From the classroom to international netball: Evie Kreeger’s performance analysis journey

For Cardiff Met student Evie Kreeger, studying performance analysis has opened the door to seeing sport from an entirely different perspective, and taken her from the classroom into the heart of an international high-performance environment.

A Sport Performance Analysis student at Cardiff Metropolitan University, Evie is currently undertaking a placement with the Welsh Feathers, combining her academic studies with hands-on experience supporting Wales’ international netball programme.

Having played netball herself, Evie already understood the sport from an athlete’s perspective. But it was during her A-Level studies that she first discovered performance analysis and began to become fascinated by what sits behind what spectators see on the court.

“I’ve always enjoyed being part of a team, but studying performance analysis has given me the opportunity to see the game from a completely different perspective,” she said.

“Whilst studying sport at A-Level, I was introduced to performance analysis and became fascinated by the detail behind sporting performance, and how analytics can be used to help athletes and teams develop.”

After her first year at Cardiff Met, Evie was given the opportunity to apply for a range of analysis placements across several sports. Despite football having always been a major part of her life, the chance to work within netball offered something different.

“Having played netball, it felt like the perfect way to combine my existing experience with the new skills I was developing at university,” she explained.

Following an interview, Evie secured a placement with the Welsh Feathers and has since been working at international camps, gaining first-hand experience of analysis within an elite environment, with the programme building towards the World Cup in Sydney next summer.

Seeing more than the score

For those unfamiliar with performance analysis, much of the work happens beyond what the average supporter might notice during a match.

Evie’s role involves filming training sessions and practice matches before using Hudl Sportscode to code the action live. This allows important moments and events to be identified as they happen and provides coaches and athletes with information they can use to understand performance.

She has also been involved in post-match reviews and has shadowed the lead analyst during opposition analysis and pre- and post-match presentations.

“My role essentially involves capturing and understanding what happens during training and matches, then turning it into information that can help the team improve,” Evie said.

“When you watch a netball match as an analyst, you’re looking beyond the ball and the score. The average spectator might see a great pass, a missed shot or a turnover, whereas I’m looking at the detail behind those moments and trying to understand why they happened.”

That can mean identifying patterns in how a team moves the ball through the court, how players create space and how both teams respond to different situations.

“I’m also looking at the opposition, identifying their strengths, weaknesses and tendencies that could help with preparation,” she added.

There is, however, still room to simply enjoy the game.

“I still sometimes get caught up in it! When you’re live coding a sport you’re genuinely passionate about, it’s hard not to get invested in what’s happening on court.

“For me, that’s part of the excitement. I get to enjoy the intensity of the game while also stepping back and turning what I see into information that can help the team improve.”

Learning at high-performance speed

While Evie’s course at Cardiff Met has provided the technical grounding needed for the placement, working within a live performance environment has introduced a very different challenge.

In tournaments, analysis cannot wait. Matches can come one after another, meaning information has to be collected, understood and communicated quickly enough to influence what happens next.

“I’ve learnt that post-match analysis has a quick turnaround, particularly during tournaments when games are played back-to-back,” Evie explained.

“A key skill has been learning how to take the data and analysis collected and turn it into clear visual aids that athletes can quickly understand and use to prepare for their next match.”

That experience is complementing the practical work already taking place as part of her degree.

Access to Hudl Sportscode at Cardiff Met meant Evie was familiar with one of the key tools used during her placement before entering the Welsh Feathers environment.

“My course at Cardiff Met has given me a strong foundation in both the theory and practical skills needed for performance analysis,” she said.

“The practical experience at Cardiff Met, alongside learning how to collect, analyse and present performance information, has helped me make the transition from the classroom to international sport much more confidently.”

The placement is also developing skills that are much harder to replicate within a lecture or practical session, from working to tight deadlines to understanding exactly what coaches and athletes need from an analyst.

A career path opening up

Perhaps the biggest impact of the placement has been on Evie’s thinking about what comes next.

When she began her course, she had a clear ambition to work within football performance analysis. Her experience with the Welsh Feathers has now widened those possibilities.

“Football has always been a huge part of my life, so I naturally imagined myself building a career within the sport,” she said.

“However, after just a few weeks working with the Welsh Feathers, I’ve started to question whether my future might take a different direction.”

Rather than narrowing her options, the experience has helped Evie identify the type of environment in which she wants to build her career.

“Whether that eventually means staying in Cardiff and pursuing an opportunity within netball, or returning to football, I’m now much more open to where the right opportunity could take me.

“At this stage, I don’t have a definite answer about what I’ll be doing after graduation, but I do know the environment I want to work in.

“I’d love to build a career within high-performance sport, continue challenging myself and see how far I can take it. The Welsh Feathers placement has definitely made me think bigger about what could be possible after university.”