ABSTRACT
We reflect on the current state of two scientific fields – performance analysis in sport and sport data analytics – and consider what the future of the possible cooperation between these two branches of analysis may look like.
Performance analysis as a sport scientific discipline and as a very attractive profession in elite sport has recently been one of growth, in both the research (academic side) and applied sectors (practical side).There are now multiple undergraduate and post-graduate courses in performance analysis especially in the UK, but also some in Europe. More and more professional teams and governing bodies hire multiple analysts (performance analysts and sport data analysts) to work within their organisations. As such the swell of performance analysts and data analysts working within the industry has grown considerably over the years. Given that each athlete or team in elite sport is always striving to gain a competitive advantage over their opponents, it can often prove quite difficult for practitioners to understand how other teams approach answering performance questions and what is current best practice. This closing chapter aims to consider the reasons and the potential of professional cooperation for performance analysts in sport and sport data analysts.
