Until recently, predicting outcomes in sports was usually based on historical data compiled from player and team statistics. This approach, however, can’t guarantee outcomes; in fact, it often leads to dashed expectations and disappointing results.
Perhaps the most famous example of this predicament was the 2014 FIFA World Cup semi-final where Germany defeated Brazil 7-1. Traditional metrics favored Brazil, leaving the South American team stunned by their devastating loss and highlighting the inefficacy of existing statistical models in accurately representing team performance.
The Soccer Statistic You’ve Never Heard
Stefan Reinartz, a former midfield Bundesliga player and UEFA Champions League competitor, cited that example on a recent panel discussion hosted by Soccerex Miami. After experiencing his own “Aha!” moment, Reinartz became the founder of IMPECT, a German analytics company that revolutionized the role of statistics in the world of soccer.
Optimize financial management, monetize content, enhance team performance, and quickly meet consumer expectations
“Common soccer statistics like ball possession, winning tackles, running distance, and so on actually have no correlation to the end result,” Reinartz said. “I was quite shocked when I realized they really can’t tell you anything about a player’s or a team’s performance.”
He came to that realization when he read about the Moneyball approach, which uses advanced statistical analysis to acquire undervalued players and thus assemble a competitive team despite a limited budget.
“Some sports such as baseball may be more conducive to such a data-driven strategy, while others like soccer are more complex, making it difficult to create the right KPIs,” he explained.
Soccer is a low-scoring game involving 22 players in continuous action, requiring complex strategies and a lot of hard work to get past opponents to score. Apart from the number of goals and passes, individual statistics are almost nonexistent, making it challenging to create universally reliable metrics.
Realizing that soccer statistics did not measure the true value of individual players changed his own assumptions. Together with another midfielder, Jens Hegeler, he founded IMPECT with the goal of developing soccer data that can be used to make valuable assessments of players and teams. They invented “packing” to quantify the value of a pass or dribble.
The basic statistics in soccer, such as goals and assists, primarily reflect strikers and attacking midfielders, the players who do most of the scoring and assisting. Midfielders, who do most of the running and passing to initiate offensive moves, are seldom recognized statistically. What they do best is move the ball past opposition players. That is what packing measures.
The methodology is simple: Players earn a point for any move — a cross, a dribble, a long pass — that causes the ball to move past opposition players. Receivers also get points.
Today, IMPECT is a thriving business collecting and selling packing data to help teams scout for players, analyze their own performance, and learn key facts about opponents.
What’s SAP Got to Do With It?
During the discussion, Achim Ittner, vice president of Sports at SAP, described the company’s journey from its roots in business software to developing specialized sports applications, emphasizing user-centric design and collaboration with renowned coaches and national teams.
“Like IMPECT, we’ve been focused on developing data-driven solutions and relevant tools for sports clubs using direct feedback and a design thinking approach,” Ittner said. He explained that SAP built a unified platform to address fragmented software ecosystems in sports. The platform integrates APIs and data sources to support processes like injury prevention, training recommendations, match preparation, and player well-being.
“Sports analytics embodies the blend of data science and athletic performance, providing a blueprint to guide decisions made by coaches and trainers,” he shared. “The significance of data in today’s sports ecosystem cannot be overstated. It’s necessary for everything from strategizing game plans to refining individual skills.”
SAP’s engagement with IMPECT is just one example of how the compay collaborates with a variety of teams and experts to further shape its sports technology. New technologies — like social media, mobile, and digital capabilities, as well as sensors in player uniforms and equipment — are disrupting the sports industry. SAP is committed to helping sports organizations take advantage of these new innovations to deepen fan engagement, improve team performance, grow revenue faster, and efficiently operate their business and venues.
Besides solutions for scouting and measuring team performance, SAP also has one for customer engagement and marketing. Afterall, the fan experience is just as important as the team’s performance. The SAP Sports One solution provides a 360-degree view of each customer and fan to better target individual preferences and purchasing behaviors by offering personalized experiences over online, mobile, and social channels. Teams can grow their fan base, manage their merchandise, and increase loyalty with personalized rewards.
Delivering the Experience
“A great sports experience is about so much more than winning the game,” said Ittner. “It involves a mix of elements that includes players, spectators, and organizers.”
For the fans, food and beverage, merchandise, a good streaming experience, and clear communications on schedules and navigating the venue are critical. Having the right players for a winning team and providing them with the best care and training before and after the game is the job of team management. And finally, the venue must provide exceptional facilities, infrastructure, safety, and security.
SAP helps bring this all together, creating an intersection of sports, technology, and innovation.
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