DATA COLLECTION AND STATISTICS
© CoachingAmericanSoccer.com®
The collection of data from soccer games, and the calculation of basic soccer statistics, establish the basis for soccer record-keeping, soccer team records generated over time, and the numerical evaluation of player performance. Advanced statistics, analytics, metrics, and modeling of soccer players and their performance are follow-ons to this initial capture of soccer information. The following list is intended to be representative of this information and coaches may choose the soccer data they wish to collect and the statistics they wish to calculate. Many of the items have “initialisms” which may be used as shorthand for the item. The shorthand is noted in parenthesis after the item; some items have more than one. Most of the definitions may be found in The ULTIMATE SOCCER DICTIONARY of American Terms available at Amazon.com.
DATA COLLECTION BY GAME (Regulation, Added Time, Extra Time, and Penalty Kicks)
General
Date
Opponent
Location
Type of Game
Coach
Opposing Coach
Referee
Assistant Referees
Attendance
All Players
Name, (Age)
Jersey Number (No.)
Position (Goalkeeper-GK, Defender-D, Midfielder-M, Forward-F)
Starter
Substitute
Time In
Time Out
Minutes Played
Field Players (and Goalkeepers when in the Field)
Shots
Shots on Goal
Assists
Corner Kicks
Goals Scored and Time of Goals (Description of How Scored, if desired)
Double
Hat Trick
Points (Pts.)
Game-Winning Goal
Own Goal and Time of Goal
Crosses
Penalty Kicks Attempted
Penalty Kick Goals Scored
Fouls Committed
Fouls Sustained
Offside
Verbal Warnings
Cautions (Yellow Cards) and Game Time
Ejections (Red Cards) and Game Time
Passes Attempted
Passes Completed
Tackles Attempted
Tackles Made
Steals (Stl)
Opposing Passes Intercepted
Opposing Passes Blocked
Shot Attempts Blocked (Blk)
Participation in Penalty-Kick Shootout
Kicking Order
Goal Scored
Shot Missed
Percentage Passes Completed
(Note – On rare occasions, field Players may or may not also be credited with “saves,” depending on the organization’s definition.)
Goalkeepers
Shots Faced
Shots on Goal Faced
Saves
Goals Allowed and Time of Goals
Penalty Kicks Faced
Penalty Kick Goals Allowed
Catches and Punches
Shutout
Participation in Penalty Kick Shootout
Kick Number
Goal Scored
Shot Missed
Shot Saved
(Note – Goalkeepers are also subject to many of the items that apply to field players, including fouls, warnings, cautions, ejections, etc.)
TEAM TOTALS BY GAME
Total Shots
Total Shots on Goal
Assists (Names, Game Time)
Goals Scored (Names and Time of Goals Scored)
Total Corner Kicks
Total Offside
Total Fouls Committed
Cautions /Yellow Cards (Names, Game Time)
Ejections /Red Cards (Names, Game Time)
Total Saves
Time of Possession
Passes Attempted, Passes Completed; Percentage Passes Completed
OPPONENT’S DATA COLLECTION FOR GAME
Total Shots
Total Shots on Goal
Assists (Names, Game Time)
Goals Scored (Names and Time of Goals Scored)
Total Corner Kicks
Total Offside
Total Fouls Committed
Cautions /Yellow Cards (Names, Game Time)
Ejections /Red Cards, (Names, Game Time)
Total Saves
Time of Possession
Passes Attempted, Passes Completed; Percentage Passes Completed
GAME SUMMARY
Date
Teams
Type of Game
Location
Attendance
For Both Teams
Records-To-Date
Goals by Period
Final Score
Goals Scored, Times of Goals, Goal Scorer’s Names, (Description of How Goals Were Scored, if desired)
Assists, Times of Assists, Names of Players Making Assists
Total Shots
Total Shots on Goal
Total Corner Kicks
Total Offside
Total Fouls Committed
Cautions /Yellow Cards, Names, and Game Time
Ejections /Red Cards, Names, and Game Time
Total Saves
Time of Possession
Passes Attempted, Passes Completed; Percentage Passes Completed
Average time from losing possession to regaining possession.
PLAYER STATISTICS BY TIMEFRAME
Field Players (and Goalkeepers when in the Field)
Total Number of Games Played (GP)
Total Number of Games Started (GS)
Total Number of Minutes Played (Min. or MP)
Total Number of Assists (A or Asst.)
