Read an English version below.
Patrick Oxenham er Academy Insights Manager hos Fulham Football Club, hvor han har en central rolle, når det gælder datadrevne indsigter. Han er ansvarlig for at anvendelsen og integrationen af data- og analysemetoder, som understøtter udviklingen Fulham FC’s akademispillere. Vel at mærke både på en strategisk og individuel tilpasset måde.
Patrick har en baggrund som Senior Lecturer i Performance Analysis på St Mary’s University, hvor han etablerede og ledede flere uddannelsesprogrammer inden for sportsanalyse og talentidentifikation, og udover Fulham FC har han været tilknyttet Stoke City FC, Valencia CF og Magdeburg FC.
I denne Q&A deler Patrick sine erfaringer med, hvordan Fulham FC strategisk anvender data til at fremme langsigtet spillerudvikling. Ligesom anvendelsen af data giver uanede muligheder, følger også udfordringer og faldgruber. Derfor får du også viden om, hvordan du overvinder udfordringerne ved implementeringen af data, og hvordan samarbejde på tværs af fagområder spiller en afgørende rolle.
Q&A-artiklen tager afsæt i Patricks oplæg til Football Performance Summit 2025, som Divisionsforeningen og SDU afholdt.
Question |
Answer |
Hvordan anvender I data hos Fulham FC til at understøtte den langsigtede udvikling af jeres akademispillere? | Den vigtigste del i anvendelsen af data er den strategi og forståelse, som ligger til grund for den langsigtede spillerudvikling. Hos Fulham Football Club måler vi det, vi værdsætter, fremfor at indsamle al den data, vi kan.
Vores overbevisning er, at spilleren/individet er centrum i vores strategi, hvilket betyder, at vi tilpasser vores datastrategi til den enkelte. Hver enkelt spiller i akademiet har en individuel udviklingsplan med skræddersyede targets både i og uden for boldbesiddelse. Vores datastrategi er derfor at måle på disse targets, så vi kan levere relevante og specifikke målinger af spillernes udvikling. Det er vigtigt at nævne, at spillerens individuelle udviklingsplan kan tilpasses, efterhånden som præstationerne forbedres. Derfor skal dataindsamlingsstrategierne tilpasses i løbet af sæsonen. Derudover anerkender vi betydningen af ikke kun at indsamle objektive data, men også subjektive målinger i form af videoanalyse. Ved at kombinere video med objektive data kan vi skabe stærke fortællinger om spillerudvikling på tværs af træning og kampe. |
Hvad er de største udfordringer ved at arbejde med datadrevne indsigter i spillerudvikling, og hvordan overvinder I dem? | Den største udfordring ved at arbejde med datadrevne indsigter er at få alle medarbejdere og spillere til at bakke op om visionen og strategien i akademiet hos Fulham FC.
Selvom data kan give uvurderlige indsigter, afhænger effektiviteten af, om trænere, analytikere og spillere er villige til at stole på og integrere data i deres daglige rutiner. Modstand skyldes ofte skepsis over for dataenes relevans, frygt for at erstatte menneskelig dømmekraft eller en manglende forståelse af, hvordan data kan informere beslutninger. Spillere kan også opfatte data som værende for kritiske eller påtrængende, hvilket kan føre til manglende engagement. For at overvinde disse udfordringer er kommunikation og uddannelse nøglen. At demonstrere, hvordan data supplerer snarere end erstatter medarbejdernes ekspertise, hjælper med at opbygge tillid blandt medarbejdere. Her kan workshops, cases og regelmæssige teammøder styrke datakompetencen i hele akademiet. Derudover er det afgørende at indlejre data i klubbens kultur. At udpege dataambassadører, respekterede rollemodeller i teamet, der taler for brugen af data, kan fremme accepten. Og dette er en vigtig rolle for vores analytikere. At forenkle komplekse indsigter til letforståelige og anvendelige formater sikrer tilgængelighed og anvendelighed, hvorfor vi har fleksible løsninger til præsentationen af data, som er skræddersyet til den enkelte. I sidste ende er det vigtigt at skabe et samarbejdsmiljø, hvor data ses som en allieret fremfor en trussel, for at opnå langsigtet succes. |
Hvordan sikrer I, at de data, I indsamler, bliver omsat til konkrete handlinger, der gavner spillerudviklingen? | Det sikrer vi ved at have en klar vision for, hvad vi ønsker at måle, hvordan vi måler det, og hvordan vi giver feedback. Dette indebærer to punkter:
