Reeves promoted as Everton's Performance Insights team takes shape
Charlie Reeves joined Everton from Forest Green in 2017
Written by Simon Austin — November 13, 2022
CHARLIE REEVES has been promoted to Senior Lead for Performance Insights by Everton.
Reeves joined the club in June 2017 as First-Team Data Analyst, before becoming their Performance Insights Analyst last August.
The Performance Insights team work across Everton's football department, using data to extract insights that can “improve player performance, prevent injuries and measure alignment to coaching philosophy.”
The other current members of the Performance Insights team are Insights Analyst Nicholas Coleman, who joined the club in November 2016 from Crystal Palace, and Data Engineer Adam Clouston, who has been with the Toffees since last November, having previously been a Data Architect with Derby County.
Everton are also still aiming to recruit a Head of Performance Analysis and Insights to head the team. This person “will lead the strategic and operational development of a comprehensive, multi-disciplinary performance analysis and insights service across first team and Academy” and “ensure data architecture, management, development and maintenance of internal and external data sets are fit for purpose.”
Before joining Everton, Reeves was a Data Scientist for Forest Green Rovers, then in League Two. He also doubled up as a Data Analyst for energy firm Ecotricity who, like Forest Green, are owned by Dale Vince.
Reeves, then only 23, told TGG: “After each game, Stats (now Stats Perform) send me a spreadsheet containing every touch of the ball, where it happened on the pitch, the time it happened and who was involved.
“I then collate it and use SQL to put the information into a big database. After a match I’d delve into that and feed it through our different tools, like Tableau.
"I’ve got all these different charts I can look at – pass maps, shot maps, if a player has gone on a dribble down the right wing. I break down every element of the match and build up a report for the manager and his coaches.”
Marc Flynn, a Sales Executive from STATS (who now works for Second Spectrum) said: “Charlie isn’t just using traditional data, he’s creating his own variables which are bespoke for his manager and coaching staff.
“That’s a growing area in football, from the Premier League downwards. These types of insights wouldn’t be out of place in any of the four tiers; managers would still value them.
“It’s about moving on from the traditional data set – of number of passes, shots, percentage of possession – and creating coaching context, which is of real use to the coaching staff.”
Director of Football Kevin Thelwell, who arrived at Everton from New York Red Bulls in February, has already instigated major changes behind the scenes at the club.
Gareth Prosser has come in from the Professional Game Academy Audit Company as Academy Manager, with John Ebbrell appointed Player Development Senior Coach, Paul Tait Under-21s Head Coach and Leighton Baines the U18s Head Coach.
Carl Darlington, previously Head of Coach Education for the Football Association for Wales, has come in as Head of Academy Coaching, with former player James Vaughan as the club’s Loan Pathway Manager.
Meanwhile, Jack Nayler arrived from RB Leipzig in September to become Head of Sport Science.
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