You have the data. Do you have anyone to read it?

Why more data hasn't meant better decisions

The volume of match data has jumped. At the FIFA Arab Cup 2021, FIFA collected in excess of 15,000 data points per game, compared with an average football data set of around 2,000 to 2,500 events. That's far more to make sense of, and spending is following. One estimate puts the global sports analytics market at $2.29bn in 2025, rising to $4.75bn by 2030, growth of 15.7% a year. Forecasts vary, but they all point the same way.

Platforms are easy to approve. People who can use them are harder to find, and without them a tracking feed is just an invoice and a dashboard is decoration. The value sits with the person who can watch a match, code what matters and explain it in plain words to a coach, a scout or a sponsor. They also spot when a supplier's numbers don't match what happened on the pitch; without them, you're trusting every feed blindly. Off the pitch, the same skills applied to fan and commercial data tell you who your fans actually are, which is what you need to value your rights and go into sponsor meetings prepared.

Every data deal you sign assumes someone in the building knows what to do with it.

Everyone else wants these people too

The World Economic Forum's Future of Jobs Report 2025 found AI and big data top the list of fastest-growing skills. And analytical thinking, the thing you hire an analyst for, is still the most sought-after core skill, with seven out of 10 companies considering it essential. Big data specialists are among the fastest-growing jobs in percentage terms, too. So you're chasing the same profile as banks, telecoms companies and government departments. The pressure isn't easing, either: employers expect nearly 40% of the skills required on the job to change by 2030, and 63% already cite skills gaps as the key barrier they face.

Sport rarely wins a salary war with a bank or a ministry, so I wouldn't try. Compete on purpose, pace and progression instead. Analysts want to see their work used on match day, to learn fast and to be trusted early, and rights holders that build a clear route from intern to head of insight will keep people that money alone couldn't hold.

Your next analyst may already work for you

The strongest analyst programmes start with people you already have: the video volunteer, the sports science graduate, the commercial executive with a spreadsheet habit. Train them on your own competition, with real footage, deadlines and questions from coaches and partners. Our team ran FIFA Digital Skills across 179 member associations, with more than 1,500 participants and more than 4,000 learning hours. Skills stick when people use them on their own work straight away, and that's the principle I'd build any programme around.

Then look outside. Universities want placements for sports science and data students, and national skills programmes want employers who'll put trainees to work, so a club or league offering live match data and a real brief is an attractive partner for both. It costs mostly time and supervision, and you get back a bench of analysts who already know your competition.