Man City hunts glory with data deal

Manchester City Football Club is trying to bring in some Teutonic steel to its performance – on and off the field – by signing up to the same analytics programme said to have helped the German national team win the 2014 World Cup.
The company behind the Sky Blues, City Football Group, is, according to the blurb, “partnering with SAP for new technological enhancements in the areas of talent management, football performance and human performance for future versions of the SAP Sports One Solution”.
Or, in other words, the company will use advanced data analytics and technology to ensure its players are defending like demons, bossing the midfield like generals and attacking like lions.
The group’s clubs include New York City FC, Melbourne City FC, Yokohama F Marinos and the Manchester City women’s team. New York City FC has already signed Frank Lampard and Andreas Pirlo for its inaugural season in Major League Soccer in the US.
In 2014, SAP and the German national team developed “SAP Match Insights” to collect and analyse player data during training.
City Football Group and its clubs will also be using SAP’s technology for their business operations, to interact with fans and to improve player acquisition and performance. It will also use SAP’s predictive analytics and business intelligence software to analyse and simulate ticketing and merchandising data.
To engage City’s fans there will be an “interactive digital insights wall” at the Etihad Stadium to bring real-time analytics and insights to fans attending matches. City Football Group will also use customer engagement and commerce from SAP’s hybris business unit.
German Bundesliga team FC Bayern Munich signed a similar deal with SAP to boost its global fanbase and optimise the team’s performance last year, although with mixed results.
Last season the club secured the Bundesliga title for a third consecutive season, winning by 10 points, but were hammered 5-0 on aggregate by Real Madrid in the semi-final of the Champions League.