NEW API RELEASE - Phases of Play
• 3D Explainer Video
• Launch Blog Post
Phases of Play is designed to make that context easier to see. This new model, available via API, adds contextual information at the event level, giving teams a clearer way to understand not just what happened in a match, but the type of moment each action happened in.
It is an event-based framework built to separate game structure from team behaviour in a way that stays interpretable and scalable — available across 200+ competitions from launch
Phases of Play is built from three parts:
1. Control state: Captures both who has the ball and how stable the possession is. In the model, open play possessions begin in transition and can accumulate into control over time. The four control-state labels are:
2. Location: Captures the territorial context of the event. The model buckets actions into Own third, Middle third, and Final third, because a pass or defensive action changes meaning depending on where it happens.
3. Directness: Captures how much of a possession is spent materially progressing towards more dangerous areas, rather than circulating or recycling the ball. It is calculated at the possession level and associated with all events in that possession.
API version updates
