This course offers a comprehensive introduction to the key concepts, tools, and applications of football analysis, blending both video and data analysis techniques used at every level of the game. Through xx engaging modules, learners will explore how to analyse team tactics, individual performance, opposition patterns, set-piece routines, and recruitment profiles using industry-standard tools and data sets. The course includes practical tasks designed to replicate real-world analysis work, helping learners build hands-on skills they can immediately apply, whether for a blog, a local club, or a professional setting. In addition, learners will gain insight into career pathways within the analysis industry and be guided on how to share their work and take actionable steps toward future roles. With a focus on both theory and practice, this course is perfect for aspiring and working analysts looking to build a strong foundation or sharpen their all-round skill set in video and data analysis.
Introduction to Football Analysis
Introdution to
Football Analysis
Featured Course Contributor:
Ben Griffis - Data Scientist & Recruitment Analyst at Kolding IF
Find out why data is beneficial to an analyst's workflow and how to use it correctly
Learn all of the general skills required to operate as an analyst at any club
Discover which Analyst role is best suited to you
See what incorrect analysis looks like & its pitfalls
Full Course Description
- ‘Welcome to the APFA’ and learn about who we are, what we do, and why we’re recognised as the analysis industry’s official licensing body, built by professional analysts working in clubs. Learn what analysis is, why it’s grown at an explosive pace in recent years and why it’s valued by clubs more than ever. You’ll also learn why targeted analysis education is so important, and be introduced to some famous stories of how poor analysis has been catastrophic for some clubs. Finally, you’ll be introduced to the skill sets you need in modern analysis and the many different job roles available in the industry.
- Learn the basics of opposition analysis, how it helps teams win more games and better prepare players to perform. Hear about the day-to-day life and work schedule of a professional Opposition Analyst, and the skills one needs to succeed in this field. Finally, you’ll be introduced to some opposition analysis techniques and practices with tasks using video and data designed by professional Opposition Analysts, giving you genuine insight into what they do.
- What is post-game analysis? How does it fit into how clubs operate? What does a post-game analyst do? And what skills do they need? All these questions are answered and more in this section. Tasks here are again designed to introduce the learner to video & data in post-game analysis and how they are used at professional clubs. Hear from more professional analysts about their daily lives and careers.
- Taking many of the lessons from our most popular and award-winning course in Individual Player Development & Analysis, you’ll see how targeted & specific analysis can benefit the individual player. You’ll learn what an individual analyst does, what skills they need and again be exposed to tasks on how video & data can be used in isolation or together to boost player performance.
- Gain insights with lessons taken from our course in this area, built by a world-renowned set piece analyst. See what a set-piece analyst does, how their work is embedded into training, their weekly workflow and complete video & data tasks to better understand how this can lead to scoring more and conceding less from dead-ball situations.
- Potentially the most popular topic on social media is player recruitment. Hear from professional recruitment analysts about their job, how they succeeded in the industry, what skills served them well and how their work is used to make huge decisions by the clubs they work for. Complete video & data tasks designed by professional recruitment analysts to help you better understand the inner workings of professional clubs.
- After being exposed to the many different areas of professional football analysis, it’s time to see what to do next. Which resonated with you the most? What are the different pathways an analyst can take, or is there a deeper educational offering through the APFA on a subject you’ve been introduced to in the course? Learn about the next steps in your analysis journey.
COURSE TUTORS
This course is ideal for anyone looking to learn the fundamentals of football analysis, from how performance and tactical analysis inform decision-making to how professional teams use video and data in real-world environments. It’s suitable for complete beginners, as well as coaches and aspiring analysts looking to develop practical, immediately applicable skills. The curriculum has been reviewed and tested by professional coaches and analysts, making it highly relevant for those working in, or aiming for, roles within US colleges, club academies, semi-professional, and professional teams. Whether you’re just starting out or building a foundation to progress your career in football analysis, this course provides the knowledge and tools to do so. By the end of the course, you’ll have the core skills needed to support a team’s analysis processes at a foundational level.
The course is fully online and on-demand, allowing you to learn at your own pace and on your own schedule. All content is hosted within web pages, so as long as you have an internet connection, you can access the course anytime.
The course brings together APFA ambassadors and expert contributors, each with first-hand professional experience as an analyst, coach, scout, or head coach.
Most learners complete the course in around 15–20 hours, but you’re free to work through it at your own pace.
Course fees help fund the APFA’s work in giving back to the football community. They support the running of the platform, the delivery of networking and career events, the hosting of webinars, and the creation of opportunities for underrepresented groups within the game. The APFA also contributes to charitable causes. For more information, please visit the About Us section of the website.
The course is not currently optimised for mobile or tablet use, as it involves watching extensive video content, reviewing PDF materials, and completing written tasks. For the best experience, we recommend using a laptop or desktop computer. That said, we are actively working on improving mobile and tablet optimisation, which will be released in the coming months.
When you’re ready, simply purchase the course, and you’ll receive a confirmation email with full access details. The course will also be available through your membership account, which you can either log into or create during the checkout process.