Ben Wylie
@plottheball.com
Using data to tell better stories about international sport at Plot the Ball
https://www.plottheball.com
ben@plottheball.com
Data journalist at Insurance Insider in my day job
https://www.insuranceinsider.com
ben.wylie@insuranceinsider.com
https://www.plottheball.com
ben@plottheball.com
Data journalist at Insurance Insider in my day job
https://www.insuranceinsider.com
ben.wylie@insuranceinsider.com
Pinned
Ben Wylie
@plottheball.com
· Feb 27
Dozen Scoops whet the appetite on Writing shortlists for SJA British Sports Journalism Awards - Sports Journalists' Association
Twelve super-impactful stories vying for silverware at #SJA2024 Awards; 19 more shortlists announced in Writing section, including five all-new categories; "utmost quality exists across the board," sa...
www.sportsjournalists.co.uk
Delighted to be shortlisted in the Data Journalist category at this year's British Sports Journalism Awards for my work at Plot the Ball! 📊🏐✉️ www.sportsjournalists.co.uk/awards-news/...
Reposted by Ben Wylie
This week’s edition of Plot the Ball introduces one of the major questions I’ll be asking as part of the ‘Rank the Nations’ project.
How do countries’ performance levels differ across different versions of the same sport?
www.plottheball.com/p/the-week-i...
How do countries’ performance levels differ across different versions of the same sport?
www.plottheball.com/p/the-week-i...
🌍 The Week in International Sport
Monday February 9th: women's water polo, U19 cricket and Kaltounková's Olympic opener
www.plottheball.com
February 9, 2026 at 1:43 PM
This week’s edition of Plot the Ball introduces one of the major questions I’ll be asking as part of the ‘Rank the Nations’ project.
How do countries’ performance levels differ across different versions of the same sport?
www.plottheball.com/p/the-week-i...
How do countries’ performance levels differ across different versions of the same sport?
www.plottheball.com/p/the-week-i...
A fairytale World Cup run for Northern Ireland, powered by Dan Ballard set-piece goals?
and for the fantasy fpl sickos I graphed out the top set piece target men in the premier league and their set piece xG
February 5, 2026 at 2:07 PM
A fairytale World Cup run for Northern Ireland, powered by Dan Ballard set-piece goals?
Reposted by Ben Wylie
The Big Five era had a good run
February 4, 2026 at 2:51 PM
The Big Five era had a good run
Reposted by Ben Wylie
The latest edition of The Week in International Sport has gone out to subscribers.
Featuring today: handball in Egypt 🇪🇬 and Denmark 🇩🇰, futsal in Brazil 🇧🇷 and rugby union in Wales 🏴.
You can read it here:
www.plottheball.com/p/the-week-i...
Featuring today: handball in Egypt 🇪🇬 and Denmark 🇩🇰, futsal in Brazil 🇧🇷 and rugby union in Wales 🏴.
You can read it here:
www.plottheball.com/p/the-week-i...
🌍 The Week in International Sport
Monday February 2nd: men's handball, the Six Nations and a sharp USWNT finish
www.plottheball.com
February 2, 2026 at 1:38 PM
The latest edition of The Week in International Sport has gone out to subscribers.
Featuring today: handball in Egypt 🇪🇬 and Denmark 🇩🇰, futsal in Brazil 🇧🇷 and rugby union in Wales 🏴.
You can read it here:
www.plottheball.com/p/the-week-i...
Featuring today: handball in Egypt 🇪🇬 and Denmark 🇩🇰, futsal in Brazil 🇧🇷 and rugby union in Wales 🏴.
You can read it here:
www.plottheball.com/p/the-week-i...
Reposted by Ben Wylie
After their loss last night, Real Madrid have dropped outside of the top 10 in the Opta Power Rankings for the first time in over 5 years.
theanalyst.com/articles/who...
theanalyst.com/articles/who...
January 29, 2026 at 9:55 AM
After their loss last night, Real Madrid have dropped outside of the top 10 in the Opta Power Rankings for the first time in over 5 years.
theanalyst.com/articles/who...
theanalyst.com/articles/who...
Reposted by Ben Wylie
in the latest Expecting Goals newsletter (free to read!) I broke down the numbers on the Premier League set piece revolution and why I think it marks a major new tactical trend in the Premier League that will be unusually difficult to dislodge www.expectinggoals.com/p/the-set-pi...
The Set Piece Revolution
The game is changing in the English Premier League.
www.expectinggoals.com
January 28, 2026 at 2:10 PM
in the latest Expecting Goals newsletter (free to read!) I broke down the numbers on the Premier League set piece revolution and why I think it marks a major new tactical trend in the Premier League that will be unusually difficult to dislodge www.expectinggoals.com/p/the-set-pi...
