All Sports Statsbomb Insight Performance Analysis Culture

How Loughborough University Builds Pathways into Elite Sport with Hudl Statsbomb and Insight

21 Jul 2025

7 min Read

By Tom Robinson

Discover how Loughborough University are using advanced analytic tools to equip their students with the necessary skills for roles in elite sports after graduation.

“The mantra I have is ‘developing people to create sporting history’,” says Donald Barron, Head of Applied Sport Performance Analysis at Loughborough University.

“What that means is – whether it’s students or staff or athletes – we’re trying to give them the very best platform to be successful.”

Success is certainly synonymous with Loughborough. The university has an unparalleled reputation for sporting excellence, both in terms of student performance and research, and has topped the QS World University Rankings for sports-related subjects nine years in a row.

On top of producing countless world class athletes and medal-winning Olympians, Loughborough also provides pathways to students looking to work in performance analysis roles across a range of sports.

And to ensure that aspiring analysts are fully prepared for demanding elite environments, the University has integrated Hudl Statsbomb and Insight into the curriculum of their performance analysis courses.

‘Creating Better Futures Together’

Donald Barron heads up the MSc course in Applied Sport Performance Analysis and oversees the development of the performance analysis pathway for Loughborough University students.

“The modules, the assessments, and the experiences we create are authentic and designed to challenge the students at the right level,” Barron explains.

“I’m a big believer in learning by doing - and a key focus at Loughborough is that we’re always trying to combine the applied experiences alongside the academic education and research-informed practice. So we're trying to blend all those aspects together to make really well-rounded practitioners.”

This practical hands-on experience with elite sporting organisations, through formal placements and volunteering opportunities, uniquely positions Loughborough in their ability to set students up with the skills needed to transition into elite sporting roles after graduation.

“It’s a very aspirational environment, a very ambitious environment and there are lots of really good people who are focused on developing others,” says Barron. “Everything is centred around trying to provide the best experiences, support, and opportunities so that everyone can reach their full potential.”

Working with Elite Technology: Hudl Statsbomb and Insight

Firmly embedded within the undergraduate and MSc curricula at Loughborough are Hudl Statsbomb and Insight -- sophisticated tools that provide the same level of data and analysis capabilities used by Premier League clubs and international teams.

"Our motivation for using Hudl Statsbomb and Insight together is that we want to be able to use efficient workflows used at the highest level and because we need to work with high-quality products" Barron explains.

"That level of consistent reliable advanced data is then going to give you really rich, granular insights into the specific context of a team's performance or a player's performance, so that you can answer the really challenging questions for coaches, athletes, and decision makers."

The integration of these professional-grade tools means students aren't just learning theoretical concepts – they're developing practical skills with the exact technology they'll encounter in their careers.

“The ambition of the university means that we want to work with the best people, the best partners, the best technology,” says Barron. “So, Hudl is a real key global player for us, and really vital to what we do.”

Replicating Real-World Pressure

One of the most innovative aspects of Loughborough's approach is how they use Hudl Statsbomb and Insight to simulate the high-pressure, time-sensitive environment that football analysts face in professional settings.

As part of the course, Barron uses these tools to replicate the ad-hoc requests that analysts would typically receive during live matches or around critical recruitment decisions.

"We want them to be able to use video and data effectively, but really efficiently, so essentially we give them unexpected tasks, tight time frames, and then they've got to find effective solutions. It's trying to make the setting more dynamic, and the challenges more realistic," says Barron.

"I think that helps prepare them not only for the work in the roles, but also for interview tasks and projects that you might need to deliver to secure a role. So, we want to try and really push them and make them as efficient as possible, so it's really important that Statsbomb interacts and works together with Insight efficiently to help us replicate that."

This approach ensures that when graduates enter professional environments, they can handle the pressure and pace of elite football analysis from day one.

"When they go into an elite environment, they can then focus on understanding the working week, the club philosophy and not the fundamentals of the tools," Barron notes.

Having these products under the same umbrella makes that process quicker. It also makes it easier for our staff to replicate real-world scenarios in the classroom. Donald Barron - Head of Applied Sports Performance Analysis, Loughborough University

Expanding Project Scope with Advanced Analytics

The sophisticated capabilities of Hudl Statsbomb and Insight have also allowed Loughborough to expand the scope and depth of their student projects, bringing real elite-level analysis into the classroom.

"We had a group of students exploring insights from the WSL in terms of how teams build up and create chances in open play. So we're trying to help our Lightning Women's team understand what the global game looks like and what those elite players and teams look like," Barron explains.

"The Statsbomb data and Insight help those students work with video and data from elite athletes in the women's game. And then also be able to identify and create some insights and carry out a more detailed longitudinal analysis of how those chances are created in open play, and look at it from a more contextual perspective through the phases of play."

These projects demonstrate how access to professional-grade data and analysis tools enables students to conduct research that directly contributes to elite football performance.

Industry-Ready Graduates

The comprehensive integration of not just Hudl Statsbomb and Insight, but also Hudl Pro Suite solutions like Hudl Sportscode, Studio and Wyscout, runs throughout the curriculum and means Loughborough graduates arrive in professional roles already familiar with industry-standard technology.

"The feedback we got from industry partners was that they didn't have a huge amount of time to onboard, train and develop students," Barron reveals.

"Ultimately, students need to be really well-rounded, efficient and effective with their use of technology. I think that's where being able to work with industry-standard tools and creating more realistic development experiences during their studies helps them build a platform to be successful in their career."

Not only does it provide benefits for the students, it also presents opportunities for hiring organisations:

"Using our placement programme the clubs can then create a pathway of people who already understand their environment, so if they are looking to expand their team, or opportunities become available they've got someone they really know well and who understands the way they work and what they expect."

The Bigger Picture: Scale, Flexibility, Support

With hundreds of elite level athletes, a wide range of sports, and around twenty performance programs, Loughborough University requires technology that can meet its all-inclusive vision going forward.

“We want tools and technology that are multi-sport, that can be used at scale, and support the development environment and the coaching and learning opportunities we want to provide,” Barron explains.

“Hudl gives us that quality of product, the reliability and consistency, but also that scale and flexibility across multiple sports.

“We have a big focus on making sport equitable and open to people across a wide variety of backgrounds and experiences. Hudl's values and the strategy align well with the university.”

Loughborough’s mission statement is to ‘create better futures together’ and by combining their expertise with Hudl’s comprehensive suite of solutions, they are shaping the next generation of performance analysts - one elite-ready graduate at a time.

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