The three types of football scouting (data, video, live)
The three types of football scouting
Data scouting
Video scouting
Live scouting
#1: Data Scouting
Statistical football analytics
Many people may still be hesitant about using data in football, but it’s hard to deny its usefulness in helping to make scouting decisions. Data scouting is a new way of evaluating players, using statistical analysis to gain objective insights into a player’s performance. Over the past years, data scouting has become very popular.
In modern football, data scouting has grown a lot, and companies like Impect, Skillcorner, Scisports, and Statsbomb offer complete football analytics solutions (check out this complete overview of video scouting software). Some clubs, like Brentford and Brighton, have also developed their own methods and software for data scouting, showing how flexible and adaptable these practices can be. At the same time, other clubs combine data from multiple providers into their own dashboards to best suit their data scouting needs.
Pros and cons of data scouting
The benefits and limitations of this scouting method
Benefits of data scouting
Scouting for data is a great way to start looking for players. It helps teams quickly evaluate many players using statistics. This means they can compare players from different places and leagues fairly. This method makes it easier to find and compare players objectively.
Relying only on data can be dangerous
It’s important to remember that while looking at data can give a quick and numerical overview, it also has limits. Relying only on statistics can be risky because football is a complicated sport that involves teamwork, communication, and situational awareness that more than numbers alone can fully represent. Not every critical quality of a good football player can be seen in the data. Using data helps be efficient and cover a lot of ground, but it’s most valuable when combined with human expertise, video, and live scouting to get detailed insights.
Benefits:
- Gain objective insights from statistical metrics.
- Quickly evaluate a large pool of players.
Limitations:
- Lack of qualitative context.
- Provide an incomplete picture of crucial aspects of football.
#2: Video Scouting
Analyzing video clips & matches
Video scouting is the process of analyzing football players and matches using recorded footage. It allows scouts to evaluate performance, tactics, and potential talent without attending games in person. This method provides flexibility and the ability to review specific moments multiple times for more in-depth analysis. We truly believe that video scouting is a significantly undervalued scouting method.
Wyscout, part of Hudl, is the top platform for video scouting used by most football clubs and scouts, offering videos and data from over 600 global competitions (we also use it). Next to Wyscout, you have alternatives like Eyeball (focussing on youth competitions only), Sportsbase, and Spiideo, which have a few competitions that aren’t included on the other platforms. Wyscout and the other tools allow you to focus on specific player actions, making it quick and easy to recognize patterns and gain insights without watching entire games.
Pros and cons of video scouting
The benefits and limitations of this scouting method
Benefits of video scouting:
- Easy and accessible: Video scouting requires less or no travel, which is more sustainable and efficient. You can also watch players from different leagues and competitions without traveling long distances.
- Flexible and remote: Video scouting can be conducted wherever and whenever you want. With video scouting, you can create your own schedule, significantly benefiting aspiring football scouts who prefer working remotely and part-time.
- Saves time: Scouts can take their time to thoroughly analyze a player’s technical skills, decision-making, and tactical awareness. Next to the saved travel time, you can skip match breaks or pause the game, which is impossible with live scouting.
- Detailed review: The platform allows for a close look at a player’s performance, giving important insights for recruitment decisions.
- Consistent and fair assessment: Video scouting offers a reliable evaluation method with its replay feature and multiple reviews.
Limitations of video scouting:
While video scouting offers a wealth of insights, it is imperative to recognize its limitations:
- Limited context: Video scouting often needs more than the broader context of live games. It may not fully capture off-the-ball movements, team dynamics, or communication between players. Important details can be missed without seeing the whole picture, such as a player’s positioning during defensive transitions or how they contribute to team structure when off the ball.
- Potential biases: Video clips are typically curated, which can introduce selection and sample size biases. Relying on a limited set of highlights or specific match segments may lead to overestimating a player’s abilities or underappreciating their weaker areas. To minimize bias, it is crucial to watch a diverse range of footage across different matches and focus on both positive and negative moments to make more balanced and well-informed decisions.
- Broadcast limitations: Not all football games, especially those involving youth leagues or second teams, are typically broadcast for public viewing. As a result, it can be challenging to access comprehensive video footage for analysis. However, this limitation gradually diminishes as many cameras are strategically positioned around football pitches.
