football tracking data Archives - Football Innovation Hub

01 Jul Pre-Action Control: Rethinking Goalkeeper Analysis in a High Defensive Line

Posted at 12:19h in Research

https://youtu.be/NG2EVGdfshE Most goalkeeper analysis evaluates the outcome: the save, the goal conceded, the clearance, the 1v1, the mistake. But by the time those actions appear, the most important part of the goalkeeper’s job may already have happened. Or may already have failed. In modern football, especially for teams...

04 Jun 100 Minutes Are Not the Same: Why Playing Time Is a Poor Measure of Competitive Load

Posted at 13:25h in Research

For decades, football has relied on a simple assumption: More minutes = more load. Playing time has become the universal currency used to describe player exposure, accumulated fatigue, squad rotation, workload management, and even injury risk. But what if playing time tells us how long a player was...

25 May The Biggest Mistake in Football Physical Analysis? Studying Metrics in Isolation

Posted at 13:04h in Research

For years, football science has tried to answer a seemingly simple question: Does physical performance help teams win football matches? The answers have usually been frustrating. Some studies showed that successful teams covered more high-speed running distance. Others showed no relationship at all. Some even found that losing...

27 Jun The Champion That Defends the Least… and Presses the Best: Insights from LALIGA EA Sports 2024/25

Posted at 13:08h in Research

Discover how to evaluate your team's defensive behavior beyond simple pressure counts. This AI-enhanced model, based on LALIGA EA Sports 2024/25 data, reveals how FC Barcelona leads in true pressing efficiency. Explore a visual framework to measure how well your team presses—and how much it...

05 May Offside is not a line—it’s a weapon. It’s up to you to turn it into an advantage or a trap

Posted at 12:23h in Research

Are your forwards creating real danger—or just filling space? Discover how a new model developed by LALIGA and Universidad Rey Juan Carlos measures control of the most decisive area on the pitch: the space behind the offside line. The concept of Offside Control reveals how teams...

11 Nov Heatmaps in soccer: Event vs tracking datasets

Posted at 13:36h in Paper

Heatmaps are everywhere in modern football analysis—from coaching staff to TV broadcasts. But how accurate are they, and does it matter whether they come from event data (passes, shots, duels) or tracking data (player positions every second)? This study compared both approaches in 60 LaLiga...