In May 2014, courtesy victory over Hull City in the FA Cup final, English club Arsenal ended a nine-season run without a major silverware.
For some, that breakthrough had a lot to do with then manager Arsene Wenger smashing the club’s transfer record for German creative spark Mesut Ozil in the window that preceded said watershed campaign.
Perhaps, but a move Wenger made a year before Ozil’s arrival in North London was probably just as vital. The Frenchman, with a Master’s Degree in Economics and, thus, having a keener appreciation of statistics than the average Premier League manager, approved the Gunners hierarchy’s decision to part with over £2 million in acquiring StatDNA, a reputable football data analytics company.
It did take some time — Arsenal had enjoyed a relationship with the firm since 2010 — but, eventually, Wenger and his lads got to ascend those 107 steps of Wembley, filed into the Royal Box, and stood proud as champions. Twice before long-standing Wenger bowed out in summer of 2018, they’d repeat the feat.
And that’s just a summary of how much data, when properly analysed and applied, could improve the fortunes of athletes and sports teams. Across the West and parts of Asia, this approach makes valuable day-to-day contributions to decision-making. As infectious as the data bug is, however, Africa has been worryingly slow to catch it. Here, the biggest sporting calls are still inspired by guts, raw assumption and superstition, or altogether left to chance. It’s why Africa struggles to compete favourably with the rest of the world — and it’s also why change is long overdue.
For the African Sports Centre for Data, Research and Technology (ASC) — “an organization with an aim of championing a revolution in sports data, research and technology in Africa”, by its own definition – that’s a cue. The centre, founded in December 2018 and based in the Ghanaian capital of Accra, is only in its nascent phase but holds out prospects which stretch well into the future. Decades, even. Speaking with Prince Narkortu Teye, Founder and CEO of ASC, it’s hard not to feel the buzz.
Prince is no dreamer. He’s earned his wings working as a sports journalist on radio, TV, and with a number of top local and international websites. Reporting news is great, but Prince believes he’s capable of more — that African sports is worthy of more — and more is just what he’s offering through ASC, courtesy experience acquired as Data Manager and Project Lead of the WHO Collaborating Centre for Training and Advocacy in Pharmacovigilance in Accra, Ghana, armed with his BSc Biological Sciences degree from the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology in Ghana.
Enough of the chatter, though; just what is ASC about?
Basically, it’s what Prince sees when he passes the wave of sports through the lens of data. If that sounds confusing, well, do pardon. Prince lays the concept out in clearer terms.
“I think my inspiration is borne out of a genuine desire to see Africa truly compete at the top and on all fronts, and also from my frustrations as a sports journalist,” he intimates.
Those frustrations mostly spring from watching the rest of the world do so well where Africa often fails; from being unable to ignore the gulf in class reflected all over the place: on the Olympics medal table and the podium at the various global championships across the disciplines. As was vividly illustrated at last year’s Fifa World Cup — where Africa’s five representatives got eliminated courtesy the same old route of disorder and not getting the finer details right — there is so much to be done in bridging the gap.
“You delve into this seeming huge chasm and realize that the big edge the others have is down to advancement in sports science, data analytics, research and technology,” Prince opines.
“But this can’t continue forever. The African story has to change, and it must start from somewhere.”
That somewhere, as far as Prince is concerned, is at 13 Patrice Lumumba Road, Accra — ASC’s current address. There, Prince and his team are gearing up to mine data, which he describes as “the gold or diamond of sports in today’s world.”
And they really have to dig deep, given how hard it is to access even the most basic data in these parts. The boundaries between sports and science blurs a bit more each day, and a marriage of both — if it hasn’t happened already — is imminent; when it does in Africa, anyway, ASC would be there officiating the ceremony.
Prince posits: “Science does offer more reliable ways of achieving results, catalysed by data. Over time, we are moving on from simply taking decisions based on intuition, theories and guesses — which are as likely to backfire as they are to work out — to taking decisions based on thorough scientific research.”
Uncovering patterns, predicting future behaviours and making inferences — that’s the ‘ish’ now. Cutting down on trial-and-error and resorting to tested-and-proven methods are essentials in sports’ many facets: performance analysis, coaching, tactics, health, brand sponsorship, player transfers, media digitisation, social media marketing, sports betting, etc.
The range of application is as wide as the deficit Africa suffers. Catching up would take lots of time and, as Prince points out, another resource most African countries don’t seem to have enough of: money.
“Majority of African countries find themselves in the third-world bracket where bigger priorities are the basics — food sustainability, clothing, shelter, electricity, roads, schools, hospitals, the likes. Despite the obvious benefits of data, it will sound ridiculous preaching that sermon to people struggling to afford these necessities.”
Flip the coin, though, and sports – a flourishing million-dollar industry as the latest Super Bowl’s stats reveal – is capable of transforming an economy if managed properly. For that to happen, however, governments and institutions need to be enlightened about the dividends, thus, stirring up the motivation to push some cash in there.
“We have a basic aim of increasing awareness and utilisation of sports data, research and technology in Africa through workshops, seminars, conferences, capacity building, and many more, while providing sports and related services,” says Prince.