Video scouting has many advantages and is highly effective, especially when combined with data and live scouting. However, clubs still undervalue it.
#3: Live scouting
Attend and analyze matches
Live scouting means watching a player in person during matches or training sessions. This allows scouts to fully understand their skills, work ethic, and how they handle pressure. Despite the rise of data and video scouting, many clubs still consider live scouting the best way to assess players.
Live scouting involves physically observing players’ performance in matches or training sessions, offering a comprehensive view of their physical and mental abilities, work ethic, and response to pressure. Despite the growing popularity of data and video scouting, many clubs still prioritize live scouting as their primary assessment method.
Pros and cons of live scouting
The benefits and limitations of this scouting method
Benefits of live scouting:
The full picture: Live scouting lets you see everything—off-the-ball movements, effort, and work rate—while also considering the broader context, such as the game’s tempo, how the match evolves, and the atmosphere in the stadium. This real-time perspective gives a deeper understanding of the player’s performance under various conditions.
Intangible qualities: It lets you assess leadership, communication, and teamwork that might not appear in video or stats.
Networking: Attending games helps you connect with coaches, players, and other professionals in the football world, gaining more insights than you can get from behind a screen.
Limitations of live scouting:
No replays: You can’t replay moments to take a closer look or analyze in detail. In some match situations, many things happen simultaneously, like during goals and many other scenarios. With live scouting, you have to process all of that information simultaneously, whereas with video scouting, you’ll notice new information even the fourth or fifth time you watch it.
Costly: Live scouting requires time and money for travel and accommodations, and it involves limited input (only one match at a time).
Live scouting remains a key tool for clubs to fully understand a player’s abilities, offering insights that data and video might miss. Despite new methods, nothing matches the in-person view for context and depth.
The best scouting approach: an integrated one
Integrated scouting
Successfully scouting the right players involves several stages. It typically begins with data scouting, which helps identify potential talent. Video scouting comes next, enriching the data with clear evaluations and filtering out lengthy lists generated from data. This step is beneficial because live scouting is the most time-consuming aspect of evaluating players. Live scouting is the final stage, during which scouts can assess a player’s personality, behavior, and leadership qualities, which are difficult to measure with data or video alone.
By combining data, video, and live scouting, clubs ensure they make well-rounded decisions, from initial discovery to final negotiations.
But please remember that the scouting process (starting with data, then video, and finally live scouting) may sometimes follow a different order in practice. It’s possible to come across a promising player during live scouting while evaluating another player, or an agent pitches a player to a club before they have been identified through data and video scouting. This is particularly true during transfer periods when time constraints may make it challenging to follow the steps of data, video, and live scouting.
What to read next?
Football Scouting Guide
Chapter overview
Becoming a great football scout is a journey that requires dedication, passion, and continuous learning. Whether you’re just starting or looking to take your scouting to the next level, this guide provides you with the essential steps to become not just a scout but a great one.
You can start from the beginning to the end or jump right to the most interesting part.
- Introduction to football scouting
This chapter provides an introduction to football scouting, outlining the key traits and skills necessary to excel in this field and guiding you through the steps to kickstart your career. - The three types of football scouting (data, video, live)
Football scouting involves three key methods: data, video, and live scouting. Each method provides unique insights, and scouts often combine all three to create a comprehensive player assessment. - Football scouting resources (the best blogs, websites, books, podcasts, videos)
A wide range of resources is available for aspiring football scouts, from insightful blogs and podcasts to books and videos that offer expert knowledge on scouting techniques and industry trends. - Football scouting software, tools, and technology
Modern football scouting relies heavily on software and data tools that provide detailed player statistics and video analysis, helping scouts evaluate players more efficiently and accurately. - How do you write great football scouting reports? (tips, templates & examples)
Writing an effective scouting report requires precision, structure, and clarity. Using specific frameworks and templates ensures consistency while focusing on the player’s key performance aspects. - Where and how to find football scouting jobs, vacancies, and internships
Football scouting jobs can be found through various platforms, including club websites, specialized job boards, and networking tools. Internships and freelance opportunities are also on the rise. - Writing a Football Scout CV & Cover Letter: 10 tips
Crafting a standout football scout CV and cover letter requires highlighting relevant experience, technical skills, and a deep understanding of the club or organization to which you are applying.
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