Narrowing the gap in data analytics for women’s football A Swedish case study on the use of data analytics services
Ladda ner
Publicerad
Författare
Typ
Examensarbete för masterexamen
Master's Thesis
Master's Thesis
Modellbyggare
Tidskriftstitel
ISSN
Volymtitel
Utgivare
Sammanfattning
Recently, women’s football has seen unequal financial growth between teams, with
some having superior resources, and an increased use of data analytics due to investment.
The impact of the financial resources of teams on the use of data analytics
remains uncertain, as it is possible that such resources have contributed to
a widening of the competitive disparity between the teams. The study aimed to
investigate how teams in the Swedish women’s football league OBOS Damallsvenskan
used data analytics services and what characteristics of data analytics services
they prioritized, putting into perspective their budgets for data analytics. Data
was collected through semi-structured interviews using qualitative research. Teams
were grouped by budget into high, medium, and low categories. Each team’s use of
data analytics services has been evaluated, putting into perspective the characteristics
of each classification. Lastly, the prioritized characteristics for data analytics
services from each team in each classification group were identified and examined.
The study came across several main findings. Firstly, it was discovered that 50%
of the teams fall into the low-budget category which is a concerning number that
portrays the current prosperity of the league. Secondly, high-budget teams gain a
competitive advantage by collecting and analyzing real-time data to make informed
decisions during the games. Thirdly, clubs with successful teams in both women’s
and men’s football benefit from synergies as they can share costs across their teams.
Furthermore, the size and skills of the data analytics teams are key as information
asymmetry can lead to gaining a competitive advantage. Lastly, there is no unilateral
solution for data analytics services and the provision of a baseline service
is contingent upon each team’s financial capabilities and preferences. The findings
add to the existing research on data analytics in football by providing insights into
how data analytics can be used to narrow the sportive gap in women’s football.
Beskrivning
Ämne/nyckelord
data analytics, women’s football, Swedish football, competitive advantage, information asymmetry, synergies