1. Er de data, vi indsamler, passende til at evaluere spillernes udvikling? 2. Kan spillere og trænings-/performancestab forstå de data, vi har indsamlet, til at evaluere udvikling? Det første punkt handler om den individuelle spiller og spillerens udviklingsplan. Da udvikling kan ske over tid, skal vi sikre, at de data, vi indsamler, tilpasses i takt med fremskridt i løbet af sæsonen og spillerens udviklingsrejse i akademiet. Derfor er det afgørende, at vi regelmæssigt evaluerer spillerpræstationer, herunder trænings- og kampanalyser, tværfaglige ugentlige evalueringer, seks-ugers cyklusanalyser og langsigtet planlægning tre til fire gange om året. Ved hver af disse evalueringer anvender vi både objektive (numeriske) og subjektive (video) data til at vurdere spillerens individuelle udviklingsplan. På den måde evaluerer vi løbende vores dataindsamlingsstrategi for at sikre, at vi anvender de rette målinger, og at konkrete handlinger kan igangsættes for at forbedre præstationer over tid. Det andet punkt handler om menneskers forståelse af data, og specifikt hvad de ser, når data præsenteres for dem. Ligesom vi sætter spilleren i centrum for vores strategi, skal vi tage højde for den enkelte persons evner til at forstå informationen. Derfor har vi flere metoder til datafeedback, så vores data kan omsættes til konkrete indsigter. Vi har skræddersyede og fleksible dashboards designet til den enkelte (både stab og spillere), som giver mulighed for at udforske numeriske data og video. Indsigt handler om evnen til at opnå en dybere forståelse, og derfor er det vigtigt at fremme nysgerrighed. Hvis vi kan designe dashboards, der forbedrer brugervenlighed, er vi godt på vej til at udvikle nysgerrighed hos vores spillere og personale til at dykke ned i de data, vi leverer om spillerudvikling. |
Kan du give et eksempel på, hvordan du samarbejder med kolleger fra andre fagområder som fysioterapeuter og fysiske trænere? | I min rolle som Academy Insights Manager leder jeg vores Football Intelligence Platform, som er vores centrale hub for al præstationsinformation om vores akademispillere.
Vores Intelligence Platform giver os mulighed for at oprette individuelle spiller-ID’er og opbevare alle data ét sted. Det inkluderer fysiske, medicinske, tekniske, taktiske, psykologiske, uddannelsesmæssige og rekrutteringsdata. Som resultat samarbejder jeg regelmæssigt med alle afdelinger i det tværfaglige team, inklusive fysioterapeuter og fysiske trænere. Det indebærer at designe skræddersyet dataindsamling, analyse og feedbackprocesser for at sikre, at vi på tværs har en fælles tilgang til måling af spillerudvikling. Især da vi sætter den enkelte spiller i centrum for vores klubstrategi. Derudover er det vigtigt for samarbejdet i det tværfaglige team, at de bedste teknologier implementeres for at understøtte arbejdsgange og effektivitet på tværs af afdelinger med de ressourcer, vi har til rådighed. |
Patrick Oxenham: How Fulham FC’s academy uses data for long-term player development
Patrick Oxenham is the Academy Insights Manager at Fulham Football Club, where he plays a key role in leveraging data-driven insights. He is responsible for the application and integration of data and analytical methods that support the development of Fulham FC’s academy players, both strategically and with an individualized approach.
Patrick’s background includes serving as a Senior Lecturer in Performance Analysis at St Mary’s University, where he established and led multiple educational programs in sports analysis and talent identification. In addition to his role at Fulham FC, he has worked with clubs such as Stoke City FC, Valencia CF, and Magdeburg FC.
In this Q&A, Patrick shares his insights on how Fulham FC strategically uses data to drive long-term player development. While data offers immense opportunities, it also comes with challenges and pitfalls. Therefore, Patrick provides advice on overcoming obstacles in data implementation and highlights the importance of cross-disciplinary collaboration.
This Q&A is based on Patrick’s presentation at the Football Performance Summit 2025, organized by the Danish League Association (Divisionsforeningen) and the University of Southern Denmark (SDU).
