Banbury United is a club full of volunteers from Board Members, Matchday helpers, Media people, a few coaching staff and many more. We are now providing a series of ‘getting to know our wonderful volunteers’ and exploring the great work they provide for the club. First up is one of the few recognisable faces in the dugout from last season, 17- Year-old Performance Analyst- Mason Fox.
Mason’s love affair with football began in his early childhood, as he was influenced to support Wolverhampton Wanderers through his grandfather. This gave Mason the inspiration to join his local football club where he played up until he became a teenager. At the age of 13 football came to a national halt from the Premier League down to Grassroots due to the coronavirus. However, little did he know when Boris Johnson announced the country was in Lockdown that his career in football was just about to get started. With football coming back intermittently at grassroots level, Mason’s interest in playing subsided as his passion for analysing football grew exponentially as he loved watching the tactical battles at Euros 2020 (played in June/July 2021). With a key eye on tactics and statistics Mason was captivated in analysing and observing patterns of play so he began to play Football Manager on his Mac book to emulate some of these tactics. This gave Mason the chance to emulate the club he supports namesake tactic by “Hunting in packs”. The concept of "hunting in packs," is a phrase often associated with wolves and their teamwork-driven hunting style thus showing connotations to football teams pressing in large numbers in certain areas on the pitch to regain possession to create goal scoring opportunities. In addition to his involvement in the virtual realm, Fox began coaching at nearby grassroots clubs. This hands-on experience laid the groundwork for his burgeoning interest to be translated into real-world practice. Following his acceptance into college, where he is currently pursuing a Level 3 Sports and Exercise Science program that also encompasses analysis and coaching, Mason was eager to seek out opportunities to further develop his knowledge and expertise in performance analysis.
What is a performance analyser?
FMPA (2023) Define the Performance Analysis “as a study where systematic observation of an individual’s performance will provide coaches with objective information by gathering valid and reliable data that detail an athlete’s performance. This profession enhances the coaching process by providing statistical and video information for analysis and improvement.”
Most people getting into Performance Analysis these days seem to follow a very structured path. University, Internship, then a paid role within a club, but in September 2022, Mason had a trip to Italy to watch the 3 lions take on Italy at the San Siro with ex first team coach Rory Shadbolt. Despite Raspadori's strike causing England to be relegated from the Nations League the trip was not all lost as Mason and Rory got chatting about the famous red and gold army which presented itself with Fox to come on board to do some work experience at the club. This highlights Mason’s ambition in wanting to succeed in football as he bucked the trend of structure and secured a volunteering role before university. Since arriving Mason has since become a key member on matchday for both management teams Mark Jones and Andy Whing by starting out as just a performance analyst to now having the responsibility of managing the Veo/Hudl camera’s alongside being responsible for the player trackers.
Match Day Routine
Just like Foxes where they follow the same path and pattern each night so does Mason Fox on his match day routine. The routine begins with his arrival at the stadium around 1 PM after commuting on the train from Oxford and upon arrival is quickly engaged in discussions with the Mark Jones and the fellow backroom staff to review the players' training performance alongside dissecting the line-up for the upcoming match and gaining insights into the way the opposition may set up. Following the conversation, Mason enjoys seeking a deeper connection with the Loyal puritans’ and fellow volunteers as Mason makes it a habit to converse with older spectators within the stadium, tapping into their perspectives and viewpoints on the game ahead. Once settled in, Mason's attention turns to the meticulous setup of essential equipment, including the clubs new Hudl cameras, iPads, MacBooks set up on Wyscout, and the recent addition of player trackers. As the clock approaches 2:00, he delves into researching the opposition's line-up, strategically analysing player positions and contemplating potential matchups against their team.
With preparations complete and an air of anticipation, Mason contributes to the pre-game activities, assisting in packing up the warm-up gear and engaging in last-minute discussions with the staff. Just before the game commences, there's a crucial interaction with Jack Harding where the pair review the trends of the opposition's recent penalty kicks to hopefully provide an edge for Jack to go the right way if a penalty occurs. As the game unfolds, Mason takes his place in the dugout, intently observing the match's progression. His keen eye is focused on capturing key moments and valuable information which he will notify Mark and his team to get the information across to the players imminently. Post-game, after wrapping up the equipment and responsibilities, Mason heads home on the train, utilizing the journey to delve into further analysis of the gameplay. This comprehensive routine showcases Mason Fox's dedication and expertise in performance analysis, illustrating the pivotal role he plays in enhancing the team's strategies and performance outcomes on Matchday.
