UCFB Etihad Campus graduate Lewis Iron recently completed a two-year internship as Performance Analyst at Sky Bet Championship side Nottingham Forest.
Lewis, who studied BA (Hons) Sports Business & Coaching, worked with the club’s academy and Aitor Karanka’s first-team in a role that saw him participate in the development and coordination of performance analysis to help improve the technical and tactical development of players throughout the club.
Lewis hard at work at the City Ground, home of Nottingham Forest.
He filmed all training sessions and live matches, before analysing the footage and maintaining a database of actions including goals and set pieces to enable easy access for team coaches. As part of his role, Lewis was also the analyst for Forest’s under-13 and under-14 age groups.
Lewis, who has also recently completed his Masters, said: “I hope to improve as an analyst each day and strive to be the best I can be. I am a motivated individual and passionate about football, which is what has driven me to work in the professional industry. I hope to keep learning as analysis is becoming increasingly important in the game and constantly growing with different paths to follow.”
While at UCFB Lewis was able to gain his FA Level 2 and STATS analysis certificates on top of his degree – essential qualifications for someone looking to go into his field.
Lewis at the City Ground.
Citing the highlights of the role, Lewis said helping the under-13 team to the semi-finals of the national cup was a high point. But as an avid Forest fan, there was only one moment he could really highlight from the 2017/18 season. He said: “The best experience probably has to be being part of the 4-2 FA Cup win over Arsenal. The whole experience – playing against a top Premier League club, seeing the players, the game being on TV – it was a great day and made me realise that I’m lucky to work in this profession.”
