About Me

Hi, I'm Dr Martin Eastwood. This is my home for exploring football analytics, where I bridge the gap between rigorous statistical theory and practical industry application.

On my blog, I explore how advanced statistical techniques, particularly Bayesian modeling and machine learning, can provide a deeper understanding of the beautiful game. My focus is on methods that properly handle uncertainty and incorporate domain knowledge - essential for making robust decisions in a sport often defined by limited data.

I'm the author of the open-source Python library, penaltyblog, which has been downloaded over 100,000 times. I'm proud that my tools and models are actively used by clubs, governing bodies, player agencies, and analysts globally to find a competitive edge.

What You'll Find Here

• Technical Deep-Dives: My detailed explorations of statistical methods applied to football, from Expected Threat calculations to detecting market inefficiencies through Bayesian inference.
• Implementation Guides: Step-by-step tutorials showing how to build and deploy analytics solutions in Python, with complete code and mathematical foundations.
• Open-Source Tools: The penaltyblog Python package, providing tested, documented implementations ready for professional deployment.
• Research Notes: My explorations of emerging techniques and experimental approaches that push the boundaries of football analytics.

My Technical Philosophy

My work emphasizes Bayesian statistical methods for their ability to quantify uncertainty and incorporate prior knowledge. This is crucial for the small sample sizes and inherent variability of football data and allows for more nuanced insights than traditional methods.

I prioritize transparency and reproducibility in everything I do. The code for my projects is available on GitHub, with comprehensive documentation to ensure my analyses can be validated, extended, and adapted.

Consulting & Collaboration

Beyond my public research and open-source tools, I work with organizations to develop their analytical capabilities. This often involves:

• Developing bespoke models for specific scouting or tactical challenges.
• Integrating advanced analytics into existing data workflows.
• Building proof-of-concepts for novel modeling approaches.
• Providing expert guidance to upskill technical teams.

If your organization is exploring how advanced analytics could enhance its decision-making, I would be happy to discuss a potential collaboration. Please get in touch.

My Background

My background is in both statistical theory and practical software engineering. This allows me to focus on building analytics solutions that are not only methodologically rigorous but also operationally robust, ensuring that sophisticated models can be successfully deployed in real-world environments.

Using My Work