Viva Lewes Issue #157 October 2019

FOOTBALL
Collecting vital data
Lewes FC’s video analysis platform
When Ross Standen, Lewes FC’s 6 foot 4 assistant
manager, used to keep goal for the club, around
the turn of the millennium, it was a rather different
institution. Ross, now 45, made his debut for the
club’s reserves when he was just 14, and played in
the 2000/2001 team that famously, and historically,
reached the First Round of the FA Cup.
Back then Lewes used to play in front of 50-orso
diehard fans. There were no fancy stands or
terraces, no beach huts, no 3G training pitch.
And they certainly didn’t use the services of an
American video analysis platform to hone their
tactics and help improve performance.
Video analysis platform? “It was all down to a
generous donation by an anonymous fan,” smiles
Ross, sitting in the home dug-out of a splendidlooking
Dripping Pan, a few days after Lewes’
belated first win of the season, at Leatherhead.
“Whoever it was gave the club a large pot of
money, specifically to help improve the analysis
of our performances. The women’s team opted
to spend it on GPS tracker vests; I suggested
that we invested in Hudl, which I’d heard great
things about from a friend of mine, Danny
Cowley. Danny is manager of Lincoln City, and
he told me that Hudl was an excellent way of
collecting vital data to help improve individual
and team performance, to reduce injury, and to
analyse opposing teams. Last season, using Hudl,
Lincoln won promotion to Division One of the
Football League.”
He goes into the intricacies of the system, which
takes some time. Lewes FC employ a cameraman
(from the group Your Instant Replay) who
films the team’s matches, home and away. The
footage is sent to Hudl’s lab, and automated
statistical reports are instantly generated. “At
the click of a button, we can analyse an amazing
amount of data,” says Ross. “We can look at
possession statistics, examine goals scored and
conceded, look at how successful crosses from
different areas are, look at our shooting accuracy,
track individual players throughout the match,
and a whole lot of other things. All the players
have access to the app so they can look at their
individual performances, what they have done
well, and what they have done badly. We also
have video debrief sessions – Monday Night
Football style – before training sessions.”
Hudl, it must be said, wasn’t able to save Lewes
from a rather disastrous start to the season,
which Ross puts down to the unexpected injuries
of several key players, all of whom are battling
their way back to fitness. “But I can see it
making a huge difference to our preparation for
games as the season progresses, and players get
used to it,” says Ross. “I’d like to use this opportunity
to say a big thank you to the anonymous
donor who gave us this opportunity to have the
edge over teams that don’t use such technology.
And that’s just about all of the other teams that
we play.” Alex Leith
Photo by Alex Leith
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