How are the points calculated? What are the ratings, and how do they come about?

Our point system, with more than 95 evaluated actions, is the heart of the Kickbase Manager. An overview of these ratings and exact definitions can be found in the Kickbase Point Table.

The actions listed there are recorded by professional analysts from our data service provider, Stats Perform (Opta Data), with whom we are in close contact throughout the entire matchday. Occasional inaccuracies in the data collection are possible in the heat of the moment, and we ask for your patience in such instances. Corrections to the ratings can be made until the final matchday closure on the day after the last game.

Journalistic ratings from other portals are generally not decisive for our ratings, which are based on some key events aligned with the official statistics of the respective league. A constructive exchange with you, our community, is very important to us. Feedback regarding the points allocation is absolutely welcome as long as communication is respectful. For technical questions, please contact our support directly via email at help@kickbase.com.

In addition to our overview in the Kickbase Point Table, we would like to explain the exact process on matchdays in this article.

Who analyzes a game at Stats Perform?

Each match evaluated by Stats Perform is always followed live by two trained analysts, each responsible for one of the playing teams. Additionally, there is a checker for each game who reviews the ratings of both analysts and corrects immediately noticeable irregularities. Following these two instances is the supervisor, who is usually responsible for a set of three to four games, maintaining an overview and keeping a cool head during contentious scenes. If the analysts disagree on a scene and the checker cannot immediately resolve it, the supervisor evaluates the action, allowing the analysts to refocus on the live events. After each match, another previously uninvolved analyst reviews all actions. A group of highly experienced observers also conducts post-match reviews three times per week, addressing any remaining ambiguities.

How does game analysis work at Stats Perform?

While Kickbase managers are in the stands or on the couch, at least two analysts, a checker, and a supervisor are live on screen at Stats Perform for each game. Events (shots, passes, throw-ins, etc.) are logged by the analysts, with players selected via jersey number on a standard keyboard. Common events are entered using shortcuts, enabling live evaluation. We now receive over 85 different events from Stats Perform.

For example, an event such as the "Injury Time Announcement" is not entered via shortcut. The visual start and endpoints of a pass are marked with a mouse on a visualized field. This highlights why we often ask for patience and understanding for human inaccuracies. For example, if a ball lands near the transition from the second to the last third of the field, but far from field markings, the initial coordinates may be imprecise. These ratings are later corrected by the checker or another analyst during post-match review.

All mentioned events are supplemented by over 350 qualifiers (e.g., big chance, assist, pass coordinates, touch by foot/head, set pieces), which lead to the actual ratings in Kickbase Manager. For key events like goals, some qualifiers are tracked and manually checked, such as those responsible for "goal initiated" and "deflected assist" ratings. Each game sees about 1,600 to 1,900 events logged.

In each live game analysis, in addition to the two analysts, a checker oversees the entered events, correcting them as needed. If both analysts mark an aerial duel won by their respective players, the checker intervenes and re-evaluates. Supervisors and possibly other analysts are also involved, but their roles have already been outlined above.

### How are corrections made, and when can they be expected?

Through communication with Stats Perform and our community, we strive to ensure a fair, transparent, and objective evaluation. This requires an optimal procedure for potential corrections and intensive exchange between analysts and us. As described, corrections can be made by analysts, checkers, or supervisors immediately after the initial entry. However, due to data transmission and the volume of actions captured in seconds, exact timing cannot be predicted. Corrections may occur in seconds during the live matchday, but if they take minutes on Stats Perform’s end, updates will arrive later in the app.

The actual post-match analysis for each game typically occurs within 24 hours after the final whistle in the top 5 leagues. For example, the second Bundesliga is reviewed until the final settlement the day after the last whistle. You can be assured that every scene is re-evaluated, and corrections, depending on the complexity and timing, can be made until shortly before the matchday closure in the app.

The post-analysis tool used by Stats Perform resembles the regular input interface during live broadcast, but with both analysts' events running parallel to the game scenes, allowing the analyst to control and correct ratings. The focus during post-analysis is also on the precise capture of coordinates of individual actions.

The final instance for corrections involves intensive exchange between Kickbase and Stats Perform on the matchday settlement day. We collect contentious scenes and missing or incorrect ratings over the weekend, extract them from your feedback, and in some cases, already communicate with Stats Perform. After each matchday, a fixed meeting with an experienced Stats Perform analyst reviews, discusses, and finalizes any remaining rating corrections. Corrections after the matchday closure in the app are not possible.

There are situations where ratings might seem unclear at first but are correct based on data and rules. Since we also rely on explanations in such cases, we try to clarify extremely difficult situations in our "Tricky Scenes" article.

### Special features of data collection and interpretation

Regarding data collection, interpretation, and some league-specific differences, we want to highlight a few points for better understanding of our ratings. Both Stats Perform and we follow the official statistics of the league in German professional leagues for goals and assists. Occasionally, this leads to difficult-to-categorize ratings, but we adhere strictly to official league statistics. The same applies to LaLiga for goals, with assists evaluated by Stats Perform.

There are minor differences between German and Spanish own-goal ratings. In Germany, the league's final evaluation and Stats Perform's data always match the official statistics. In Spain, own-goals are initially recorded based on Stats Perform's parameters. If these differ from the official match report, the situation is re-discussed. Rarely, the same scene might be rated differently in Germany and Spain. However, within each league, clear guidelines ensure consistent ratings.

With this overview of our data basis and the evaluation and correction system in Kickbase Manager, we hope to give you a better understanding of our work and that of Stats Perform on matchdays, and to sensitize you to the human error potential of this system. As mentioned, we always look forward to constructive exchanges with you regarding our ratings and contentious scenes. Despite all emotions, we would appreciate a factual and fair interaction, as we all aim for one thing: an awesome experience making the sport we all love even more enjoyable.