Sports Analytics Club seminarÌý
Tim Swartz
Simon Fraser University
Room: M3 3127
Two Problems in Soccer AnalyticsÌý
This talk concerns two problems in soccer analytics that bothÌýrely on tracking data. The first problem begins with a reviewÌýof average aging curves in sport. Then, a new approach is introducedÌýwhich addresses personal aging curves in soccer, an essentialÌýproblem of interest which has not been previously addressed.
The second problem concerns the development of a metric thatÌýidentifies soccer players who have a similar style to a player of interest. Whereas performance variables have been well studied,Ìýthe same is not true of stylistic variables. Unlike assessments from scouting, the metric is automatic and objective. The metricÌýis developed using a Bayesian framework.
Biography:
Tim Swartz is Professor and former Chair in the Department of StatisticsÌýand Actuarial Science at Simon Fraser University. He obtained a PhD and MScÌýin Statistics from the University of Toronto and a BMath from the UniversityÌýof À¶Ý®ÊÓƵ. He has over 120 research publications and has written severalÌýbooks including an Oxford text (2000) with Michael Evans on ApproximatingÌýIntegrals via Monte Carlo and Deterministic Methods. He is Fellow of theÌýAmerican Statistical Association and is AE for five journals. Most of hisÌýcurrent research involves sports analytics.