indicating more than one in five Football Australia employees are expected to lose their positions through restructuring measures.

The figures represent more than a difficult balance sheet. They point toward a significant period of recalibration inside the organisation responsible for overseeing the sport nationally.

 

Losing the wisdom of existing staff members

For governing bodies, restructures are often framed as strategic necessities for future sustainability. However, workforce changes on this scale also raise broader questions around the challenges of such a transition.

People are often the carriers of knowledge, relationships and long-term strategic understanding. When organisations undergo significant structural change, the effects can extend beyond immediate financial outcomes.

 

Contradicting timing

The timing is what makes the developments particularly notable.

Football in Australia has spent recent years discussing expansion, growth and long-term opportunity. The conversation surrounding the game has increasingly centred on future potential. Often headlining stronger pathways, larger audiences, infrastructure development and greater visibility.

Against that backdrop, news of deep financial losses and substantial staffing reductions creates a different conversation: one focused not on where the game wants to go, but on what may be required to sustain that journey. Therefore, this announcement points toward stagnancy, rather than growth.

Further detail surrounding Football Australia’s strategy and long-term direction will likely emerge over coming months. For now, the developments serve as a reminder that growth stories are rarely straightforward.

Often, the periods that appear strongest from the outside can also be the moments organisations face their most significant internal tests.

Most Popular Topics

Editor Picks

Send this to a friend