Being pushed heavily by the club's media this morning...

Seen it on linkedin you can download the app and take part in the clubs open trial

AiSCOUT on the app store

Do they have room for a 30 year old central midfield dynamo? I'm in the Scholesy type mould. Trouble is i'm not specifying whether or not it is paul or tony

gandhisflipflop wrote: ↑

Tue Jan 12, 2021 10:21 am

Do they have room for a 30 year old central midfield dynamo? I'm in the Scholesy type mould. Trouble is i'm not specifying whether or not it is paul or tony

Well it only states ‘over 14’. I’m downloading it now so my wife can film my football drills in the garden this afternoon. It’s taken until the age of 52 but I feel my moment of glory has come at last!!

They have just 3 weeks left of the transfer window to find the next star of the future - could it be you !

martin_p wrote: ↑

Tue Jan 12, 2021 10:24 am

Well it only states ‘over 14’. I’m downloading it now so my wife can film my football drills in the garden this afternoon. It’s taken until the age of 52 but I feel my moment of glory has come at last!!

Would be hilarious if they were bombarded with video's of middle-aged clarets completing the drills!

NewClaret wrote: ↑

Tue Jan 12, 2021 10:49 am

Would be hilarious if they were bombarded with video's of middle-aged clarets completing the drills!

I can just picture that - full kit, shirt stretched to the max and gut hanging out. “Ave it”

DCWat wrote: ↑

Tue Jan 12, 2021 10:55 am

I can just picture that - full kit, shirt stretched to the max and gut hanging out. “Ave it”

The real worry is though even s**t players can create a highlights reel on youtube and make themselves look good, imagine what we could sign for free

DCWat wrote: ↑

Tue Jan 12, 2021 10:55 am

I can just picture that - full kit, shirt stretched to the max and gut hanging out. “Ave it”

Someone’s got to do one.

If nothing else, will help the club by providing the low baseline for their AI algorithms!!

I’ve had a scroll through the app, it’s top heavy with Chelsea badges due to their involvement with the app, I’m almost certain that this will get many many bogus videos uploaded. However I suspect that it could inspire players who see it as a last chance to catch the eye at certain ages say 18-20, and maybe will see a younger age group really hammer it to try and chase the dream of being a footballer, who knows!? But there is an option to follow certain players, which will allow you to see their scores and I presume some drills - will be funny to see if anybody gives us the aforementioned tight top, full kit , out of breath after 20 seconds experience

gandhisflipflop wrote: ↑

Tue Jan 12, 2021 10:21 am

Do they have room for a 30 year old central midfield dynamo? I'm in the Scholesy type mould. Trouble is i'm not specifying whether or not it is paul or tony

For your sake I hope it's our Paul. With my footballing abilities I don't think you'd even be allowed to download the App.

Dib dib dob

NewClaret wrote: ↑

Tue Jan 12, 2021 10:49 am

Would be hilarious if they were bombarded with video's of middle-aged clarets completing the drills!

Yep, and all wearing full Burnley kit with HOOPED socks!!

DCWat wrote: ↑

Tue Jan 12, 2021 10:55 am

I can just picture that - full kit, shirt stretched to the max and gut hanging out. “Ave it”

You have just described half the Burnley squad in the early 90s

Jack Wilshere will definitely be submitting his!

DCWat wrote: ↑

Tue Jan 12, 2021 10:55 am

I can just picture that - full kit, shirt stretched to the max and gut hanging out. “Ave it”

Like jay out of the Inbetweeners, "completed it mate"

In all seriousness, this is a really pleasing development.

On first reading I wondered how much AI can tell you about the prospects of a footballer from drills recorded on mobile phone footage, but when you really think about this, the possibilities are massive.

Firstly, getting young players who are tech savvy to engage with the club, building information on them and our profile amongst that age group. Plus it allows us to take our recruitment globally where otherwise we presumably only have a local reach, then bring players that appear to perform well to trials. Even if this picks up one or two players that would otherwise have not existed on our radar, it would be worthwhile. May be some form of gamification angle too, where you get young players to constantly interact with you by setting new challenges, etc.

