When we explain what we do at 11tegen11, we do not just say ‘digital scouting’. Most of the times, we add the word ‘customisation’. The reason is very simple: we offer services based on the needs of the club instead of providing a one-size-fits-all platform. In our vision, data analysis and video scouting is all about context and interpretation. That’s why we provide our scouting advice as easy to understand as we possibly can without losing valuable information.
Every club has its own way of working. They set up their scouting team differently, communicate with player agents in their preferred manner and use a unique rating system. It would not make sense to expect the club to adapt to us instead of the other way around. Obviously, the club has to integrate our digital scouting support into their current methods. But apart from that, we offer the flexibility to connect to any setup that a club currently has in place. Let’s provide some examples of how we put this form of customisation into practice.
Communication
At 11tegen11 Scouting, we rate clear communication very highly. To provide to optimal advice, we need to know everything about the playing style of the team, the most urgent needs and we place a lot of emphasis on feedback to keep improving our player suggestions. For us, frequent and effective communication is non-negotiable. We are very flexible in the exact way to do so, based on the club’s preferences.
We usually exchange player evaluations by setting up a shared player database, by chatting via Slack or Whatsapp, and by having periodic video calls and face-to-face meetings. All of these communication methods can be useful to increase mutual trust and to exchange information. As a result, our contribution to the scouting team improves significantly over time.
Player ratings
Every club uses its own player rating system. Below, you’ll find some of the most frequently used ones.
- A-B-C-D. Usually, an A means a player is rated very highly. The D means he is not good enough for the club and probably never will be. Definitions for B and C vary from club to club, and will fall in between those two extremes.
- Green-orange-red. Those colors correspond with a player’s suitability for the team. Green is a very good fit and red a very bad one. Green/orange and orange/red can be used to create a five-point scale.
- 1-100. The higher the number, the better the player. With this rating system, it is possible to be very specific about his level. One can also add a number for potential, which is always equal to or higher than his current level.
It wouldn’t make sense to use one rating system when the club uses another. This would lead to lost information because of constant switches between the two rating systems. Therefore, we are used to customisation based on the current methods of the club.
Player roles
Obviously, every club has a different playing style, with varying roles on every position. For us, it is very important to take this into account when executing a scouting assignment. Both in data analysis and video scouting we use this input to adapt to the club.
In data analysis, we use 72 advanced metrics to evaluate players. It goes without saying that expected goals is more important for a striker than for a fullback, while for crossing it is the other way around. Therefore, we assign a different value to every metric based on the position of the player on the field and his intended role in that position.
In video scouting, we analyse a player based on the skill set the club expects from him. We also take into account which players he might connect with after a transfer. Moreover, a player should always be capable of participating within the club’s playing style, whether that is a high intensity style or a more possession-focused one.
Customisation
The fourth step of our five-step digital scouting process is the delivery. We send a report to the club with several player suggestions based on the search criteria defined by the club. This report can vary in different ways, such as the number of player suggestions, the design, the information listed, the extent to which the players are described in detail and the way we provide an in-depth data explanation. In other words: full customisation.
The most simple way of suggesting a player is by sending nothing but his name and current club. A very extensive way of doing so is by providing several video scouting reports as well as an extensive strengths-and-weaknesses analysis from a data point of view, supported by visualisations about his style of play, current level and potential.
Our preference is to stay somewhere in the middle of those two extremes. But since we rate customisation highly, we are more than happy to adapt to the needs of the club.
This scouting support differs a lot from the one-size-fits-all-platforms other data scouting companies offer. They’ve developed a very scalable digital environment that clubs get access to by paying a monthly or yearly fee. Although these platforms can be very useful, we deliberately choose to offer consultancy based services instead. Here, you can read more about the reasons for that decision.
More information
The best way to learn whether your club and our services might be a good match, is by scheduling a 30 minute video call. This provides us the opportunity to get to know each other and explain more about our methods and vision. Besides, we’d like to learn about the club and its main challenges.