Reposted by Ben Wylie
In Plot the Ball this week: a look at the state of men’s water polo, the trajectory of Fiji in rugby sevens and a few other interesting things I learned about international sport 🌍.
You can read — and subscribe to get the newsletter directly every Monday — here: www.plottheball.com/p/the-week-i...
You can read — and subscribe to get the newsletter directly every Monday — here: www.plottheball.com/p/the-week-i...
🌍 The Week in International Sport
Monday January 26th: men's water polo, Fiji in rugby sevens and Abhishek Sharma
www.plottheball.com
January 26, 2026 at 1:28 PM
In Plot the Ball this week: a look at the state of men’s water polo, the trajectory of Fiji in rugby sevens and a few other interesting things I learned about international sport 🌍.
You can read — and subscribe to get the newsletter directly every Monday — here: www.plottheball.com/p/the-week-i...
You can read — and subscribe to get the newsletter directly every Monday — here: www.plottheball.com/p/the-week-i...
Reposted by Ben Wylie
the most telling part of the Deloitte Money League this year wasn't the top 20 it was the rankings of teams 21-30
it's a new world www.deloitte.com/uk/en/servic...
it's a new world www.deloitte.com/uk/en/servic...
January 25, 2026 at 2:15 PM
the most telling part of the Deloitte Money League this year wasn't the top 20 it was the rankings of teams 21-30
it's a new world www.deloitte.com/uk/en/servic...
it's a new world www.deloitte.com/uk/en/servic...
Reposted by Ben Wylie
Wrote about the state of play for football, getting data, and getting insight, in the aftermath of the FBref news
www.getgoalsideanalytics.com/square-one/
www.getgoalsideanalytics.com/square-one/
Square one
Some thoughts on where to start if you're interested in football stats with a bit of an analytics mindset. And links, of course.
www.getgoalsideanalytics.com
January 21, 2026 at 11:04 PM
Wrote about the state of play for football, getting data, and getting insight, in the aftermath of the FBref news
www.getgoalsideanalytics.com/square-one/
www.getgoalsideanalytics.com/square-one/
Reposted by Ben Wylie
This week’s edition of the newsletter has just gone out to subscribers.
You can read it here — and subscribe to get it directly to your inbox every Monday:
www.plottheball.com/p/the-week-i...
You can read it here — and subscribe to get it directly to your inbox every Monday:
www.plottheball.com/p/the-week-i...
🌍 The Week in International Sport
Monday January 19th: test cricket team ratings, men's futsal and Lopušanova's record
www.plottheball.com
January 19, 2026 at 1:29 PM
This week’s edition of the newsletter has just gone out to subscribers.
You can read it here — and subscribe to get it directly to your inbox every Monday:
www.plottheball.com/p/the-week-i...
You can read it here — and subscribe to get it directly to your inbox every Monday:
www.plottheball.com/p/the-week-i...
Reposted by Ben Wylie
Well this is unfortunate www.sports-reference.com/blog/2026/01...
FBref & Stathead Data Update | Sports-Reference.com
FBref & Stathead Data Update
www.sports-reference.com
January 20, 2026 at 10:02 PM
Well this is unfortunate www.sports-reference.com/blog/2026/01...
Reposted by Ben Wylie
Pep Guardiola is still a great manager, but have the front office at Man City lost their touch?
www.thetransferflow.com/p/new-post-0...
www.thetransferflow.com/p/new-post-0...
£400m later, did Man City get any better?
Manchester City have dropped further away from league leaders Arsenal after a comprehensive derby defeat to United. Their transfers don't have them on a path back to their glory days.
www.thetransferflow.com
January 20, 2026 at 6:13 PM
Reposted by Ben Wylie
Indiana football compiled a .384 winning percentage in the 25 seasons before this one.
No national champion performed worse during the stretch preceding its title, according to a Washington Post analysis.
No national champion performed worse during the stretch preceding its title, according to a Washington Post analysis.
January 19, 2026 at 8:01 PM
Indiana football compiled a .384 winning percentage in the 25 seasons before this one.
No national champion performed worse during the stretch preceding its title, according to a Washington Post analysis.
No national champion performed worse during the stretch preceding its title, according to a Washington Post analysis.
Reposted by Ben Wylie
11 german managers in the bundesliga.
a combined zero caps for the german national team between them.
a combined zero caps for the german national team between them.
i don't think this is especially unusual tbh. most of the best modern german managers were either mediocre players or didn't play professionally. i don't think the famous german players from 90s/00s did much better than their english counterparts in management.
