Bridging Data Gaps and Building Knowledge Networks in Indian Football Analytics

TL;DR

The paper investigates how Indian football analytics confronts institutional resistance and infrastructural gaps, highlighting how grassroots, decentralized communities self-organize to analyze the game. Using digital ethnography and a mix of structured interviews and unstructured observation, it reveals a learning ecosystem built by self-taught data sleuths, club analysts, and journalists that leverages social media—especially Twitter—as infrastructure. Four core dynamics emerge: informal learning, institutional friction, frugal innovation, and social-media–driven hiring, with clear implications for human–computer interaction in resource-constrained settings. It proposes decentralised mentorship platforms and frugal toolkits to bridge the data divide, enabling inclusive, sustainable analytics growth in the Global South.

Abstract

The global rise of football analytics has rapidly transformed how clubs make strategic decisions. However, in India, the adoption of analytics remains constrained by institutional resistance, infrastructural limitations, and cultural barriers -- challenges that grassroots innovation and low-cost data solutions have the potential to overcome. Despite the growing popularity of the Indian Super League, resource scarcity and fragmented governance continue to hinder the widespread adoption and impact of analytics. This mixed-methods study explores how informal, decentralised analytics communities -- comprising amateur analysts and Twitter-based "data sleuths" -- navigate these constraints through peer mentorship and grassroots innovation. Drawing on extensive digital ethnography, participant observation, and interviews, the study illustrates how these informal networks mitigate data scarcity, limited digital infrastructure, and institutional indifference while fostering skill development and professional growth. Building on these insights, the paper proposes HCI interventions such as decentralised knowledge platforms to facilitate structured, cross-border peer mentorship and low-cost data solutions -- including AI-assisted player tracking and mobile analytics dashboards -- rooted in principles of frugal innovation. These interventions aim to bridge the data divide, support inclusive technical engagement in sport, and enhance analytics-driven decision-making in resource-constrained environments. This paper contributes to HCIxB's focus on cross-border collaboration by highlighting how community-driven technological adaptation in the Global South can foster meaningful participation, skill-building, and long-term sustainability through informal learning networks and scalable, context-sensitive tools.