At a Glance
- Tasks: Support young players' development through performance analysis and data insights.
- Company: Join Manchester City's Academy, a leader in nurturing football talent.
- Benefits: Enjoy generous leave, private healthcare, birthday off, and lifestyle discounts.
- Why this job: Shape future football stars while working in a collaborative, innovative environment.
- Qualifications: Degree in Performance Analysis or related field; experience in football analysis required.
- Other info: Opportunity for growth within a world-class performance environment.
The predicted salary is between 28800 - 48000 £ per year.
Location: Manchester, GB
Full Time / Part Time: Full Time
Contract Type: Permanent
Closing Date of Applications – 25/06/2025
The Role
As Professional Development Phase Performance Analyst, you’ll be at the heart of Manchester City’s Academy, supporting the development of our most promising young players as they transition towards first team football. This exciting role has become available following an internal promotion, reflecting the strength of our internal pathway and the opportunity to grow within a world-leading performance environment. You’ll bring a wealth of experience in performance analysis within elite academy environments, with a genuine passion for long-term player development. Your deep understanding of football tactics, combined with advanced analytical skills, will allow you to identify key trends, track progress, and inform impactful interventions across the professional development phase. You’re someone who thrives in collaborative environments, enjoys working closely with coaches and players, and can translate complex data into clear, actionable insights that enhance individual learning and performance. This is an opportunity to play a central role in shaping the journeys of future first team players, using your expertise to influence how young talent is nurtured, challenged, and supported at every stage.
This is Your City
As part of our team, you will be entitled to a generous annual leave entitlement, plus an additional day off for your birthday, private healthcare and a simply health cash plan, an annual discretionary bonus, plus a range of partnership and lifestyle discounts.
Your Impact
- To work in line with, and deliver against, the Performance Analysis and Insights Strategy and manage the day-to-day, quarterly and seasonal tracking and reporting of player development.
- Responsible for developing and managing informative and insightful data and video reports to support team learning and shape player development plans.
- To work closely with the interdisciplinary team to effectively capture and report on player performance and to support data driven methodologies for player profiling and transitions.
- Maintain individual player dashboards, ILP action trackers and deliver regular player progress reports to the wider team: Academy Management Team, First team and Loan teams when relevant.
- Deliver statistical insights relating to technical and tactical markers to support player ILPs, underpin player reviews and drive analysis interventions.
- Engage and support players and coaches to continue to develop their data literacy and ability to adopt data insights to inform practice and decision making.
- Support on the development and management of best practice libraries for personalised individual player analysis support.
- Lead on the long-term capture of player development at Man City and ensure learnings are shared in relation to player exposure and performance benchmarks.
- Work collaboratively with CFG’s Football Intelligence team to capture, manage and ensure the provision of performance data within the Academy.
- Work collaboratively with the Academy analysis team to drive and support on strategic projects and undertake any other tasks as outlined by your line manager.
What we are looking for
- Undergraduate degree in Performance Analysis, Sports Science, Data Science or equivalent.
- Considerable experience delivering analysis support within youth/professional football.
- Experience of working with, driving and communicating actionable insights from football data.
- Experience of deriving insights from large data sets and demonstrating abilities to deliver insights in engaging and innovative ways.
- Excellent understanding of football tactics.
- Desire to specialise in player development and will work to detail.
- Strong team player and a good role model for the players.
- Proactive and driven to succeed.
- Analytical thinker with a solution focussed approach.
- Ability to work in an agile manner, to be curious and creative to ensure performance questions are understood and addressed.
- Clear understanding of the Elite Player Performance (EPPP).
- Post-graduate degree in Performance Analysis, Sports Science, Data Science, or equivalent.
- Experience with third party performance data (Statsbomb, Opta, Second Spectrum etc.).
- Experience creating visually appealing dashboards and reports with clear, concise insights.
- Well versed in industry-standard technologies – used for capturing, interpreting and reporting on group and individual data.
- Appreciation of psychological profiling and learning styles.
- Expertise in scoping, building and maintaining dynamic dashboards (e.g in Tableau, Power Bi etc., Excel etc.).
City Football Group promotes equal opportunities in employment and we positively welcome applications from all candidates regardless of age, disability, gender reassignment, marriage and civil partnership, pregnancy and maternity, race, religion or belief, sex and sexual orientation. We will screen all applicants and select candidates whose skills and experience seem to meet our needs. We will carefully consider your application during the initial screening and will contact you only if you are selected for an interview. Employment is subject to the provision of proof of eligibility to work in the UK. Due to our safeguarding promise, all UK based CFG roles will be subject to a DBS check upon commencing employment with us. This will be either a basic, standard or enhanced check depending on the job role and responsibilities.
PDP Performance Analyst employer: City Football Group
Contact Detail:
City Football Group Recruiting Team
StudySmarter Expert Advice 🤫
We think this is how you could land PDP Performance Analyst
✨Tip Number 1
Familiarise yourself with the latest trends in performance analysis within football. Understanding current methodologies and technologies used in elite academies will give you an edge when discussing your insights during interviews.
✨Tip Number 2
Network with professionals in the football performance analysis field. Attend workshops, webinars, or local events to connect with others who work in similar roles, as they may provide valuable insights or even referrals for the position.
✨Tip Number 3
Prepare to demonstrate your analytical skills by creating a portfolio of your previous work. Include examples of dashboards, reports, or case studies that showcase your ability to derive actionable insights from data.
✨Tip Number 4
Research Manchester City's Academy and their approach to player development. Tailoring your discussions around their specific strategies and values during the interview can show your genuine interest and alignment with their goals.
We think you need these skills to ace PDP Performance Analyst
Some tips for your application 🫡
Tailor Your CV: Make sure your CV highlights relevant experience in performance analysis, particularly within youth or professional football. Emphasise your understanding of football tactics and any specific tools or technologies you've used.
Craft a Compelling Cover Letter: In your cover letter, express your passion for player development and how your analytical skills can contribute to the Academy's goals. Use specific examples from your past experiences to demonstrate your ability to derive actionable insights from data.
Showcase Your Analytical Skills: Include examples of how you've successfully used data to inform decisions or improve player performance. Mention any experience with creating dashboards or reports that clearly communicate insights, as this is crucial for the role.
Highlight Collaborative Experience: Since the role involves working closely with coaches and players, mention any previous collaborative projects. Discuss how you’ve engaged with teams to enhance their understanding of data and improve their performance through insights.
How to prepare for a job interview at City Football Group
✨Show Your Passion for Player Development
Make sure to express your genuine enthusiasm for nurturing young talent. Share specific examples of how you've contributed to player development in previous roles, highlighting your commitment to their growth and success.
✨Demonstrate Analytical Skills with Real Examples
Prepare to discuss your experience with performance analysis in detail. Bring along examples of data sets you've worked with, insights you've derived, and how those insights influenced coaching decisions or player performance.
✨Understand Football Tactics Inside Out
Brush up on your knowledge of football tactics and be ready to discuss how they relate to player performance. Being able to articulate complex tactical concepts in simple terms will show your ability to communicate effectively with coaches and players.
✨Be Ready to Collaborate
Since the role involves working closely with coaches and other team members, prepare to discuss your collaborative experiences. Highlight instances where teamwork led to successful outcomes, and demonstrate your ability to engage and support others in using data insights.