Hey Reader,

Last Tuesday, I spent the day at the Training Ground Guru live event in Manchester.

Clubs, data companies, scouts, experts from across the globe - all in one room. And while everyone's still debating which metric matters most or which market to scout next, I noticed something else entirely.

The real opportunity isn't in the data. It's in the room.

What Actually Matters

Here's what stood out: Francisco Belo from Nottingham Forest said something that's stuck with me all week.

"In data and football, we're in the business of trust and relationships."

He wasn't being poetic. He was being practical.

Because the best insight, the cleanest visual, the smartest analysis - none of it lands if nobody trusts you. And trust doesn't get built through a Zoom call or a polished email. It gets built in person, over time, through real conversation.

Belo mentioned Julen Lopetegui, who dismissed data when he worked at Wolves. But it wasn't because the data was wrong. It was because Lopetegui felt his options were being taken away rather than supported. The data came from a place of scarcity, not partnership.

That's the gap. And it's bigger than you think.

The Three Ps That Actually Work

Belo broke it down into a framework worth remembering: People, Product, Process.

People - Who needs this? Who wants buy-in? Start there, not with the output.

Product - What do they actually need? Not what you want to show them. What solves their problem.

Process - How does this fit into their world? Their workflow? Their match-day prep?

If data is the tool, trust is the foundation. Without it, you're building on sand.

The Markets Everyone's Watching

​Oliver from Eyeball made an interesting point about emerging markets. Africa, the US, Australia, Asia, South America - everyone knows these regions matter now.

But here's the problem: it's not about knowing the market exists. It's about having a reference point for the level.

One stat stood out: one in five players sold in Belgium over the past five years has been African. Those players returned £51 million in profit - a 570% ROI over five seasons.

The opportunity isn't new. But most clubs still don't have the local knowledge or relationships to act on it. They're shopping in markets they don't understand, without the context to know what they're actually seeing.

That's where trust and relationships matter again. You need people on the ground. You need local buy-in. You can't exploit a market from a distance and expect it to work.

What Players Want Now

Here's another new trend which will continue to take off: players' interest in their own data is increasing. Fast.

That's going to change things for analysts. Professional players want their own personal analysts now. They want access to their data, their performance metrics, their individual insights.

That's not a trend. That's demand. And it's creating opportunities that didn't exist two years ago.

The Action Points That Stuck

Belo left us with a list. I'm sharing it because it's the clearest set of reminders I've heard in months:

Tell a story with data. Be engaging. Create an open narrative.

Talk football. Always use the language people actually speak.

Be resourceful. Learn new skills, new language, explore.

Don't be a data silo. Share your work. Discuss. Create data champions across the organisation.

Be multidisciplinary. Learn from different areas of football. Learn from other sports.

Link everything back to coaching, performance, and impact on the pitch.

The Real Takeaway

​Ged Roddy MBE, who implemented the EPPP in the UK, said something simple but true: "Imitation is the sincerest form of flattery."

If something works somewhere, it'll likely work somewhere else. Take ideas. Adapt them. Put your stamp on them.

But here's what I learned most clearly: in a world where AI can generate insights, where data platforms are getting cheaper, where remote work is normalised - the in-person experience matters more, not less.

I met new people. I reconnected with people I hadn't spoken to in years. I had conversations that won't show up in my analytics but will shape the next six months of work.

That's what builds careers. Not the portfolio. Not the perfect post. The relationships.

If you get the chance to attend a live event, a workshop, a meet-up - go. The data will still be there when you get back. But the person you need to know might not be.

Have a great week.

Liam