May 2024 Updates
FMDataLab has compiled role trajectory data via an algorithm based on a dataset of 15,000 youth players, to aid in predicting a player's potential role score in the future.
Now in the table view, you can view player's trajectories for all roles that a player can play.
View the full Player Trajectories tutorial HERE.
What are the 4 potential trajectories?
There are four potential trajectories designed to cover all projections for a player, based on their current score in a role and their current age:
Upper Trajectory:
For players that may have very high potential ability and expect rapid growth year-on-year.
Above Average Trajectory:
For players that may have a high potential ability and expect an above average score increase year-on-year.
Median Trajectory:
For players that have an average potential ability and expect average progress year-on-year. (Most players are likely to fall into this category, with their projected score either just above or below the Median Trajectory.)
Lower Trajectory:
For players that have a low potential ability or those failing to meet the criteria required for growth, such as, limited playing time, serious injury or poor training facilities.
How do I view a player's potential trajectories from the table view?
When viewing any of your files, navigate to the table view. By default, player trajectories are not displayed to reduce clutter in the table view.
A new button will appear above the table, initially labelled Show Trajectories.
Clicking this button will reveal all peak Upper Trajectory scores on roles alongside the base role score for players capable of playing that role and who have not reached the peak age for that role.
Hovering over a trajectory role score will display the other potential peak role scores from the other trajectories.
(Player role trajectory scores in table view)If we are unable to calculate a player's role score, a icon will appear to provide details on why this is the case.
If you have custom weights for a particular role, a icon will appear to indicate that trajectory scores may not be as accurate.
Sorting and filtering on a role when trajectories are shown will use the upper trajectory role score as the value to sort/filter on, if available, otherwise, it will use the player's current score.
How do I view a player's potential trajectories chart?
While on the table view, clicking on a player's name will open the player's panel, which includes the trajectories chart.
Within the player details panel, above the chart, there is a role selection dropdown menu where you can select all the roles that the player can play. Choosing a role from the dropdown will display the player's trajectory for the selected role. By default, the role with the highest current role score is selected.
On the chart, the x-axis represents ages, starting at the player's current age and ending at 39. The y-axis indicates the role score.
The line chart consists of four lines, each representing one of the four trajectories.
Additionally, a vertical reference line appears on an x-axis tick marking the role's peak age.
Horizontal reference lines that indicate the average role score for starters across various competitions for the selected role.
(Role Trajectory Line Chart in Player Details Panel)Below the chart you can also view the specific benchmark scores.
(Role benchmarks for various competitions for an Inside Forward (At) role)More information on the Competition Benchmarks dataset can be found in the Competition Benchmarks Tutorial.Alternatively, view the full Competition Benchmarks dataset HERE.