Question | Answer |
How do you utilize data at Fulham FC to support the long-term development of your academy players? | The most important aspect to the utilization of data, is the strategy and understanding that sits at the forefront of long-term player development. For us at Fulham Football Club, we measure what we value, rather than collect ‘any’ and ‘as much’ data that is possible.
Our belief is that the player/individual sits at the center of our strategy, that being, we tailor our data strategy to the individual. Each individual player within the academy has an individual development plan, with bespoke in and out of possession targets to work on. As a result, our data strategy is to measure these bespoke targets so we can provide appropriate and specific measurements on the development of our players. It is important to note here that any players individual development plan can be adapted as improvements in performance occur, as such the data collection strategies have to be adapted throughout the season. Furthermore, we recognize the importance of not just objective data, but subjective measurements in the form of video analysis. By combining video with objective data, we can tell powerful stories of player development across training and within games. |
What are the biggest challenges of working with data-driven insights in player development, and how do you overcome them? | The biggest challenge to working with data-driven insights is the ‘buy in’ of all staff and players into the vision and strategy that we have within the Academy at Fulham FC.
While data can provide invaluable insights, its effectiveness depends on the willingness of coaches, analysts, and players to trust and integrate it into their daily routines. Resistance often stems from scepticism about data’s relevance, fear of replacing human judgment, or a lack of understanding of how data informs actionable decisions. Players may also perceive data as overly critical or invasive, leading to disengagement. To overcome these challenges, communication and education are key. Demonstrating how data complements rather than replaces expertise helps build trust among staff. Hosting workshops, providing case studies, and regularly meeting as teams can aid our data literacy cultures throughout our Academy. Additionally, embedding data into club culture is critical. Appointing data champions, respected figures within the team who advocate for its use can encourage adoption (this is a key role for our analysts). Simplifying complex insights into digestible, actionable formats ensures accessibility and more important usability, which is why it is imperative that we have flexible solutions to the presentation of data, which is tailored to the individual (consumer of information). Ultimately, creating a collaborative environment where data is seen as an ally rather than a threat is crucial for long-term success. |
How do you ensure that the data you collect is translated into actionable steps that benefit player development? | By ensuring we have a clear vision to what we what to measure, how we measure it, and how to provide feedback. There are two points to this:
The first point, as previously mentioned, is centered around the individual player and their development plan. As ‘development’ can occur across time, we must ensure that the data collected adapts accordingly as progressions are made throughout the season and the age group pathway within our Academy. Therefore, it is imperative that as a club we evaluate the performances of our players regularly. This includes training and match reviews, multi-disciplinary weekly reviews, six-week cycle reviews, and long-term succession planning three or four times per season. At each of these time points, we utilize objective (numerical) and subjective (video) data to assess the players individual development plan thus evaluating our data collection strategy regularly to ensure we are using appropriate measurements and that actionable steps can be created to improve performance over time. The second point is centered around human understanding of data, more specifically what they are seeing when data is presented to them. Similarly to our thinking of putting the player at the ‘center’ of our strategy, we also must consider the individual skill sets of humans (both staff and players) to digest the information that is presented to them. That is why we have multiple methods of data feedback, to ensure our data can be translated into actionable ‘insight’. As a result, we have bespoke and flexible dashboards that are designed for the individual (both staff and players) to explore numerical data and video. Insight is just the ability to gain a deeper level of understanding, therefore curiosity must be developed. If we can design bespoke and flexible dashboards which enhances usability, we will be well on our way to developing curiosity in our players and staff to digest the data that we provide them around ‘player development. |
Can you share an example of how you collaborate with colleagues from other subject-areas such as physiotherapists and physical performance coaches? | In my role as Academy Insights Manager, I lead our Football Intelligence Platform, which is our central hub for all performance information for our Academy players.
Our Intelligence Platform allows us to create individual player IDs and store all data in one place. This includes our Physical, Medical, Technical, Tactical, Psychological, Educational and Recruitment data. As a result, I regularly collaborate with all departments across the multi-disciplinary team, including physiotherapists and physical performance coaches. This involves designing bespoke data collection, analysis and feedback processes to ensure we have an aligned approach to the measurement of player development, particularly as we center the individual player at the heart of our club strategy. Furthermore, it is important that collaboration occurs across the multi-disciplinary team to ensure the best technologies are embedded to aid these workflows and provide efficiencies across departments due to the resource we have available. |