None of the ‘Golden Generation’ really made it as Managers, which TBH doesn’t surprise me when you read about their cliques and splits. I suspect that some who played under Southgate will fare much better.
January 19, 2026 at 6:51 PM
11 german managers in the bundesliga.
a combined zero caps for the german national team between them.
a combined zero caps for the german national team between them.
Reposted by Ben Wylie
Plot the Ball is back! 📊🏐✉️
Today, I launched a really exciting new project. Over the last few months, I’ve been working on finding a better way to understand the landscape of international team sport.
You can read more about it here: www.plottheball.com/p/what-to-ex...
Today, I launched a really exciting new project. Over the last few months, I’ve been working on finding a better way to understand the landscape of international team sport.
You can read more about it here: www.plottheball.com/p/what-to-ex...
✉️ What to expect from Plot the Ball in 2026
🌍 Introducing 'Rank the Nations': using data to help you understand international sport
www.plottheball.com
January 16, 2026 at 12:11 PM
Plot the Ball is back! 📊🏐✉️
Today, I launched a really exciting new project. Over the last few months, I’ve been working on finding a better way to understand the landscape of international team sport.
You can read more about it here: www.plottheball.com/p/what-to-ex...
Today, I launched a really exciting new project. Over the last few months, I’ve been working on finding a better way to understand the landscape of international team sport.
You can read more about it here: www.plottheball.com/p/what-to-ex...
Plot the Ball is back! 📊🏐✉️
Today, I launched a really exciting new project. Over the last few months, I’ve been working on finding a better way to understand the landscape of international team sport.
You can read more about it here: www.plottheball.com/p/what-to-ex...
Today, I launched a really exciting new project. Over the last few months, I’ve been working on finding a better way to understand the landscape of international team sport.
You can read more about it here: www.plottheball.com/p/what-to-ex...
✉️ What to expect from Plot the Ball in 2026
🌍 Introducing 'Rank the Nations': using data to help you understand international sport
www.plottheball.com
January 16, 2026 at 12:11 PM
Plot the Ball is back! 📊🏐✉️
Today, I launched a really exciting new project. Over the last few months, I’ve been working on finding a better way to understand the landscape of international team sport.
You can read more about it here: www.plottheball.com/p/what-to-ex...
Today, I launched a really exciting new project. Over the last few months, I’ve been working on finding a better way to understand the landscape of international team sport.
You can read more about it here: www.plottheball.com/p/what-to-ex...
Reposted by Ben Wylie
How good is the Olympic ice? Let's ask someone who played on it this weekend
Chatted with Florian Wieser about it today and then got some perspective Moritz Seider and Lucas Raymond their Olympics thoughts.
My latest at Shap Shots
www.shapshotshockey.com/p/how-good-i...
Chatted with Florian Wieser about it today and then got some perspective Moritz Seider and Lucas Raymond their Olympics thoughts.
My latest at Shap Shots
www.shapshotshockey.com/p/how-good-i...
How good is the Olympic ice? Let's ask someone who played on it this weekend
The Olympic ice surface has been a big topic of conversation. Let's include someone who played on it in that conversation.
www.shapshotshockey.com
January 12, 2026 at 5:11 PM
How good is the Olympic ice? Let's ask someone who played on it this weekend
Chatted with Florian Wieser about it today and then got some perspective Moritz Seider and Lucas Raymond their Olympics thoughts.
My latest at Shap Shots
www.shapshotshockey.com/p/how-good-i...
Chatted with Florian Wieser about it today and then got some perspective Moritz Seider and Lucas Raymond their Olympics thoughts.
My latest at Shap Shots
www.shapshotshockey.com/p/how-good-i...
Reposted by Ben Wylie
Interview time on the @IrishTimesSport rugby podcast
Rory Best, an ex-Ireland captain under Joe Schmidt, is now general manager at Ulster
What does a GM actually do, and how have Ulster become Irish rugby's good news story?
Listen ⬇️
www.irishtimes.com/podcasts/the...
Rory Best, an ex-Ireland captain under Joe Schmidt, is now general manager at Ulster
What does a GM actually do, and how have Ulster become Irish rugby's good news story?
Listen ⬇️
www.irishtimes.com/podcasts/the...
Rory Best on how Ulster have turned things around
The Counter Ruck Podcast
www.irishtimes.com
January 9, 2026 at 3:22 PM
Interview time on the @IrishTimesSport rugby podcast
Rory Best, an ex-Ireland captain under Joe Schmidt, is now general manager at Ulster
What does a GM actually do, and how have Ulster become Irish rugby's good news story?
Listen ⬇️
www.irishtimes.com/podcasts/the...
