Tableau: Your Gateway to Football Analysis
When I first started in analysis, I was creating everything in Excel.
People online were creating beautiful visuals, and I didn't know how they were doing it. After asking a few people, it turns out it was in Tableau, which I had never even heard of. I literally started with zero knowledge of it.
That moment of discovery changed everything for me.
What followed was a journey from static spreadsheets to dynamic, interactive visualisations that actually helped me grow my portfolio - all without writing a single line of code.
The Problem Most New Analysts Face
If you're new to football analysis or data visualisation, you're likely facing a steep learning curve.
Most powerful analytical tools require coding knowledge, expensive subscriptions, or specialised training. This creates a significant barrier to entry, especially if you're:
- Working with a local club with limited resources
- Building your analysis portfolio to break into the industry
- Looking to supplement your non-analytical role with data insights
Why Tableau Is Your Gateway to Analysis
Tableau Public is completely free and intuitive enough to master within hours, not weeks.
Here's how Tableau removes those common barriers:
- Zero Cost: Download Tableau Public completely free - no hidden fees or trials
- Drag-and-Drop Interface: Create sophisticated visualisations without writing a single line of code
- Rapid Learning Curve: Transform raw data into interactive visualisations within minutes
- Shareable Results: Publish interactive dashboards online to showcase your work
Getting Started: Your First Visualisation in Minutes
The simplest way to begin is with basic chart types that reveal immediate insights:
- Load your data using the data function in the left panel
- Create a bar chart by dragging a metric into columns and player names into rows
- Build a scatter plot by placing two different metrics in columns and rows
- Explore advanced visualisations like box-and-whisker plots, histograms, and with recent updates, even radar and pizza charts
It's literally that simple.
I was amazed when I created my first player comparison dashboard in under 30 minutes - something that wasn't possible with excel.
Tableau's Most Powerful Features for Football Analysis
Data Flexibility - Import various data types from CSVs to Excel files, or connect to APIs if you have access.
One-Click Transformations - The "Show Me" button instantly converts visualisations from one type to another. You can transform a standard bar chart into a histogram with a single click, giving you a completely new perspective on the same data.
Rapid Iterations - Duplicate sheets to experiment with different visualisation types using the same data and filters.
Interactive Dashboards - Create self-service tools for coaches, directors, or your online portfolio that allows people to explore the data themselves. This builds tremendous buy-in for your analytical approach.
Key Takeaways
- Tableau Public is completely free and requires no coding experience
- You can create professional visualisations within minutes of installation
- The drag-and-drop interface makes complex data analysis accessible
- Interactive dashboards help build buy-in from non-analytical stakeholders
- Radar charts and pizza charts are now built-in features, no Python required
- Even the biggest clubs in the world like Manchester City use Tableau.
Next Steps to Mastering Tableau
Ready to transform your approach to football analysis? Here's what to do next:
- Download Tableau Public today (it's completely free)
- Access the FBref dataset I've prepared specifically for newsletter readers.
- Check out Rob Carroll's YouTube tutorials for football-specific visualisation techniques
- Head to CJ Mayes' website for some additional Tableau tutorials
- Join the Recruitment Room to access the dashboard challenge with recorded workshops from industry experts.
P.S. Our first guest workshop in the Recruitment Room was with Dave Cohen focused specifically on creating Tableau dashboards for football analysis. Members received step-by-step guidance that took them from basic charts to complex interactive tools in a single session. You can watch it back right now!
Whenever you’re ready, I can help you:
- Recruitment Room - My online membership community helps aspiring and new football professionals secure jobs working in recruitment. Master the four pillars of scouting, analysis, online portfolio, and employment. Learn from industry experts through our workshops, hot seats, and live sessions.
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