Interesting also, that we've chosen the day we play Man United, and presumably get most global exposure of our social media channels and internet searches to launch this. There's so many posts on our twitter account you can't scroll down to the next non-AI Scout one, very savvy. Looks like the new owners do know what they are doing.

Assume other clubs may start to follow suit, but nice to be leading something for a change.

Can it help with Football Manager 2020?

I think any idea to introduce young talent from anywhere in the world is a good idea. Just a shame that there are quite a few typos in the app description on Apple store, the Burnley official app announcing the release and the Twitter feed from burnleyfc announcing the release. I know it is not the end of the world but a bit of proof reading would make the whole idea look more professional.

Where does money come into it?

claretonthecoast1882 wrote: ↑

Tue Jan 12, 2021 10:58 am

The real worry is though even s**t players can create a highlights reel on youtube and make themselves look good, imagine what we could sign for free

They won't go straight to signing though, will they? Surely this is about increasing the volume of players you see, globally, with the ability to filter out 90% of the noise, and then work on how you test the 10%, be it through trials, scouting at games or utilising feeder clubs to find the 0.01% who could be profitable to the club.

I can't knock this, as it's an area of untapped potential for the club, that may work, and may not, but is definitely worth pursuing as an opportunity.

dandeclaret wrote: ↑

Tue Jan 12, 2021 1:03 pm

They won't go straight to signing though, will they? Surely this is about increasing the volume of players you see, globally, with the ability to filter out 90% of the noise, and then work on how you test the 10%, be it through trials, scouting at games or utilising feeder clubs to find the 0.01% who could be profitable to the club.

I can't knock this, as it's an area of untapped potential for the club, that may work, and may not, but is definitely worth pursuing as an opportunity.

Totally agree.

And innovative and potentially brand building/PR opportunity to boot.

dandeclaret wrote: ↑

Tue Jan 12, 2021 1:03 pm

They won't go straight to signing though, will they? Surely this is about increasing the volume of players you see, globally, with the ability to filter out 90% of the noise, and then work on how you test the 10%, be it through trials, scouting at games or utilising feeder clubs to find the 0.01% who could be profitable to the club.

I can't knock this, as it's an area of untapped potential for the club, that may work, and may not, but is definitely worth pursuing as an opportunity.

I fully agree, the comment was slightly tongue in cheek. Anything that either gives us an edge or improves our scouting is always welcome.

dandeclaret wrote: ↑

Tue Jan 12, 2021 1:03 pm

They won't go straight to signing though, will they? Surely this is about increasing the volume of players you see, globally, with the ability to filter out 90% of the noise, and then work on how you test the 10%, be it through trials, scouting at games or utilising feeder clubs to find the 0.01% who could be profitable to the club.

I can't knock this, as it's an area of untapped potential for the club, that may work, and may not, but is definitely worth pursuing as an opportunity.

It's a widening of the recruitment net in some ways and the wider it is the more potential for finding potential Premier League footballers. I can't see anything negative in this at all and as Dan says it will just hopefully produce a group of young players who we can then scout further before signing them.

first step of the vertical integration that was talked about (and poo-pooed by a fair number) back in September

Just seen on eBay
Burnley FC selling an "almost new" antique fax machine

Players can use a free mobile app to upload footage of themselves performing specific individual drills, first physical and then technical. Scores will be produced from that via AiSCOUT’s artificial intelligence capability, and the information can be used by scouts.

I presume this relates to footballing skills only (if you get my drift)

Chester Perry wrote: ↑

Tue Jan 12, 2021 1:45 pm

first step of the vertical integration that was talked about (and poo-pooed by a fair number) back in September

Are you seeing this as significant in respect of vertical integration? It’s a hugely crowded market, with many teams presumably having access to far more advanced systems and processes than we do. It’ll need to produce some solid outcomes for it to have the impact that we want.

