AI and Data Analytics in Football: How Clubs Are Using Tech to Find the Next Big Star

Artificial intelligence is slowly gaining ground as a day-to-day tool for many individuals. Whether it’s creating images, writing texts, or acting as an assistant, AI is slowly being capable of doing it all. Of course, football would be no different, and AI is slowly gaining presence in the football world, whether it is to analyze players, to place bets on betting sites with PayPal or just to know how a team is performing.

Lately, many clubs have started to use AI algorithms and machines to not only track their own players’ data, but also to find new hidden talents which are like some of the best individuals in world football.

This technological evolution is considerably changing how football works, but what and how do clubs apply to these AI programs to find the next big talent?

The Role of AI in Football

Before moving to responding the question “how clubs use AI technology to find players”, we must first analyze the landscape of AI within the world of football.

Football clubs are constantly looking at ways to be better than their opponents, and the field of Artificial Intelligence is no different. AI and data analytics have become a key part of football as, what some years ago took days or weeks, can now be done in matters of seconds, providing even more insights and metrics that no scout could calculate.

These AI platforms are helping teams all around the globe, no matter where they come from, the chance of finding the best talent and improving their own players, taking a careful look at players metrics provided by AI.

Whether it is providing data or filming matches, AI is slowly gaining ground as the most used tool within football. But how can teams use it to find the best players?

Brentford FC: How Data Can Take You to the Top

One of the best examples, if not the best, when it comes to using data and other metrics for success must be Brentford FC. The London-based team was a regular club from the English Leagues whose success on the topflight had been practically non-existent. That was until everything changed and the club started to use AI and insights to improve the squad.

The result?

On their way to a 4th consecutive season in the Premier League with a stacked team of young talent from across the globe.

This approach, known to football fans as the “Moneyball” is, in fact, very simple. Brentford, or any other club that applies this philosophy, uses advanced learning models and algorithms to analyze players from around the globe, no matter what league they play at. But, instead of analyzing metrics such as goals or assists, these models take a close look at factors such as expected goals, distance covered, passing accuracy and other “less-important” metrics which, in fact, tend to be the most decisive.

With this model, and thanks to AI, Brentford have been able to push themselves to the topflight, signing talented individuals such as Ivan Toney, Bryan Mbeumo, Yoane Wissa, David Raya, Ollie Watkins and many more which have quickly become some of the best players at their position.

AI on Other Fields of Football

Although the Moneyball approach is the prime example of how teams use Ai to sign the best players, this wouldn’t be possible without the usage of AI on other fields of this same sport.

Performance monitoring has become the cornerstone to analyze each player carefully, being the key factor that analyses how a player performs during a certain match. Not to mention that other AI tools are being used to have a tactical advantage over the opponent, being able to scout much faster and with much more precision.

The Future of AI: It Will Only Get Better

It’s clear that AI is here to stay, and many football clubs will slowly start implementing AI systems to track data and performance whilst also having a broader knowledge of players from other clubs who may be interested in signing.

The potential for AI in football has no limits, and football clubs are slowly applying many AI tools to their workflow, specially when it comes to improving the squad.

Will we see another Brentford thanks to AI?