Masters student Amy Lomas has been working with Championship side Norwich City this season as a Performance Analyst. We caught up with Amy, who studies MSc Football Coaching & Analysis at UCFB Etihad Campus, to chat about the role, how it works and how it will benefit her future career…
How did the job with Norwich come about, and what does the role entail?
I came across the advert for the position online, so I emailed across my CV and some background on myself, having previously worked at League One side Peterborough United within the Academy. This, alongside my undergraduate degree, was where my experience started. This was a huge opportunity for me to be able to put myself out there into the real world, knowing that this will help me head in the right direction for my dream career. The beauty of a job like this is that I’m always watching football – it’s the kind of job every football lover dreams of having. The different roles include filming academy games at weekends and then coding them afterwards. The importance is not only the coaches being able to look through the data that you have analysed, but also that players can look through and find areas they have worked on well and what areas need development. I feel this is of huge importance for the players to be able to track their progress and be able to develop physically, tactically and mentally.
Describe a typical day in your role at the Championship club?
Every day is different, with new challenges, knowledge and experiences. The days can vary due to the different age groups within the academy that I may be focusing on, the variation of filming games and training sessions, and coding the data collected. I spend most my time in the office as the cameras are already set up on every pitch so we can access them. After the games are filmed, they are coded into different sections which are relevant to the club’s philosophy.
How does your role fit into the framework of the football club?
Football now has become very stats orientated. It’s essential for professional football clubs to be able to use analysis to progress, move forward and gain success. Through analysis we provide the stats to help gain that success by coding a game and providing coaches with the key information to move forward.
What have you been able to take from UCFB into the work place?
One of the things I’ve taken is the variety of ways to carry out the job, from using different types of software to using different methods to format data. These are expanding and supporting my current knowledge within the field of analysis and helping me to progress forward to achieving my Masters degree and becoming better at what I currently do.
Norwich has a recent track record of developing young talent. Does this help attract players to Carrow Road to show them a pathway for their career?
Norwich are a family club who like to support and help with the Norwich City Community Sports Foundation. This is a foundation that helps a vast amount of individuals to achieve their goals through sport, supporting disadvantaged, disabled and talented people across Norfolk.
Working as a female in football, have you had to overcome any barriers to reach the position you have?
The barrier would be being worried about being the only female, and having to be brave to go out into the real world of a male dominated sport. However, it’s my dream job to work in football, having been brought up to love the sport from such a young age. I believe that if you want something bad enough and you have the determination and the correct mindset, then you can achieve anything. What’s stopping you going ahead and chasing your dreams? That’s what I’m doing.
What advice can you give to any prospective female students thinking about studying a degree at UCFB and who want to succeed in the football industry?
Go for it! It’s your career, and if you have the passion and the desire then what’s stopping you?