DCWat wrote: ↑

Tue Jan 12, 2021 1:56 pm

Are you seeing this as significant in respect of vertical integration? It’s a hugely crowded market, with many teams presumably having access to far more advanced systems and processes than we do. It’ll need to produce some solid outcomes for it to have the impact that we want.

not significant at this stage, but I expect ALK to bring more tech operations into the fold and under their ownership, there is also potential for the AI technology to be used in player development, particularly at Academy level - that is where I expect then to develop it - there is already such technology in development out there now in the marketplace

Chester Perry wrote: ↑

Tue Jan 12, 2021 2:07 pm

not significant at this stage, but I expect ALK to bring more tech operations into the fold and under their ownership, there is also potential for the AI technology to be used in player development, particularly at Academy level - that is where I expect then to develop it - there is already such technology in development out there now in the marketplace

Any ideas on what these might be? I’m struggling to think of areas, outside of player recruitment, that could generate the significant sums of money that we may need to make investment worthwhile.

I’m sure I’m missing any number of things but outside of the above, I’m struggling to see what sort of tech operations would drive efficiencies and increase our revenue.

The obvious areas would look to be commercial opportunity and fan base (not necessarily in the UK) but is there a huge untapped market, or perhaps something else?

DCWat wrote: ↑

Tue Jan 12, 2021 2:28 pm

Any ideas on what these might be? I’m struggling to think of areas, outside of player recruitment, that could generate the significant sums of money that we may need to make investment worthwhile.

I’m sure I’m missing any number of things but outside of the above, I’m struggling to see what sort of tech operations would drive efficiencies and increase our revenue.

The obvious areas would look to be commercial opportunity and fan base (not necessarily in the UK) but is there a huge untapped market, or perhaps something else?

I imagine there's scope for a whole variety of areas. Producing opposition scouting reports for instance has a lot of scope. For instance being able to swiftly update them when the line up is announced or extrapolating even if it's the first time the players have played together. Can allow you to cut headcount whilst also having a competitive edge.

There's plenty about performance stats being used to identify players who are fatigued or at risk of injury even before they're aware of it and this could be developed. It's also the type of thing that could be sold on to Garmin, Fitbit, Underarmour or whatever which is the real hope.

A bit more out there is replacing VAR with a computer, removing those elements of bias (although obviously it just shifts the bias down to the learning).

That's just off the top of my head, I'm sure there is much more.

Chester Perry wrote: ↑

Tue Jan 12, 2021 1:45 pm

first step of the vertical integration that was talked about (and poo-pooed by a fair number) back in September

"Vertical integration"

Can't wait for SD's interviews tonight - how he's going to get vertical integration and pitch geography into the same sentence will be a sight to behold

aggi wrote: ↑

Tue Jan 12, 2021 2:50 pm

I imagine there's scope for a whole variety of areas. Producing opposition scouting reports for instance has a lot of scope. For instance being able to swiftly update them when the line up is announced or extrapolating even if it's the first time the players have played together. Can allow you to cut headcount whilst also having a competitive edge.

There's plenty about performance stats being used to identify players who are fatigued or at risk of injury even before they're aware of it and this could be developed. It's also the type of thing that could be sold on to Garmin, Fitbit, Underarmour or whatever which is the real hope.

A bit more out there is replacing VAR with a computer, removing those elements of bias (although obviously it just shifts the bias down to the learning).

That's just off the top of my head, I'm sure there is much more.

Thanks aggi.

There are obviously some elements that might benefit us here. What I don’t understand though, is how this might benefit us financially, if at all.

We may benefit as users but is the link between us and ALK and ALK with AI Scout, any part of the wider plan in respect of BFC or are we simply the sales pitch to benefit ALK?

DCWat wrote: ↑

Tue Jan 12, 2021 3:30 pm

Thanks aggi.

There are obviously some elements that might benefit us here. What I don’t understand though, is how this might benefit us financially, if at all.

We may benefit as users but is the link between us and ALK and ALK with AI Scout, any part of the wider plan in respect of BFC or are we simply the sales pitch to benefit ALK?

for the club the financial development is through on field performance and player development - AI is being used to develop players tactical awareness, I expect VR to come into that as well - anyone who read the James Tarkowski piece in the Athletic yesterday will see how important positioning is and VR will be useful to build the muscle memory of body shape, communication etc. amongst many other things

DCWat wrote: ↑

Tue Jan 12, 2021 3:30 pm

Thanks aggi.

