From a published journal article to working in the USA
Chloe is a graduate of our BSc (Hons) Performance Analysis and Coaching Science programme at the University of Derby. She has since gained experience with Derby County Football Club, Leicester Football Club, FIFA, and now works for Houston Dash out in the states with the women’s first team who compete in the NWSL (National Women’s SoccerLeague). Chloe went on to publish her final year dissertation project in the International Journal of Sports Science and Coaching. Her project was titled: The perception and value of performance analysis within elite academy football: A comparison between phases.
What are you doing now and what does your day involve?
I'm currently a first team video analyst at Houston Dash. My day-to-day role involves opposition, training and match day analysis. Alongside this I work closely as part of a technical staff group with the coaches where I will provide data driven video reports to provide valuable insight.
Why did you come to University of Derby to study Performance Analysis?
When I was at college, I was undertaking quite a broad course, but I think the piece that interested me the most was the analysis side. It was quite niche at the time and there were not many places that combined performance analysis with the coaching side as well. I think that's what drew me to Derby compared to the other generic sports science courses because that was specifically the area I wanted to go into as a career.
How were you first exposed to applied performance analysis?
I think a lot of it at first was through the course which was highly practical and hands-on from the start. I gained fundamental knowledge of analysis, using the cameras, building code windows and learning the basics of outputs. The University provided Hudl Academy courses which was beneficial to further consolidate that learning. Then from an internship perspective, which are so beneficial for learning too, it was about seeing those classroom pieces in a live environment. Working under pressure and with different coaches, as well as understanding different people and different age groups are all things covered in the classroom, but you need to experience that first hand to fully appreciate it.
What are the main things you have learned from your studies?
How to apply what I've learnt in the classroom into a workplace environment. The integration and link between the two have always been made obvious and seamless. Learning how to translate classroom learning into practice has influenced my entire career. We learnt the entire workflows including the basics of video, basics of data, scripting, telestration, and programming in R. All of this helps me now and I still use these skills I learnt at the University in my career to date. I would say to future students that you might not think certain pieces are important at the time, but your knowledge is built up in a way that gives you a nice progression, and when you put it all together you can create some amazing and impactful pieces of work.
Any advice for prospective students considering Performance Analysis at the University of Derby?
The University is very good at supporting both sides of your journey. I’ve had great support throughout my academic studies but also with finding and then being on placement. For example, there was some intense periods of combining study with being on placement, however the staff at the University helped me hugely with this balance, providing advice and constant support along the way. The staff recognised the importance of such placements and the future benefits it might have on my career.
If you’re a new student I would try and get a placement as soon as possible because the earlier you can get one, the more experience you're going to build, and the more you're going to learn from the get-go. I would also say to get exposure within different environments and different sports. If you have the opportunity to go and work in a really niche sport, I would say to jump at it. You’ll learn things you may not expect that you can potentially apply back to your main sport.
Can you tell me about the FIFA role you have had and how this benefited you?
FIFA was very data driven - it was the first role I'd worked in which focused on data and how to collect specific in-depth data. Each analyst was responsible for one player, which you don’t see in a club environment because you need to cover your whole squad or multiple age groups. Within that role I was able to work with a variety of different people throughout the country who had various backgrounds and experiences. There are connections I have still today from this experience which have also crossed over with the NWSL and WSL. You also never know where your path may cross with these connections - it’s quite a small world within analysis, so it is important to maintain positive connections throughout your career and studies.
You are now working with Houston, how did that opportunity to come about you?
I’ve always said that I wanted to come out to the US – it's been a dream of mine. I just didn't think it would come up this soon in my career so I’m incredibly grateful for this opportunity and that I had the support around me to make the move happen. A previous employee at one of my jobs got in touch with me and asked if I was still interested in going out to the US; Houston was hiring for my now current role. Even though I was in the Academy at Derby County, I had knowledge of how everything works, it was just stepping up and putting it into a first team environment. I think my U9-16's role put me in a good place because I had done a variety of different workflows that I could demonstrate in several ways how I could impact Houston moving forward.
What are the differences and advice you would give students looking to be successful in academy and first team environments?
A lot of the skills are transferable like working under pressure and catering to different players of different ages. Understanding how different coaches work is also important. I used to work with seven coaches in my U9-16s role, so it’s about understanding that each one has a unique working style. In the first team environment, you're working closely with one coach or with the assistant coaches, so your network is probably a lot smaller compared to in the academy. I think my main advice is being flexible and understanding that people work and perceive information in different ways, have different playing styles and approaches that they want to adopt. I think a massive one for an analyst is being adaptable and recognising what aspects can transfer. In terms of processes, if you’re somewhere new, start by understanding what’s currently in place, what they’re missing, what they need more of, how can I as the analyst add value to the process and environment?
What is the biggest highlight so far in your developing career?
Moving out here to the US because I always said I wanted to do it. The highlight is probably achieving something that I thought would be quite a few years away or essentially hard to achieve. I’ve also managed to progress quite quickly from academy to first team level. Another highlight is the various travelling I get to do in this role. It’s US based but I get to see lots of cities that I perhaps would never have, even if I was from the states originally. I’m also working with elite players and Olympic players who go to the Games and compete for medals. It’s just super exciting.
How did you find that transition from UK to USA? Do you have any advice about taking that step if it interests other students?
I think if anyone gets the opportunity, do it. It's a learning curve and it's something that you won't regret, even if it's for a couple of months or longer-term. What helped me with the transition from UK to USA was learning the culture. Even though the US speaks the same language there are various nuances around how everything works. I think it’s also understanding that England is very developed regarding analysis. We have specialist courses however, very few in the US currently have the type of educational degree I do, unless they come from England too. In the US, it’s sports management or data analytics, so the education I have is a bit more niche.
