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 Jan Boden:
Here is Jan Boden:
How did your first opportunity in football come about?
A friend asked me if I was interested in helping him coaching a local woman's football team. Starting from that moment on, I followed courses, coached some other minor league clubs in the area until I got a call from a coach nearby. He asked if I was interested to help him with his opponent scouting. One thing lead to another and a few years later he called me again, for a pro-league team. I introduced myself, made analysis of the next opponent and got hired.
What attracted you to coaching /data/scouting? What’s more intriguing now names or numbers?
A big frustration was actually what attracted me. I was following football for a long time and heard lot's of opinions that I just wasn't following, which I couldn't agree with. So I started reading about biases and how scouting and data can help you with that. That's how I tumbled into this world and what still attracts me.
Names are cool, but everybody knows names. Numbers are just numbers. You need both, names and numbers. And lot's of numbers about lot's of names. That's when it all becomes valuable.
What type of player fascinates you? What caught your eye?
Pass... Nobody in particular.
What is the biggest misconception you’ve found in this space?
That there is one way you need to work in this world. There are multiple ways to work, in long term, but also on a daily basis and there is nobody that can tell you which one is the best.
If you could start over what skill would you build on first?
I would do exactly the same. Due to the fact that I've worked in practically every level in football, I've seen it all and that's worth a lot to me.
What is more important domain knowledge or curiosity?
I would say curiosity. If you have plenty of curiosity, the domain knowledge is just a matter of time. Keep being curious, that will always pay off.
What is your favorite sports moment? Why?
The sport of my heart is Football, but I'm keeping my eyes open to other sports and the development in that sport. At this moment, I watch a lot of hockey. Lot's of similarities with football, but they get a lot more done with less budget.
What coach or player would you give a lifetime contract to? Why?
Pass, to hard to tell.
What advice would you give to someone wanting to get into this space?
Work, and work hard. Keep being curious. Always overdeliver in whatever you do. Always give 120% of what people are expecting. And be patient. Your chance will come, all you have to do is make sure you are ready for when that moment comes.
Who is your favorite athlete? Why?
I'd say Ronaldo, for his work-ethics. For always pushing himself to get better.
What is your favorite quote or saying?
Keep focus and work hard.
A friend asked me if I was interested in helping him coaching a local woman's football team. Starting from that moment on, I followed courses, coached some other minor league clubs in the area until I got a call from a coach nearby. He asked if I was interested to help him with his opponent scouting. One thing lead to another and a few years later he called me again, for a pro-league team. I introduced myself, made analysis of the next opponent and got hired.
What attracted you to coaching /data/scouting? What’s more intriguing now names or numbers?
A big frustration was actually what attracted me. I was following football for a long time and heard lot's of opinions that I just wasn't following, which I couldn't agree with. So I started reading about biases and how scouting and data can help you with that. That's how I tumbled into this world and what still attracts me.
Names are cool, but everybody knows names. Numbers are just numbers. You need both, names and numbers. And lot's of numbers about lot's of names. That's when it all becomes valuable.
What type of player fascinates you? What caught your eye?
Pass... Nobody in particular.
What is the biggest misconception you’ve found in this space?
That there is one way you need to work in this world. There are multiple ways to work, in long term, but also on a daily basis and there is nobody that can tell you which one is the best.
If you could start over what skill would you build on first?
I would do exactly the same. Due to the fact that I've worked in practically every level in football, I've seen it all and that's worth a lot to me.
What is more important domain knowledge or curiosity?
I would say curiosity. If you have plenty of curiosity, the domain knowledge is just a matter of time. Keep being curious, that will always pay off.
What is your favorite sports moment? Why?
The sport of my heart is Football, but I'm keeping my eyes open to other sports and the development in that sport. At this moment, I watch a lot of hockey. Lot's of similarities with football, but they get a lot more done with less budget.
What coach or player would you give a lifetime contract to? Why?
Pass, to hard to tell.
What advice would you give to someone wanting to get into this space?
Work, and work hard. Keep being curious. Always overdeliver in whatever you do. Always give 120% of what people are expecting. And be patient. Your chance will come, all you have to do is make sure you are ready for when that moment comes.
Who is your favorite athlete? Why?
I'd say Ronaldo, for his work-ethics. For always pushing himself to get better.
What is your favorite quote or saying?
Keep focus and work hard.
No comments:
Post a Comment