Research degrees at Leeds Beckett

CURRENT OPPORTUNITIES

The School of Built Environment, Engineering and Computing at Leeds Beckett University is currently accepting applications for a Fees Only full time MRes Studentship sponsored by Crystal Palace.

Crystal Palace Football Club Academy and the School of Built Environment, Engineering and Computing are looking to recruit a highly motivated individual to undertake a fee paid Master’s by Research (MRes). 

• Full-time Masters by Research
• Funded (UK Fees Only)
• Start date: 1st September 2023
• The primary research location will be at Crystal Palace Football Club Academy Training Ground (BR3 1NZ)

Are you a data-driven individual with a passion for football? Do you want to apply your skills and knowledge to world of sport? If so, we have an exciting opportunity for you.

This is a unique opportunity for enthusiastic and high achieving individual to undertake a MRes within a professional football academy whilst gaining applied experience within the areas data of engineering/management and computer science.

The successful student will be responsible for organising, collecting, and analysing various types of data related to club’s performance as well as supporting the team in developing data-driven strategies and insights. You will work closely with club’s data analysts and learn about data management in sport environment. Therefore, this provides an exciting opportunity for the successful candidate to gain valuable experience in the sport industry working in an English Premier League football club academy.

The Computing Department has a history of successful collaboration with the Carnegie Applied Rugby Research (CARR) canter at the Carnegie School of Sport translating data science into sport fields.

The successful candidates should have:

• 2:1 of higher in a relevant undergraduate degree
• Interest in researching a topic within academy football and knowledge of research methods
• Strong background in data engineering, analysis, programming (SQL, Python or R)
• Previous experience in working with SQL and NoSql databases
• Willingness to learn and the ability to self-reflect and continuously improve practice

We invite proposals on the following project area:

Project Area 1 - Effective Data Management in Football
The use of data analytics has become increasingly crucial in the sport, as it provides valuable insights into player performance, team tactics, and overall game strategy. However, as the amount of data generated by football clubs continue to increase, it becomes increasingly challenging to manage effectively. This project aims to optimize data management at Crystal Palace Football Club Academy to facilitate decision-making and enhance team performance. Data management in football refers to the processes and systems used to collect, store, analyse, and interpret data related to football (soccer) teams, players, and matches. It involves the use of technology, such as video analysis software, GPS tracking devices, and wearables, to gather data on various aspects of players’ performance.

Effective data management in football is crucial for clubs as it helps teams to make informed decisions about player recruitment, training, tactics, and game strategies. By analysing data on player performance, teams can identify areas where individual players need improvement and tailor their training programs accordingly. They can also use data to assess the performance of the team as a whole and make tactical adjustments to improve their chances of winning matches.

The primary objective of this project is to investigate the current data management practices at Crystal Palace FC Academy and propose an effective data management system that can be used by the club to improve its current use of data. Specifically, the project aims to achieve the following:

• Develop a Data Management Strategy: Establish a comprehensive data management strategy that outlines the goals, objectives, and responsibilities for managing the organization's data. This should include policies for data security, data quality, data governance, and data lifecycle management
• Standardize Data: Develop a standardized data model to ensure that all data is entered, processed, and stored in a consistent format. This will help to eliminate data silos and ensure that data is accurate and accessible across the organization
• Implement Data Governance: Establish a data governance framework to ensure that data is managed consistently across the organization. This includes defining data ownership, access controls, and data quality standards
• Use Data Quality Tools: Invest in data quality tools to help automate data cleansing and validation processes. This will help to improve the accuracy and completeness of data, reduce errors, and minimize the risk of data loss or corruption

Please visit our How to apply webpage.

Please make sure you complete the application form in full. As part of your application, please provide your CV, cover letter and research proposal.

Your research proposal must outline the topic of your proposed research, the questions it will address and some indication of how you will conduct your research. It is an integral part of the application process. It should be no more than 2000 words in length (not including references) and must include the research project title and reference. A research proposal template is provided through the link below and also an application form.

Please make sure you complete the application form in full. Please submit your application form to researchadmissions@leedsbeckett.ac.uk along with:

• Your Application Form - Project Reference BEEC/Crystal Palace
• Your research proposal, statement of purpose and CV on the Research Proposal Template
• Scanned copies of your degree certificates (undergraduate, masters, including transcripts)
• Copy of your English language requirements (if applicable)
• Scanned copies of your passport

We invite applicants to discuss their proposals with project lead Dr Anna Palczewska (a.palczewska@leedsbeckett.ac.uk) or Dr Dan Weaving (d.a.weaving@leedsbeckett.ac.uk)

The deadline for applications is midnight on Wednesday 7th June 2023.

Candidates must be available for online interview the week commencing 12th July 2023.