11 Questions with Luke Griffin

The pursuit of wisdom in any walk of life quickly reveals that what you think you know is not nearly enough to get you to where you want to go. As I'm starting out in my football scouting journey I challenged myself to reach out to those already working in various roles in football to answer a short list of questions. My goal wasn't to get answers but relevant perspectives on the game within the game.

Here is Luke Griffin, scout at AFC Fylde and grassroots coach.

How did your first opportunity in football come about?

My first opportunity within football writing at all probably came from Chance Analytics. An analytics blog that no longer runs that I helped found and edit. But in terms of working in football, I started off by visiting the Cheltenham Town training ground and being shown their processes and have done a similar thing at Nottingham Forest since. 

Then I went on to do some freelance scouting for various lower league clubs and a consultancy before now working exclusively for AFC Fylde for the rest of this season. Getting these opportunities came from using Twitter, writing publically on my own blog or other websites. But the main thing has been just asking, contacting people to see how you can help and not being afraid to work for free. Networking is important, mainly through Linkedin and Whatsapp but also Twitter. 

What attracted you to scouting/analytics?

Initially, statistical analysis appealed to me after reading the Numbers Game and Soccernomics. I liked the idea of using numbers and maths to try and explain the game removing efficiencies from the game. Quickly realising that stats weren't the only piece of the puzzle, I moved into being interested in video and tactical analysis. Now, I mainly focus on player analysis and scouting, finding young players with lots of potential has always been exciting for me since playing FIFA career mode and Football Manager.

If you could start over what skill would you build on first?

Coding probably. Learning R or Python is so useful and I've done a few basics but never carried on learning even though I keep telling myself that I will find time to. You can do so much more and find lots of opportunities.

Do you see player development as more of an art or a science?

I'd say it's more of science but there's an art to it. Creativity and improvisation, for example, are key and you can't describe the beautiful game as a whole as a science. But there's definitely a methodology to player development but the art is putting it into practice. Analysis, technique, practices and sports science come into the science part and overall player development can definitely be done by looking at it as a science but of course, there is always the element of creativity, flair and freedom in football.

What is your favorite sports moment? Why?

Dier's penalty against Columbia, Trippier's semi-final goal and Lucas's goal against Ajax all spring to mind. It probably has to be Trippier's free-kick. I was in a fan zone in Budapest watching it in a large crowd with my friends and was just a great moment where I really believed we could do it. Then the rest of the game happened.

What coach/player/team inspires you? Why?

Most of the time you can point to a coach and they'll have a playing style or philosophy they follow. Right now I don't favour one but can enjoy several. I like the chaos of high intensity pressing like Eibar or Getafe. I liked the free-flowing, passing combinations of Wenger's Arsenal, Simeone's Atletico's work ethic, strong defence and structure, as well as Klopp's front three and Pep's positional play. 

What Chris Wilder is doing at Sheffield United is also great and Leicester have been fun to watch this season. Both Pep and Jose Mourinho are my main inspirations in terms of personality and their coaching careers. 

What advice would you give to someone wanting to get into scouting/analytics?

The best thing you can do is get started. Join Volunteer Scouting Network (VSN), get Linkedin, contact clubs and get out and watch games. Get to EFL and non-league matches and practise writing reports on players or teams. Being active on twitter and writing online is always good as well. 

The main thing is definitely watching as many games as you can, understand tactical concepts and watch individuals closely and take notes. Just try and learn as much as you can. The FA Talent ID Level 1 is free to do online which is a good start.

What is your favorite app/tool to use (for work or fun)?

I can spend hours on WyScout or Instat when I have access but it's an expensive hobby. Twitter is the best app really and I probably spend too much time on it.

What other sport/hobby/discipline do you feel improves your work as an analyst/scout? Why?

In November I did my Level 1 coaching course and have started helping out a local side which I think will help me get a lot more practice on evaluating players as well as viewing football from another perspective. 

Outside of football, I play rugby and I enjoy watching basketball even though I don't have time to watch as much as I used to. I think these probably can help but to be honest I haven't particularly tried to relate them and a lot of my time is focused purely on football.