Data
Although it may appear that the use of data analytics in football has only been in the last few years, the truth is that its roots can be traced back to the 1950s. This occurred when Swindon Town manager Charles Reep lost patience in his sides sloppy performances and started to create notes on patterns of play and passing to cohere better performances from his players. With this ground-breaking discovery performance analysis with unearthed and Charles Reep became the first Known performance analysist in professional football. However, since then technology and data has advance in the professional game creating a lasting infrastructure creating analysis to dwindle down the leagues and is now heavily part of the non-league game too. At Banbury United Mason has a wide range of technology to help him gather information to create tactical advantages in the game.
In his match day routine, Mason introduces the club's new addition: the Hudl camera, replacing the previous Veo camera. The Hudl camera enables instantaneous game analysis upon download, accelerating data interpretation and offering real-time in-game statistics. Hudl, now embraced by over 200,000 teams globally, seamlessly integrates video and data to formulate winning strategies. Moreover, Mason and the club subscribe to Wyscout, a subscription-based platform often lauded as the "world's biggest library of football video and data." Wyscout equips Mason with an array of opponent videos to dissect formations and patterns, facilitating strategic preparation for matchdays. Fox also underscores the efficacy of YouTube and club websites, citing short highlight videos that reveal goal-scoring and conceding trends.
Lastly, Mason oversees the player tracking devices, which can analyse the players heatmap and how far they can run in a game. Yet despite this there is no target to meet a specific distance to cover in the game as Mason articulated “Each player has different goals to meet the averages compared to other teams in the leagues. There is no set number the play, it has to meet the philosophy of ‘hard working’ yet we can see patterns. Some games are different with the amount of running players do due to tactics”. This highlights the clubs a meticulous approach that integrates technology, philosophy, and pattern recognition within football analysis.
With all this data Mason analyses in-between college, working part-time and volunteering at Banbury United, Mason is also currently working on putting together an expected threat (xT) of players movement and passes piece. Expected Threat (xT) is calculated by laying a 'value surface' over a football pitch to divide it into zones, where each zone has a value assigned to it based on how likely a goal is to be scored from that zone. Players can then be credited for moving the ball from zone to zone. Mason explains that the pitch is divided into multiple zones and if a player was to travel through a 0.6 zone to another 0.6 zone, this would calculate to be a 1.2% increase of Expected threat (xT) as you add the numbers up together. The graphs and stats can help Mark Jones be armed full of data understanding when and how players can be at their most dangerous thus be able to capitalise the advantage to score goals and ultimately helping the club win games of football.
Qualifications and Long-term goals.
Driven by a profound passion for forging a successful career in professional football, Fox has actively pursued his dreams by enrolling in and successfully completing courses at the highest level. His dedication led him to attain certifications in Level 1 Data Analysis in Football and Level 1 Performance Analysis in Football, both sanctioned by the prestigious 'Professional Football Scouts Association'. These accomplishments stand as a testament to Fox's commitment and eagerness to excel in the football industry.
Armed with valuable qualifications and hands-on experience, Fox has significantly elevated his prospects of gaining admission to his top-choice educational institution, UCFB Wembley. Yet despite wanting to attend University next year where he is still keen to perform his role at Banbury United to keep building up his portfolio whilst learning on the job. His long-term aspiration is to work in the full-time game and become a performance and data analyser at his boyhood club Wolverhampton Wanderers.
Conclusion
In conclusion, Mason's transition from being an active player to a passionate observer and analyst of the game highlights the multifaceted nature of football's influence. His story underscores how the sport can inspire different forms of engagement, from playing on the field to delving into the complexities of strategy, tactics, and teamwork from a analyst perspective. By embracing his evolving relationship with football, Mason has found a meaningful way to express his passion and contribute to the sport he loves and has formed a two-way relationship at Banbury United as the club has provided a platform for Mason to gain experience in return for Mason to show off his expertise in analysing data and performances. Mason is at the start of his journey, but he is putting in all the right groundwork to make it to the top. Everyone at the club would like to thank Mason for the efforts he has put in so far and the effort he will put in advance.
Up the Puritans
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