Lots of STATSCORE employees are scouts and they cover sporting events that are assigned to them. Have you ever wondered what a normal day looks like for a scout? We asked one of them to tell us about it!
Saturday, 7:30 a.m. and it looks like today will be a long, active day – I want to go shopping and ride my bike. In the evening, I have planned a meeting with my close friends – we plan to walk through the city centre and go to an escape room or laser maze – we’ll see…
But this is not all I have to do – I also have to work today. I have 3 events to scout – one from a TV stream and the other two directly from the venue.
I am, of course, a scout for STATSCORE – my job consists of creating a real-time graphical representation of a match by building a statistical database that can be used by our business clients. In other words, I try to accurately reflect the live action from the match as I watch it in front of the TV or while sitting in the stands at a stadium or venue.
I’ve been doing this for almost two years now – I started when I was finishing my studies at university. I now have a full-time job and I work as a scout part-time – I decide when I want to cover matches. It’s usually at the weekends – that’s because of the number of matches there are and when I have most spare time.
I love sport and everything connected with it, that’s why I love being a scout!
So, what’s ahead of me this day? I’m covering a Basketball game via a TV channel at 8:30 a.m. and then I will scout two soccer matches from venues – a 4th division match at 12:30 p.m. and a 1st division match at 6 p.m.
I eat my breakfast and make some tea – it’s high time to turn on my computer, there’s only half an hour to the start of the game – I have to add lineups in the panel I use to scout the event. I don’t have any problems finding the lineups – Up until today, I have covered almost 700 events/matches from a dozen or so different sports, sometimes I cover very exotic leagues and I know how to manage any problems I encounter.
Lineups are saved, 15 minutes to go. A few push-ups and crouches – it is also very important to keep fit. I set all the required settings in the panel, turn-on the video channel that will show the match and wait for the start.
2-points shot made, turnover, missed 3 points shot, offensive rebound, foul. During the break between the 2nd and 3rd quarters, I make a quick phone call to my friend. Second half – all of the important incidents are now registered in my panel. The 90 minutes have just flown by! I check to see if everything is OK with the statistics I’ve collected and I close my laptop.
2 hours left to the next match (from the venue). I go shopping to buy some food and drink for later, then it’s off to the stadium.
I decide to go there by bike. It’s only 8 kilometres and the weather is pretty good – it’s a good idea. I’m taking my tablet with me (there’s no problem scouting the match using this kind of device) and an umbrella – it is better to take it when you’re not 100% sure what the weathers going to do.
Half an hour before kickoff and I receive the accreditation for the match – I get it in reply to the email I sent to the person connected with the home team. I sit among the fans – there’s no media area at this stadium.
I repeat the whole pre-match procedure, turn on the company’s instant messenger, check the battery in my phone and tablet, just in case my coordinator phones me. But on this occasion, I need to call him because I can’t get the lineups for the match – with lower leagues matches it isn’t always easy.
Suddenly I see some smoke! It turns out it’s not from a flare – it’s from the food court, these are typical for this kind of event – grilled sausages and drinks. I can’t resist it, there’s still a few minutes to the start of the match and I’ve done everything I need to, a small dish of something tasty is recommended 😉
The match was as exciting as it was stressful. The home team won 2:1, scoring the winning goal while playing with only 10 men on the field. At the beginning of the second half, I had some Internet connection problems. I phoned my coordinator immediately to tell him about it. Thankfully, after a few minutes, everything was OK again.
I go to the second match by train – it’s a few kilometres further than the first venue and in the sky, there are some fierce-looking clouds.
I walk to the train station and get on the train. 20 minutes by train, 15 minutes on foot and I am at the stadium.
I have accreditation for the whole season from the home team – this is thanks to my coordinators who are in touch with their press office.
I go to the press media area one hour before the first whistle. There’s a big difference between this stadium and the fourth division one. It’s modern, it’s big and looks amazing. There is media space with access to electricity, stewards who show you where to sit. Is it better than the previous one? I can’t tell – each place has its own vibe.
Before the match I got a sheet of paper with lineups, the announcer delivers a short match preview and then music plays over the loudspeakers. I’m taking a few photos and send them to our head of social media.
I finish working before 8:30 p.m. and fulfil all my post-match obligations. Then I run for the train – my friends are already waiting for me in the city center. We go Ten Pin Bowling and then I return home. At 2 a.m. I have to cover a soccer match via TV – from the Bolivian league. Anyone who thinks that this is a poor league with people who can’t play soccer are wrong – you can see the high level of technical skills the players’ display.
And tomorrow – two more matches, both in the afternoon. I’ll cover them with a smile on my face. What can I say, I love this job!
