Following a path of success
James Flower studied BSc (Hons) Performance Analysis and Coaching Science and MSc Applied Sport and Exercise Science (focusing on Performance Analysis) at the University of Derby. Having supported Derbyshire Cricket Club in his second and third year of undergraduate study. James made the jump into football during his MSc programme, securing a funded placement with Nottingham Forest Women. He recently converted this into a full-time paid position with the club following the hard work and significant impact he made within the team.
When was your first experience within a performance analysis placement on the undergraduate degree?
I got the opportunity to work at Derbyshire Cricket Club in their second team with another student in a dual role. We had to cover the second team games for the ECB (England and Wales Cricket Board) due to a new rule that was brought in to ensure all second team fixtures were analysed. We would go to out grounds, set up remote cameras, and then use this plus the software to analyse the game on a ball-by-ball basis. We would code all the games across all three formats, provide the coach at the time with any information that they or the players wanted. We were very much part of the inner circle of the team.
How did you find this placement impacted upon your university work?
I think it helped quite a lot because the year before was COVID, so we were not on campus at all. As a result of the pandemic, it was the first opportunity we had to go from classroom to applied practice, so to be as fortunate to go into an elite cricket environment was invaluable. I was able to see how the theory learned in class gets used and how it all fits together. It was really important, and nice to see.
How did your experience progress into your 3rd year?
Due to my previous placement with the second team, I was offered the chance to step up into the first team environment. The club said that due to that experience, the fact I get on well with the lads, and that I’m already well integrated within the club then it was mine to have if I wanted it. The first team environment was a lot easier in a way as the setups were fixed at the county ground. The cameras were fixed at both ends, the laptop and cables were always in place - it is wired so less chance of signal loss.
I would have my laptop set up with a feed continuously capturing, so if I ever missed anything I could always go back. I would clip every ball while adding contextual labels, which might consist of between 13 and 19 of these. At the same time, you might have some of the players coming in and asking to watch certain bits back such as dismissals. It was a bit of a juggling act, but you learnt to master it. The overall expectation and the demand from coaches and players on you is a lot different [First Team vs Second Team]. There is a lot more pressure.
In your final year you completed some profiling work, could you tell me about this and how it impacted your placement work?
I followed a young player at the time who was on the fringes of the first team. He was knocking on the door and there was a big discussion within a coaching group around where he should bat. He was an opener for the second team, but coaches thought he might be better suited to the middle order at first team level. I took all the data that I'd collected from the game's that I'd been coding on placement. I had around eight second team games and then four first class games. I used this to create a profile of the player, and make comparisons of where his attributes best suit in relation to the current team’s strengths and weakness. I was able to demonstrate to the coaching staff where he sits all supported with data and video to enable them to make a more informed decision. I was able to have that input with the coach whilst simultaneously absorbing a lot of cricketing knowledge from him on how the elite coaches look at players, their attributes, and how it all fits together.
How useful would you say those placements have been for your development?
It was really useful to see what analysis looked like in that first-class environment… I was very fortunate. It's something that I never thought I'd be able to have the opportunity to do. It really highlighted to me what I wanted to do, but also the skills that I'd developed including a variety of people skills in terms of working with athletes. They know a lot about their own game, so learning from them and sitting in a changing room with them while building rapport is valuable. I feel I am now more able to go into new work environments with that base understanding of building relationships and integrate more quickly and effectively.
What advice would you give to a current student who is thinking about a placement?
No matter how small it is, whether two weeks, two months, or a year - just get in there and do it. The Analysis Suite sessions are great but getting out on the grass, working with coaches and players that have been around the game and understand it a lot more than you do is the only way you're going to make yourself better as an analyst. You can watch as many football games as you like, but until you're in the environment and you see the inner workings of how a team operates you are never going to truly understand how a sport works.
Tell us about your MSc placement with Nottingham Forest FC.
I am the Lead First Team Analyst for the women's team which encapsulates the first team and academy. I work with the technical staff on the first team to deliver pre- and post-match material, including both video and data. I am involved in the day-to-day training, the recruitment conversations, the full works of an applied analyst role. Then from the academy side, I am involved less, but I come in for big games and arrange additional input where needed. The women's team before this season did not have analysis provision. Going in, it was literally like a clean sheet of paper. I had to sit down with the manager, have lengthy conversations, and work out how we wanted our analysis to look moving forward. Then, using all the skills I had learned on the undergraduate programme like building code windows, using an organiser and building scripted dashboards, I was able to translate what the manager wanted into an actionable workflow.
What was the most beneficial module on your MSc programme?
The programming and data visualisation module. It has made the biggest impact on me and my placement because I would like to think I am a very competent analyst in terms of video and coding, but the data side of it was something where I'd never realised its true capabilities. I've always used data to back my points up, whether through Excel or reporting numbers on a on a piece of paper to a coach. However, it allowed me to share and visualise data so that the players can see this information in ways that they have probably never seen before. I am now more able to produce outputs and visualisations to tell a clear story in a powerful way, rather than through less engaging words and numbers on a page, which is quite important when you are dealing with people
What is the big highlight(s) from this season whilst on placement with Nottingham Forest?
I think the biggest highlight for me is the relationships that I've built. I went in with the mindset of making myself irreplaceable. That was sort of that mantra that I've had from day one. At the end of the season the outcome of us winning the league wasn't possible, but I’d like to think I had an impact on the journey we went on, the weekends away and the amazing FA Cup run that we had – and that makes me feel good. I feel like I’ve had much more of a voice with being the lead of the department and I have been able to implement all the things that I have learnt over my undergraduate and master's degree to impact the team. Having such a good relationship with everybody around me and knowing that I've added value is extremely positive.
What is the nicest thing a player has ever said to you?
I suppose the biggest compliment would be related to when Player A was in contract negotiations. The head of women’s football came out to me afterwards and said Player A has just said to me during contract talks that if you do not stay then she [Player A] is not re-signing. One of the key players valuing your work and interactions so much, and to say something like that in a serious contract negotiation meeting whilst I was not even there, I think is the biggest compliment someone could give me as an analyst.
