2025 ISAC Sports Analytics Hackathon

Club América is the most decorated and media-renowned club in Mexican football, with more league titles than any other team and a passionate fan base that transcends borders. Its history, star players, and triumphs have cemented its position as the dominant sports brand in Mexico and the United States, and as the leading football club in the region. However, sustaining that leadership requires constant innovation in how teams are built and strategic decisions are made.

In modern football, success depends as much on context and tactical chemistry as on raw stats. The key is not signing the player who shines the brightest, but the one who fits the team best, the one who shifts dynamics and elevates collective performance.

The Challenge

Your challenge is to design a system, metric, or framework that helps clubs answer the question every sporting director asks:

Which player best fits our team — and why?

This is your chance to rethink scouting and reshape how football clubs discover, value, and sign talent.

Your solution should enable teams to:

• Discover players that complement (or disrupt) the team’s playing style
• Justify recommendations with evidence: performance, skillset, tactics, or even psychology
• Quantify the tradeoffs between different player options (e.g., Player X vs. Player Y)
• Predict performance in new contexts (team/manager/style)

You can use Hudl Statsbomb’s On-Ball Value ™️ to uncover what truly makes a great fit(use is not obigatory):

• Which specific actions make players irreplaceable in different systems?
• How do these value-generating behaviors evolve year over year?
• What happens when context (league, manager, injuries, teams) changes?

Answer Real Football Questions

“If a player leaves their team and signs for Club America, how will his ball-progression and pressing numbers change?"

"For a player who plays in another team and leads them in defensive-duel win rate, how would that skill translate to Club Americas’ current out-of-possession scheme?"

Your insights could reshape how clubs scout, sign, and succeed.

Data

• 8 seasons of Liga MX Hudl StatsBomb 360 data: Apertura 2021-Clausura 2025
• From Apertura 2021-Clausura 2025
• Each contestant will receive API access for structured queries upon registration.

Official Documenation

• Connect to the API
• Official Hudl StatsBomb documentation
• 360 Data Specs
• Event Data Specs
• Data Glossary
• R tutorials
• Python Tutorials

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Entry Criteria

• All participants must be Undergraduate or high school students.
• Teams can use any tools: Python, R, Tableau, Power BI, or even Excel. Use whatever tool you’re comfortable with.
• International teams welcome — read rules for mentorship and prize eligibility.
• Teams and participants must register through the form and provide proof of studentship.
• Submit via the official google form before the deadline.

Mentorship

• If the team is made up only of students from Mexican universities, they can apply to our mentorship program by sending an email to itamsportsanalytics@gmail.com with the subject “Programa de mentoría”. A mentor will be assigned to your team that will help you answer any question that you have during the development of your solution.

Submissions

Your submission must include all three components below:

1. Final Deliverable

Submit one of the following:

• Web application (with URL)
• Research paper
• Jupyter Notebook
• Dashboard
• Excel Sheet
• Other creative format

Important: If using notebooks (Jupyter, R Markdown), export as HTML or PDF. Unrendered code files may not be considered.

2. Source Code

• Complete, well-documented script in any language (Python, R, C#, Rust, Visual Basic, etc.).
• Include clear comments explaining your approach.
• If your code references external files, include all of them.

3. Video Demo

• Maximum 5 minutes
• Show your product in action

Language

Submissions strongly preferred in English, Spanish accepted.

Data Requirements

Use only the provided dataset and publicly available data sources. Submissions using private or paid datasets will be disqualified.

Prizes

Key Dates

FAQs

What other APIs or libraries can be used in addition to those provided?

Participants can use any **public** data source to complement their analysis.

How do I access the competition data?

Upon registration, you will receive an email with the credentials to access the official competition data through Hudl StatsBomb's API.

Should this focus on attack scenarios or protection scenarios?

You can choose either! The key is to first establish clear metrics or evaluation criteria for measuring performance. Once you have a way to assess effectiveness, you're free to focus on whichever aspect—offensive or defensive—interests you most.

Is the competition entry free?

Competition entry is completely free. Submit through the submissions form before the deadline. Prizes are awarded at the discretion of ISAC and their judges.

Is this competition open internationally?

Yes, the competition is open to participants and students from all countries.

Can I work in teams?

Yes, you can work individually or in a team. There's no limit on team size, but remember to list all team members in your submission. If nominated as a competition winner, the prize will be split between the team members, subject to terms and conditions.

How will the winners be notified?

Winners will be notified via the email address provided in their submission in late October. Make sure to check your spam folder and keep an eye out for communications from our team.

How do I submit my work?

You must fill in the submission form to enter the competition. Work not submitted via the form will not be considered in the competition.

Can I / Should I share my work online?

We encourage participants to post their projects in public. If you want to promote your work on different platforms, use the hashtag **#ISACHackathon**.

*All prizes are subject to the specific restrictions of each brand