Sports analytics students visit Italy to see first-hand how data is revolutionizing soccer – Syracuse University News

Soccer – or football as it is known outside the United States – is the most popular sport in the world.

Analytics is the sports industry's most popular tool as it transforms every aspect of the game, from player performance and team strategy to fan engagement and business models.

Over spring break, 20 sports analytics graduates from the Falk College of Sport and Human Dynamics had the unique opportunity to visit Italy and experience first-hand the impact of analytics on elite soccer. The eight-day trip to Milan, Bologna, Florence and Rome was part of Professor Rodney Paul's sports analytics course from the Department of Sport Management, which explores how data is revolutionizing football.

“The international experience is extremely important for our students in general, but it also gives them an insight into the way analytics are used in different sports at different international levels,” says Paul, director of the Sport Analytics program at Falk College. “The students were not just observers, they actively wrote sports analysis research and presented it to the clubs we visited.”

From left to right, students Nick Rovelli, Jack Taliano, Aidan Corr, Theo Schmidt and Ben Jennings present the award to Bologna FC club officials Luca Saputo, Director of Business Optimization, and Yuri Dell'Atti, Chief Data Analyst.

The students met with analytics staff and other team officials from elite soccer clubs across Italy while exploring the culture, history and food of the ancient European country surrounded by the Mediterranean. As one of the many highlights of the trip, the students attended an Italian Serie A game between AC Milan and Empoli in front of more than 70,000 fans at Milan's San Siro Stadium (AC Milan won 1-0).

Accompanying the students on the trip were Paul, Sport Analytics Program Coordinator Jackie Dorchester G'10 and co-faculty member Ed Lippie, who worked at AS Roma in the Italian Serie League from 2013 to 2020 as a senior performance consultant and head performance coach.

“Thanks to our connections, we had the privilege of going behind the scenes and demonstrating to students the variety of positions their skills fit and the opportunities that exist internationally,” says Dorchester. “The value builds on Syracuse University’s academic strategic plan by enabling students to participate in study abroad or study abroad, taking into account their academic goals and financial circumstances.”

Students Jake Graff '24 and Zachary Silverstein '26 say it was fascinating to learn how Italian soccer clubs use data compared to sports teams in the United States.

“Clubs with all the financial resources and historical success embrace analytics and find ways to apply it in the areas that are best for them,” says Graff, a sports analytics major with a minor in information management and technology. “Everyone collects and uses data differently, so it was eye-opening to be able to see numerous perspectives from a league like Serie A.”

Adam Goodman, '25, a sports analytics major with a minor in economics, admits he's not the biggest soccer fan, but says understanding how top-level soccer teams approach their analysis has been valuable to his career goals.

“I think the biggest takeaway for my career was changing my mindset,” says Goodman. “The program allowed me to immerse myself in all aspects of football analysis, which will change the way I approach future research.”

The full story and a video about the trip to Italy can be found on the Falk College website.