
I’ve spent the past seven years working in soccer/football analytics, and one complaint that I often hear is that so much work is only visible behind closed doors. Another is that analytics hasn’t gone mainstream. I think these two things are connected. So for me, it’s time to bring analytics out into the open, and that’s why NYA has launched smarterscout.com, where basic membership (smarterscout Lite) is free.
Right now smarterscout is in beta, and we’ll be adding plenty of features in the coming months. But we wanted to get an early version of the site online because, to be honest, we were having so much fun using it.
We’ve got data going back to 2016-17 on every player from 20 leagues in Europe. Soon we’ll be expanding to 50 leagues from around the world. For each player, we have four ratings from NYA’s models, eight dimensions of player style, one panel of statistics for recruiters and coaches, another panel of metrics for fantasy league players, and two panels on specific skills like aerial duels from dead balls and finishing in open play. Is it a ton of numbers? Yes! Do we need to make them more attractive and accessible? Also yes! We already have a thorough FAQ where you can find out more about where the numbers.

Users access the site with three basic queries: search by name, search by metrics, and search by similar players. The first one’s pretty self-explanatory; we’ve added birthdates with the player names so you know which David Silva you’re getting. The second one gives you a full slate of model-based, style, and skill metrics to narrow down your player pool. And the third one asks you to choose a model player (with a position, league, and season), then searches for players with the most similar styles. Want someone who plays like Mousa Dembélé did at DM in the Premier League last season? As one of our users has already found out, we’ve got you covered. You can narrow the search results further by league, age, and minutes played.
We’re eager for suggestions – and also to hear about any problems you might be having with the interface – so please contact us via the site. We’re really excited to have you along with us as we try to bring soccer/football analytics into the mainstream at last!