By Brandon Huggard
March 29, 2022
Photo Credit: Associated Press
Since its inception, the sports analytics industry has been heavily dominated by males. Even today, career site Zippia reports that 80% of professional sport analysts are male. That said, we are seeing more and more trailblazing women begin to emerge as leaders in the industry, and Susana Ferreras of Arsenal F.C. is a great example.
With over ten years of experience in the analytics industry, Ferreras began in the telecom sector with Vodafone, working in business intelligence. Pivoting out of the telecom industry, Ferreras began her illustrious career in sports analytics as a performance data analyst with Spain’s National Basketball program. In her time with the Spanish National Team, Ferreras helped bring home several medals from tournaments such as the Olympics, European Championship, and Eurobasket at both U18, U19, and senior levels.
Originally from Spain, Ferrara draws comparisons between Spanish and English analytics in sports to news site EFE, citing, “In Spanish football...data intelligence is not yet as developed, but in the future it may reach a level of resources and personnel similar to that of the great English teams.” Ferreras still finds herself leading in the strategy department at one of the largest soccer clubs in the world, Arsenal F.C., where she excels in both first team and academy research and insight planning.
With the club’s recent move to hire a legend in former player Mikel Arteta to manage, Ferreras’ work in first team and academy strategy proved to be of great value with the squad’s new look. With data analytics acting as a key part of Mikel Arteta’s practice plans, squad selection, and transfer market strategy, Ferreras is almost certain to continue her meteoric rise into one of the most prominent and decorated sports analysts in the industry.
Serving as a blueprint for the next generation of female sports analysts, the industry is finally seeing the shift in demographic that it’s needed for so long, truly allowing some of the best minds in the world to help make big strides and new discoveries in sports analytics.