Dear Customer,

Obviously, Covid-19 has a major impact on the football industry. The virus has caused a suspension of play in most countries across the globe.

We understand that this crisis might raise some questions about the potential effects of the unexpected suspension on the metrics we offer via our platform. In this article we try to answer the most stressing questions you might have.

In case you have any further questions, please do not hesitate to contact us via support@scisports.com. We are happy to assist you!

How are the current SciSkill metrics affected by the suspension?

When looking at SciSkill and Potential, any effects of the suspension due to Covid-19 are not taken into account yet. SciSkill and Potential reflect the situation right after the last known match of a player. This means that these numbers still reflect the player’s (potential) skill level in the situation before Covid-19.

The only exception to this, are the 6-month indicators. These indicators represent the difference in SciSkill or Potential between today and exactly 6 months before today. Consequently, the suspension until now is part of this 6-month time window.

What will happen with the SciSkill metrics when the leagues start playing again?

Assuming that the suspension will last until June at least, SciSkill and Potential values of a player will be corrected for a longer period without playing time after he plays a new match. More specifically, we expect a slight decrease in both SciSkill and Potential for players who did not play a match for a longer period of time. The situation would be similar to that of a player who returns from a long-term injury.

The reasoning behind this correction can be explained by looking at the objectives of the Sciskill algorithm, which is designed to objectively capture the overall skill level of a player. An important factor in the skill level are the player’s most recent performances. Recent performances could consist of some excellent, decent or even terrible (parts of) matches. But a recent performance could also be not playing at all. There could be various reasons for a player to have no playing time for a longer period of time, such as a suspension, an injury, or simply not being part of the first 11. The Covid-19 suspension is simply another reason for the lack of playing time.

As all experts in the industry would agree (and we checked indeed): a longer period without playing time will affect the (potential) skill level of any player. Therefore the SciSkill algorithm will correct a player’s SciSkill and Potential after a longer period of inactivity. This correction will take place once the player starts playing again.