Negotiating with Data: Analytics FC (A)

Analytics FC was a UK-based sports consultancy that focused on international football (soccer), leveraging cutting-edge data-analytic techniques to support clubs, federations, and players. In 2022, Alex Greenwood, an elite female defender, approached the company for help preparing for her upcoming contract negotiations with Manchester City. Analytics FC had earned recognition for its innovative “Signature Service,” which provided bespoke data analytic reports designed to highlight players’ value to clubs; in 2021, the service had been leveraged by Manchester City’s Kevin De Bruyne to negotiate his €80 million contract extension. Yet Greenwood, who would become Analytics FC’s first female client, faced unique challenges stemming from structural challenges in women’s football such as limited transfer opportunities and norms limiting salaries for female players. The (A) case (no. 925-014) introduces Analytics FC and the approaches through which they creatively leveraged data to help players prepare for contract negotiations with clubs, and balanced the sometimes-competing goals of advocacy and objectivity. It also introduces the case of Alex Greenwood and the structural barriers that she faced in women’s football, and explores how Analytics FC thought about extending their data-driven approach to the women’s game. The (B) case (no. 925-015) outlines the approach that Analytics FC ultimately took to helping Greenwood prepare for her contract negotiation by analyzing Greenwood’s performance metrics, and leveraging data from the men’s game to further highlight Greenwood’s value and counter potential arguments from Manchester City. It also describes the outcome of Greenwood’s negotiations, and considers the implications of Analytics FC’s approach for the broader landscape of women’s football.