Rory Best, an ex-Ireland captain under Joe Schmidt, is now general manager at Ulster
What does a GM actually do, and how have Ulster become Irish rugby's good news story?
Listen ⬇️
www.irishtimes.com/podcasts/the...
Reposted by Ben Wylie
Reposted by Ben Wylie
I wrote this two weeks ago. Seems like it might be relevant today: www.espn.com/soccer/story...
Chelsea are using Strasbourg as a "farm team" -- is this the new blueprint for top clubs?
Strasbourg now exists as a training ground for Chelsea prospects, akin to baseball's farm system. Is this the future of European soccer?
www.espn.com
January 6, 2026 at 1:25 PM
I wrote this two weeks ago. Seems like it might be relevant today: www.espn.com/soccer/story...
Reposted by Ben Wylie
With a bunch of new followers, I wanted to re-introduce myself 👋🏻.
Every Saturday, I publish a newsletter called Plot the Ball 📊🏐 — where I use data to tell better stories about sport.
To get this week’s edition in your inbox, subscribe here: www.plottheball.com
Every Saturday, I publish a newsletter called Plot the Ball 📊🏐 — where I use data to tell better stories about sport.
To get this week’s edition in your inbox, subscribe here: www.plottheball.com
Plot the Ball | Ben Wylie | Substack
Using data to tell better stories about sport. Click to read Plot the Ball, by Ben Wylie, a Substack publication with hundreds of subscribers.
www.plottheball.com
November 14, 2024 at 8:38 PM
With a bunch of new followers, I wanted to re-introduce myself 👋🏻.
Every Saturday, I publish a newsletter called Plot the Ball 📊🏐 — where I use data to tell better stories about sport.
To get this week’s edition in your inbox, subscribe here: www.plottheball.com
Every Saturday, I publish a newsletter called Plot the Ball 📊🏐 — where I use data to tell better stories about sport.
To get this week’s edition in your inbox, subscribe here: www.plottheball.com
Reposted by Ben Wylie
Check out @sportico.bsky.social's best data viz of the year
📈📉📊🏀🏈⚾️⚽️💵💰
www.sportico.com/business/spo...
📈📉📊🏀🏈⚾️⚽️💵💰
www.sportico.com/business/spo...
Best Data Visualization of 2025: Sportico’s Charts of the Year
Check out Sportico's best data viz of 2025, covering the biggest sports business stories of the year.
www.sportico.com
December 30, 2025 at 7:18 PM
Check out @sportico.bsky.social's best data viz of the year
📈📉📊🏀🏈⚾️⚽️💵💰
www.sportico.com/business/spo...
📈📉📊🏀🏈⚾️⚽️💵💰
www.sportico.com/business/spo...
Reposted by Ben Wylie
If you'd like to read every story I've written in 2025 before the end of 2025, the last one just went up: docs.google.com/document/d/1...
OHanlon-ESPN-2025
Ryan O’Hanlon, ESPN Archive: 2025 There’s no great way to see everything I’ve written (or said (publicly)) over the past few weeks, let alone the whole year. So, I’ve decided to copy my buddy Bill Co...
docs.google.com
December 30, 2025 at 1:38 PM
If you'd like to read every story I've written in 2025 before the end of 2025, the last one just went up: docs.google.com/document/d/1...
Reposted by Ben Wylie
One viz "rule" that I follow almost always is that scatters with the same units on both axes should be square and scatters with different units should be non-square. Squareness here produces whitespace at the bottom which tells you that no team is as bad defensively as CAR/COL are good offensively.
5v5 chances, the foundation of the sport. I would enjoy a Colorado-Carolina final.
December 29, 2025 at 5:42 PM
One viz "rule" that I follow almost always is that scatters with the same units on both axes should be square and scatters with different units should be non-square. Squareness here produces whitespace at the bottom which tells you that no team is as bad defensively as CAR/COL are good offensively.
Reposted by Ben Wylie
Continuing the tradition, I have compiled an end-of-year overview of the soccer analytics content that I liked the most in 2025. This edition includes pointers to about 200 resources, including research papers, blog posts, news articles, podcasts, and webinars.
janvanhaaren.be/posts/soccer...
janvanhaaren.be/posts/soccer...
Soccer Analytics 2025 Review – Jan Van Haaren
Collection of the soccer analytics content that I liked the most in 2025!
janvanhaaren.be
December 29, 2025 at 11:00 AM
Continuing the tradition, I have compiled an end-of-year overview of the soccer analytics content that I liked the most in 2025. This edition includes pointers to about 200 resources, including research papers, blog posts, news articles, podcasts, and webinars.
janvanhaaren.be/posts/soccer...
janvanhaaren.be/posts/soccer...