Gaming gets real: EPL managers to use Football Manager data as scouting aid
If you're a rabid football fan, you've probably tried your hand at football management via a game from the Football Manager series, which is known for its insane amount of detail (and also as a favourite past time of our English kaki Iain Macintosh).
Well folks, the game's about to get real as managers in the English Premier League will soon be relying on it for player data when they scout for players.
The game's makers from Sports Interactive (SI) have tied up a deal with sports performance analysis company Prozone to supply biographical, contractual and positional information on footballers for Prozone Recruiter, an online tool providing analysis on more than 80,000 players for managers looking for the right man for their team.
Accuracy
Prozone chief executive Thomas Schmider said: "Prozone Recruiter has been built to supplement the intuition of scouts and coaches by delivering detailed performance information on over 80,000 players worldwide.
"The Sports Interactive database is a highly accurate and valuable resource that will further enhance the recruitment services that we provide.
"The integration of Sports Interactive data further establishes Recruiter as the most comprehensive recruitment and asset management platform available."
SI studio director Miles Jacobson added: "For years we've heard stories of real-life managers and scouts using our data to help with the recruitment process.
"From now on, it's official. Real managers around the world will be finding and comparing players using data and a search system that will be very familiar to players of Football Manager."
So next time you fire up Football Manager and sign a player, remember that you could very well be unearthing your club's next greatest footballer.
Sources: The Guardian, BBC
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