What do Applied Performance Analyst employers really want?: Comparative analysis of job advertisements in the UK and Ireland (2021-2022)

Over the past 20 years, the area of Sports Performance Analysis (SPA) has seen significant growth. This development has led to a diversification in the responsibilities of Applied Performance Analysts (APAs) as they seek to provide valuable performance insights. The framework developed by Martin et al.'s (2021, International Journal of Performance Analysis in Sport, 21(6), 845–888) emphasises nine APA practice components and five areas of expertise. Whilst potentially illuminating, this framework has not yet been cross-examined against the requirements organisations use when advertising APA roles. To close this gap, the study examined 130 job advertisements gathered between January 2021 and December 2022 to analyse the skills and responsibilities of APAs in SPA. The advertisements were manually subjected to content analysis using predetermined categories from Martin et al.'s framework. To ascertain relationships between codes and employment levels, descriptive analyses were used to establish the frequencies of various codes. All job advertisements followed a similar structure, but there were variations in the length and level of detail provided. Some adverts outlined 25 responsibilities, while others only had two. A similar pattern emerged regarding the personal specifications, with variations in the number of expertise requested. Specific payment details were included in only 18 of the 130 adverts, with payment ranges for Academy roles not too dissimilar to those in a First-team role. Within the personal specification, advertisements requested APAs to evidence SPA, sport, and technical expertise along with professional behaviours significantly over expertise in building relationships, which was argued to be fundamental by Martin et al. (2021). These areas of expertise were highlighted more in Academy roles than in First-team role advertisements, however, First-team advertisements requested more skill-specific analysis experience. The tasks and responsibilities sections of the advertisements highlighted Academy APAs were expected to spend more time collecting data, facilitating feedback, and developing and approving infrastructure for various age groups. First team roles, in comparison, would be responsible for more complex data analysis tasks, including integrating data, identifying trends, and reporting these insights to key stakeholders. Based on the analysis of the job advertisements and the distinctions between Academy and First-team roles, Martin et al.'s framework offers insightful information about the skills APAs need and a potential framework for employers to use when designing adverts. Our findings have several implications for individuals' advertising roles along with those applying for positions in addition to improving curricula and training of current and future APAs.