Callum - Tracking Tactics
Callum Roberts
Academy Performance Analyst for Birmingham City Football Club
BSc (Hons) Sport and Exercise Science
BCU's connections with local sports clubs allowed Callum to complete a range of placements in industry during his degree. Since discovering his passion for football performance analysis whilst completing a placement at Solihull Moors Football Club, his career has gone from strength to strength.
“I knew I wanted to go to university and study a sport-related course. After some research, I gravitated towards BCU's Sport and Exercise Science course as it covers a range of different areas in the sporting world and health industry. I was impressed by the modern campus and BCU's industry connections with local sport and health clubs.
Plus, I wanted to leave my rural area and live somewhere new. Birmingham is an exciting student city without being too big, so I was excited to move into accommodation and become more independent.
The best thing BCU allowed me to do was gain work experience. Their wide network of sports and health clubs allowed me to go out and experience a range of different areas of the industry, working for Run 3D, British Athletics and Solihull Moors Football Club. The support and guidance from my lecturers allowed me to excel and make the most of all of these opportunities.
My career started when I had a third-year placement at Solihull Moors Football Club, which created the foundations for me to work in football. I then went on to work in the Welsh Premier League for Flint Town United for a brief while before moving on to a data collection company called Football Radar, working as a Player Analyst. From there I went on to begin my Master's Degree at Worcester University while working as an Academy Performance Analyst at Blackburn Rovers. While at Blackburn, I was offered a role with Aston Villa Football Club as a Performance Analyst. Upon conclusion of the season at Aston Villa, I had offers from a range of clubs to take up a variety of roles.
My job as a Performance Analyst involves a variety of tasks, however, the basis involves creating and presenting learning equipment to help develop young footballers by understanding their strengths and weaknesses. I also manage and create video libraries of best practices, development plans and games to track performance and progression.
Football is a very competitive environment to work in. That's why BCU's connections in the sporting world are so important. At times, I doubted whether I could make it in the world of football but with perseverance, I'm now in my dream role.
Moving away from my rural town was a big step for me, but it's the best decision I've made. BCU has such a positive, uplifting environment that allows for the best learning opportunities and has given me the confidence and drive to succeed.”
