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Soccernomics - Football and Big Data

Geoff Riley

21st August 2013

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A special article in The Economist this week looks at the expanding role of big data analysis in the world of professional soccer. Football is one of the hardest sports to analyse with statistics. But English clubs are at last starting to put Big Data to use.

A new book by US behavioural economists The Numbers Game, by Anderson and Sally, is a very interesting analytical perspective on soccer. For example, they calculate the average match points obtained in the Premier League by teams scoring 0,1, 2 goals etc, and teams conceding 0, 1,2 etc. They find that strengthening defence has a bigger pay off then strengthening attack.

Economist video on their special report

The Numbers Game - relevant links

The Guardian - book review

New Statesman - book review

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Geoff Riley

Geoff Riley FRSA has been teaching Economics for nearly forty years. He has over twenty years experience as Head of Economics at leading schools. He writes extensively and is a contributor and presenter on CPD and Revision conferences in the UK and overseas.

@tutor2uGeoff