The powers-that-be may be hesitant to dip their hands into the data bag, but some clubs have already dived right in. Still, the percentage they comprise is, according to Prince, “a drop in the ocean.” In other words, there aren’t nearly enough teams joining the revolution and, again, finances are the big obstacle.
“Their challenge has to do with money – an already scarce commodity – and more so considering they have the bigger expenses of staff salaries and operational costs to bear,” Prince relates. “But we believe that those ‘pressing’ needs needn’t prevent a team from accessing all the goodies data offers.”
Really, they shouldn’t, and that’s why ASC is offering – wait for it — “to provide some services totally for free and others at a discount.”
It’s commendable, but also a plan which requires ASC itself obtains a strong financial backbone. For a startup, funding is a teething problem; for a startup venturing into largely uncharted territory, it’s an even bigger headache. ASC is no different, so just how does Prince intend to scale that hurdle?
“Like any startup, we’re open to funding and investment opportunities, from grants to donations and anything between or beyond. Once it’s mutually beneficial, we’re game.”
Not that Prince and Co. have resigned themselves to just sitting around the office, waiting till the phone rings and someone throws cash at the ASC project — or simply handing out services and receiving little in return. Far from that. There are internal mechanisms in place to generate funds that are already functioning. For one, while teams could look forward to getting freebies, public and private businesses would only get work done “at a competitive price”.
Given the objectives of ASC — which Prince concedes he finds “occasionally frightening,” such is their sheer magnitude — money is a sine qua non. He’s had to bootstrap thus far in setting up shop but, if the immediate and long-term targets envisioned are anything to go by, there’s got to be a steady stream of capital. To get there, Prince is taking considerable time to lace those giant boots.
He explains: “Currently, we are doing a lot of work on publicity, networking, strategic partnerships, capacity-building of staff, internal organisation structures and funding. This should take us through this year and the next.”
And, oh, there’s good reason for that wait.
“We don’t want to be described as just ‘one of those organisations’,” says Prince. “To be honest, I have been tempted to change our plans and move with the expectations, but then I figured it will not be in the best interest of the organisation, especially with the kind of goals we hope to achieve and the longevity we seek.”
Already, ASC is feeling some good vibes — and not just in Ghana, which is quite a boost for a company that wants its impact felt across Africa once it fully hits the ground running come 2021. Two weeks ago, a collaboration proposal arrived from an Indian institution that will see the latter regularly send interns to join the ASC. And, just last week, the Kenyan head of a Switzerland-based organisation also inquired about the possibility of a partnership. All that, though, is really just a summary of how well ASC has been received.
“The reception has been great and overwhelming,” Prince, with a proud grin, tells. “The kind of welcome we are getting is proof that people see the good in our project and also that they’ve longed for a thing like this.”
With all that interest, though, comes mounting expectation. As mentioned earlier, data analytics isn’t everyone’s cup of tea, particularly in Ghana. There’d be barriers to crush and grounds to break, but Prince has reason to be optimistic. Last year, a corruption scandal — ‘Number 12’, it was called — rocked Ghanaian football and triggered a ‘hard reset’ that now has the domestic game firmly in recovery mode.
It’s on that cloud of revival which ASC seeks to soar. As part of the process, Ghanaian clubs ought to switch from business-as-usual and develop an appetite for professional standards in a bid to plug the holes that riddled the sport pre-Number 12. The clubs, together with other stakeholders — like the Ghana Football Association, the Ministry of Sports, and the National Sports Authority — will be key allies for ASC, as Prince readily acknowledges that “collaborations are key in today’s business world”.
The clubs, together with other stakeholders — like the Ghana Football Association, the Ministry of Sports, and the National Sports Authority — will be key allies for ASC, as Prince readily acknowledges that “collaborations are key in today’s business world.”
It’s on that cloud of revival which ASC seeks to soar. As part of the process, Ghanaian clubs ought to switch from business-as-usual and develop an appetite for professional standards in a bid to plug the holes that riddled the sport pre-Number 12. The clubs, together with other stakeholders — like the Ghana Football Association, the Ministry of Sports, and the National Sports Authority — will be key allies for ASC, as Prince readily acknowledges that “collaborations are key in today’s business world.”
Hopefully, such local gains would translate to successes for Ghana – and Africa, by extension — on the international stage. The country has been without laurels at the Olympics since 1996, while its flagship national team — the Black Stars — has gone 37 years without an Africa Cup of Nations title. What if it’s just a case of our athletes not being good enough?
“No big deal”, Prince reassures.
“Performance analytics helps you groom the athlete into a desired entity. Data helps you take solid, informed decisions, and the opportunities thereafter are limitless. With time and ASC’s input, we will be able to produce athletes who have gone through the mill and emerged fully baked, rightly trimmed, and ready to explode.”
Clearly, then, ASC has arrived to transform fortunes, and even fans — who’ve become increasingly active in sports via betting and fantasy competitions — would have their share. Data is key in determining just which odds to consider and which players to pick/drop for the next FPL gameweek, and ASC has got all that covered.
“We’re in exciting times,” concludes Prince. “And there is something for everyone.”
For yours, watch this space.
Article first published in 11th February 2019 edition of the Ghana Sports newspaper.