There are obviously some elements that might benefit us here. What I don’t understand though, is how this might benefit us financially, if at all.

We may benefit as users but is the link between us and ALK and ALK with AI Scout, any part of the wider plan in respect of BFC or are we simply the sales pitch to benefit ALK?

I would assume (and obviously this is all based on supposition, they may not be going in this direction at all) that the IP would be held elsewhere and exploitation of any successes wouldn't directly financially benefit Burnley.

The benefit for Burnley would be gaining that edge through using the technology. Suffering fewer injuries, exploiting the scouting reports, etc leading to a better league place and more money.

We would be the sales pitch but, for it to be a successful sales pitch, we would have to be successful.

it's a brilliant idea, end of

I can see the benefits to us from a scouting or player performance perspective, but unlikely to the value that’s going to see a significant return for investors.

So yes, it’s the future and I’m all for that, especially if it gives us an advantage, but it’s an area to probably cross off the list of reasons for investing in / purchasing BFC.

NewClaret wrote: ↑

Tue Jan 12, 2021 10:49 am

Would be hilarious if they were bombarded with video's of middle-aged clarets completing the drills!

I'm thinking of getting my kit on, do a few walking football drills and then submitting with the recommendation "view on fast forward."

Once I've got my vaccine I'll be ready for any over 65s team!

I hear Vydra just uploaded his stuff

Exciting times !

I love the majority of posters' optimism on AiScout. I really hope that it becomes the biggest and best scouting tool and is used by the clarets to find some promising young talent. Likewise I hope we utilise player lens to conduct worldwide scouting and we can get mates rates discount on the the agents fees. The reality is that there are thousands of app all vying for the same marketspace in the hope of earning a small commission upon a player signing terms.

There is some conflation about this scouting app and player analysis software. Just to be clear Burnley FC pay £10s' of 1000's each year for player analysis software plus employ a lot of staff, like all professional clubs. I would hope that it is extremely unlikely that Mr Pace has discussed using AiScout within the club for current player analytics as it could have been an uncomfortable discussion bearing in mind the current infrastructure, staff and software.

My initial thoughts on Pace's purchasing of AiScout was that it was a naïve (but cheap) way to build a perception of knowledge of soccer, but also in the hope that it may be integrated into a club, if he ever found investors to enable the purchase of a club.

UpTheClarets

The key thing isn’t the app, it is the analysis and judgement on the data it contains. The in-house club team who use this to sign young players - they are crucial to this. Presumably, had we not been taken over, our club could still have bought the app. In my experience (which is considerable in this kind of thing) I see 10x the number of people messing up analysis like this rather than excelling at it.

I agree,
We have not necessarily been seen to be hugely successful with analysis over the years. But I think things are improving, what with the Academy, U23's, U-18's, Barnfield development, investment in etc.
I think for me the current positives are the real investments in youth, scouting etc. We already have huge investment in this area, we have roles of technical Analyst Emerging Talent and Academy Performance Analyst, who are fully qualified, uni educated, enthusiastic young people who are experienced in using professional analysis software in their day to day jobs, so with respect will not need to be using AiScout.

CrosspoolClarets wrote: ↑

Tue Jan 12, 2021 11:43 pm

The key thing isn’t the app, it is the analysis and judgement on the data it contains. The in-house club team who use this to sign young players - they are crucial to this. Presumably, had we not been taken over, our club could still have bought the app. In my experience (which is considerable in this kind of thing) I see 10x the number of people messing up analysis like this rather than excelling at it.

Isn’t that the AI part? We don’t use human thought we go with the data?

Is there an app which monitors THE FANS ‘player of the year’ and ‘young player of the year’ for Championship and Div 1 teams? Now that would be useful.

Think not what AI Scout can do for BFC, but think what BFC can do for AI Scout, this is only the beginning, tip of the iceberg stuff.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/55633864
Certainly a new approach to talent spotting.

Be better if these apps were only available to Burnley.

Perhaps we could charge the other clubs a £4.99/month subscription for Talent App PREMIUM which offers additional info and extra features.

If ten clubs sign up then we're £49.90/month better off.