Jake Moult of Altrincham tangles with Tim Chow of Wigan Athletic during the pre season friendly between Altrincham and Wigan Athletic at the J Davidson stadium on Jul. 14, 2015 in Altrincham, England. (Photo by Mark Thompson/Getty Images)
STATS provides its data and insights to the very top. Teams like Chelsea FC, leagues like Italy’s Serie A, and broadcasters like ESPN all rely on STATS. But the largest provider of sports data in the world also caters to lesser-known organizations, and on Monday the company announced it had re-upped its deal with sixth-tier English club Altrincham FC for the 2018/19 season.
After a two-year slide down the English league system, Altrincham won the Northern Premier League last season to win promotion back to the National League North. Altrincham, aka the Robins, were the only club outside England’s top four tiers using STATS’ services.
According to Altrincham’s assistant GM Neil Sorvel, the club uses the data to better focus training, allowing coaches to run drills specific to team units and individual players.
“The depth of data in these reports is outstanding, and over the course of the season it allows us to benchmark performance levels,” Sorvel said in a statement announcing the continued partnership. “Combined with the accompanying video, it provides us with the ability to highlight the positives to praise players as well as make constructive feedback that is backed up by data and video.”
STATS provides Altrincham with more than 2,700 single data events for every game. That data includes the exact time of each event—goals, saves, tackles, etc.—plus the positions, players, and teams involved.
SportTechie Takeaway
After winning promotion in 2017/18, Altrincham FC would seem to have every reason to continue using STATS as it hopes to continue climbing the English league system. While top-flight clubs typically have the money and resources to invest in data analysis, Altrincham’s use signals the club’s commitment to winning and rising. It also may trigger other teams to sign up with either STATS or one of the data company’s rivals in order to remain competitive.
