Having won the 2022 K League 1, the highest level of men’s football in South Korea, Ulsan Hyundai FC wanted to make a greater use of data to help them defend their title in the 2023 season.
The Requirement - Finding an Edge Through Football Data
Having been BEPRO users for several seasons, Ulsan trusted the BEPRO service to both support first team performances and help with player development across the wider club. However, for the (at that time) upcoming 2023 season they were keen to find a way of using data in new ways to help their first team find an edge.
This led to a discussion with BEPRO where they stated a desire to go beyond the data and information provided as ‘standard’ through the platform. Although many of the club’s staff were familiar with data, they needed a trusted partner to help them take their first steps into more advanced metrics and bespoke reporting, something they had not done previously.
The Process - Collaborating to Build Advanced Data Reports
A critical next step was discussing what the team wanted to understand in more detail, which involved Ulsan’s coaches and analysts speaking to the BEPRO football science team at length over a number of weeks. Through these initial collaborations we were able to begin working on different data reports to provide insights, based on the areas that the club had highlighted.
Some of these areas of interest to the club were perhaps not surprising, with reports being built for things like set pieces and shots. Ulsan were also looking to get more insights on some less predictable football topics including goalkeeper passing and turnovers of possession. Through continued consultation, initial reports were built to cover all these areas of interest and developed based on shared feedback. Event and tracking data were used together for some reports, which was made easier since BEPRO provides both data types.
"Football can't be fully interpreted with football data due to its unpredictability. However in modern football, it's becoming easier to describe what’s happened as quantitative and qualitative data have evolved. At Ulsan Hyundai FC we use data a lot, including as a key resource to support tactical meetings between coaches and players as it helps both sides discuss things more clearly. One of the greatest advantages of BEPRO's bespoke report is that it reviews our football philosophy really well through BEPRO’s advanced football data. No doubt we're going to continue integrating BEPRO's bespoke report into our team’s workflow more and more."
Myung-bo Hong, Head Coach, Ulsan Hyundai FC
Readymade, Usable Football Analytics
As the start of the 2023 K League season moved closer, the BEPRO football science team worked hard to get the first complete set of reports ready. Before the first round of matches kicked off the club had access to multiple reports to review previous season data to help them better prepare. The advanced reports are also being updated with 2023 season data as games are played.
This ongoing consultancy project will see new reports built and existing content refined as both sides find new questions that they want to find answers for. We look forward to sharing more on this project as the season progresses!
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