Total Number of Game Winning Assists (GWA)
Total Number of Assists per Total Number of Games Played (A/GP)
Total Number of Corner Kicks (CK)
Total Number of Goals Scored (G)
Total Number of Points (Pts)
Total Number of points per Total Number of Games Played (Pts/GP)
Total Number of Doubles (Dbls)
Total Number of Hat Tricks (Hat)
Total Number of Game Winning Goals (GWG)
Total Number of Goals Scored per Total Number of Games Played (GPG or G/GP)
Total Number of Shots (S or Sh)
Total Number of Shots on Goal (SOG)
Shots on Goal Average (SOGA or S/GP)
Percentage of Shots Resulting in Goals [Shooting Percentage] (Pct. or GPS%)
Total Number of Own Goals (OG)
Total Number of Fouls Committed (FC)
Total Fouls Committed per Game (FCPG or FC/GP)
Total Number of Fouls Sustained (FS)
Total Fouls Sustained per Game (FSPG or FS/GP)
Total Offside (Off)
Total Offside per Game (OPG or Off/GP)
Total Warnings (Wrn)
Warnings per Game (Wrn/GP)
Total Cautions/Yellow Cards (C or YC)
Cautions per Game (C/GP or YC/GP)
Total Ejections/Red Cards (EJ or RC)
Ejections per Game (EJ/GP or RC/GP)
Total Tackles (T)
Tackles per Game (T/GP)
Total Intercepted Passes (IP)
Intercepted Passes per Game (IP/GP)
Total Passes Blocked (PB)
Passes Blocked per Game (PB/GP)
Total Shot Attempts Blocked
Shot Attempts Blocked per Game
Total Number of Penalty Kicks Attempted (regulation and extra time) (PA)
Total Number of Penalty Kicks Goals Scored (regulation and extra time) (PG)
Total Number of Penalty Kick Shootout Kicks Attempted (PSA)
Total Number of Penalty Kick Shootout Kicks Scored (PSG)
Goalkeepers
Total Number of Games Started (GS)
Total Number of Wins (W)
Total Number of Losses (L)
Total Number of Ties (T)
Total Number of Minutes Played (Min)
Total Number of Extra Time Minutes (ETM)
Total Number of Extra Time Wins (ETMW)
Total Number of Extra Time Losses (ETML)
Total Number of Shutouts (SHO or SO)
Total Number of Shots Faced (Sh or SF)
Total Number of Shots-on-Goal Faced (SOG or SGF)
Total Number of Saves (Sv)
Average Number of Saves per Game (SA)
Save Ratio (SR)
Save Percentage (SPct or Sv%)
Total Number of Goals Against (GA)
Goals-Against Average (GAA)
Goals Allowed Per Game Played (GA/GP)
Percentage of Shots Faced That Resulted in Goals (GAPS%)
Total Penalty Kicks Faced (PKF)
Total Penalty Kick Goals Allowed (PKA)
Penalty Kick Goals Allowed Per Penalty Kicks Faced (PKA/PKF)
Total Catches and Punches (CP)
Save Average (SA)
Save Percentage (S%)
TEAM STATISTICS BY TIMEFRAME and/or TYPES OF GAMES and/or COACH
Total Number of Games Played (P)
Total Number of Games Won (W)
Total Number of Games Lost (L)
Total Number of Games Tied or Drawn (T or D)
Total Number of Goals For (GF)
Total Number of Goals Against (GA)
Goal Difference (Diff. or GD)
Goal Average or Goal Difference Average (GD/GP or GDA)
W-L-T Home
W-L-T Away
W-L-T Neutral
Overall Winning Percentage
Overtime Wins
Overtime Losses
Points
Streaks
Shots per Game
Shots on Goal
Shots on Goal per Game
Goals per Game
Goals per Shots Attempted
Shot Percentage
Shots on Goal per Shots Attempted
Shots on Goal Percentage
Corner Kicks per Game
Fouls per Game
Yellow Cards per Game
Ejections per Game
(Any Item – Goals, Shots, Saves, Corner Kicks, Fouls, etc.) by Period
(Any other desired items “For” – Penalty Kicks, Interceptions, Tackles, etc.)
(Any other desired items “Against” – Shots, Corner Kicks, etc.
Attendance per Game
(Average age – Age of all players divided by the number of players on the team; generally applies to teams over 19 years of age.)
Soccer Coaching Tips:
– Data collection and statistical calculations will require at least one dedicated individual and possibly more.
– Individuals involved in soccer data collection and statistical calculations must be properly trained in all aspects of the game and how to determine what qualifies for each item.
– A comprehensive list containing detailed definitions of each item and explanations of how statistics are calculated must be created and maintained by the team or competition organization for continuity over time.
– All individuals involved must be trained equally to maintain consistency in coding.
– Scoresheets and computer software are available commercially to assist in soccer data collection and basic statistics.
© Copyright, John C. Harves