The role of the analyst: comparative analysis of applied performance analyst job advertisements in the UK and Ireland (2021-2022)

This study examined the key roles, responsibilities, and skills sought when advertising for the recruitment of Applied Performance Analysts (APAs) in UK and Irish professional sports settings. Deductive and inductive content analysis of the job descriptions and personal specifications of 130 job advertisements from 2021 to 2022 across the entire APA spectrum was undertaken. This encompassed 21 different specific role titles. Despite unified advertisement formats, noticeable variations emerged regarding length and content focus, regardless of First-team or Academy positions. The findings revealed a greater focus on Sports Performance Analysis (SPA), sports, and technical expertise coupled with professional behaviours in APA advertisements, with less priority shown to relationship-building skills. First-team positions particularly requested more skill-specific analysis expertise. Academy APAs were expected to focus on collecting data, facilitating feedback, in addition to creating and approving infrastructure for various age groups. Comparatively, First-team roles involved more complex data analysis tasks, including interrogating data, trend identification, and stakeholder reporting. The analysis not only highlights role discrepancies but also serves as a potential framework for employers when creating job advertisements, assists applicants in identifying the key skills to highlight, and informs curriculum and training programmes to cover the entire APA spectrum.