Sports data and analytics have become essential components of high-performance sport. Modern coaches and support practitioners recognise the power of harnessing and analysing performance data in the applied environment. This Certificate in Sports Analytics and Insights empowers learners with the technical expertise to utilise modern statistical and visualisation tools for analysing sports performance data.
This programme is highly practical, offering a professional development opportunity to enhance sport practitioners’ technical skills and competency in sports analytics. Students will use modern statistical and visualisation tools to design and automate dynamic sports reports and dashboards, enhancing the efficiency and clarity of data interpretation. The programme also explores advanced data science techniques, including predictive analytics and network analysis, enabling students to extract deeper, actionable insights from complex datasets.
These highly sought-after data analytics skills are indispensable not only in sports performance analysis but also in a wide range of industries, making the competencies gained in this programme highly transferable and valuable in today’s data-driven world.
Delivery
This is a blended course with approximately half of all classes delivered on-campus over three days, with the remaining classes delivered online over six days. All on-campus classes are delivered on Fridays with morning and afternoon sessions. All online classes are delivered on Friday mornings.
Michael Harding
As Head Coach at Old Crescent RFC, I oversee performance analysis for our 1st, 2nd, and Under-20s squads. Providing detailed, data-driven feedback to players has always been a priority for me, and the Certificate in Sports Analytics & Insights gave me the tools to do that far more effectively.
The course was demanding in the opening weeks, but that groundwork paid off as the programme progressed. The assignments were excellent, genuinely challenging and a great driver of learning. Denise is a highly skilled and engaging lecturer, and the blended format, with heavier topics covered on campus, worked very well in practice.
The impact on my day-to-day work has been immediate and significant. Within just a few weeks of learning R, I had built a Shiny App (an interactive Web App) giving each player access to their own individual season data, something that had previously been delivered as a screenshot from Excel. That single development tells you everything about the practical value of this course. R has also reduced the time I spend building reports, freeing up more capacity for direct player engagement. This course has given me a skillset I will rely on throughout my coaching career, and I would recommend it to any sports professional looking to develop their analytical capabilities.
Daire Heffernan
As a tennis coach, I am working in a sport that has constantly evolving tactics and techniques. In order to understand these developments in tennis, it is important to gain valuable insights and knowledge through data. Having very limited experience in data analysis, I decided to enroll in the Certificate in Sports Analytics and Insights. The course provided a very thorough and broad base of data analytics, ensuring I felt confident in investigating and analysing trends in tennis.
Using techniques provided in the course, I can now prepare and clean data, then transform it into visual reports that are easy to digest for my players. An amazing aspect of the course was learning techniques in predictive analytics, providing us with methods to accurately predict the outcome of an event. Learning these techniques as a coach means that I can now identify which aspects of tennis are important to train to increase the chances of success.
Upon successful completion of this single 10-credit module programme, students will be able to:
Apply prominent statistical and visualisation programming tools such as R to analyse sports data.
Understand data visualisation best practices and application of these best practices.
Design and generate sports data reports and dashboards using modern data science techniques and tools.
Apply and interpret advanced data analysis and machine learning techniques such as predictive analytics, classification, clustering and network analysis within a sporting context.
Typically, the lectures will be short with practical sessions providing students with the immediate opportunity to implement and reinforce the material presented. There is an emphasis on self-directed, independent learning, which is intended to develop strong and autonomous work and learning practices.
Students will demonstrate achievement of the learning outcomes via continuous assessment throughout the course. This assessment typically involves a sports data analysis report and a report demonstrating the application of advanced data analytics techniques such as classification and clustering.
Candidates with a Level 8 bachelor's degree at honours level with a minimum of a 2.2 award in an appropriate subject area (e.g. sports coaching, sports management, data analytics, statistics, etc.).
Applicants without a relevant degree may apply via Recognition of Prior Learning (RPL). Applying for entry via routes other than those listed above will be considered on a case-by-case basis as per SETU's Recognised Prior Learning (RPL) policy. Applicants must demonstrate significant experience in sports performance analysis, data analytics, or other relevant industry.
Applicants whose first language is not English must submit evidence of competency in English. Please see SETU’s English Language Requirements for details.
Explore our Postgraduate Prospectus to view the full range of postgraduate study options, including course details, entry requirements, and progression routes. Download the prospectus to help you choose the programme that best suits your goals.
