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Monitoring Foreign Media: Key Takeaway Points & A Small Sample Study
With changes to the Football Index media monitor due this month, I've taken some time to look at European football news feeds and collate them into a news section, to provide a central news feed for traders. This will enable us to understand better which players feature, how frequently articles are published and other key factors which will in turn help us prepare for any potential new additions, and also keep track of updates and discover new trading opportunities. Here, I will look at some media sources used and a few key takeaway points from monitoring these so far, as well as the potential impact the introduction of foreign media may have on the market with a small sample study.
At the time of writing on the eve of the Dividend Review announcement, the Football Index world is focused on which players will benefit the most, what the new structure will be and any other changes there may be. Likewise, football is in full flow, with plenty of match days ahead. A great time to step back and have a look at the Media side of Football Index, begin preparation and start identifying players and trends ready for next season.
Shortened Version (Quick Read)
News Page Layouts
News Homepage - Begins with an overview of news from the five countries with the option to select and link through to each country individually and then select either news or social media feeds. Contains images, headlines and descriptions.
France/ Germany/ Italy/ Spain/ UK - Individual news pages for each country with images, headlines and descriptions.
Social Media channels for individual countries alongside news pages
Headlines - No images or descriptions, just simple headlines from each of the 5 leagues and some general football publications. A good quick reference if you are on-the-go or have limited time.
Archive - Blog posts from daily news headlines published on Twitter and the official forum.
Advantages of Monitoring News Feeds
Identify transfers going under the radar
Monitor big name players and potential 'media storms'
React quickly to breaking news
Lesser known media outlets often report news before the mainstream media
Social media can also be useful but always assess the reliability of the source
Spotting patterns and which players and/ or clubs are featured heavily
Develop a general understanding of foreign media ahead of any possible changes Football Index will make to the media monitor
Feeds used
The idea was to collate a range of feeds from each country written in English for simplicity. Many traders will be familiar with these sources as fairly reliable with regular updates. Of course, which sources Football Index will introduce is open to speculation, but the idea is to have a broad representation from each country as far as possible.
There is of course, a chance Football Index will introduce translated or even native language foreign media, in which case the points allocation will also be revised.
If you have any suggestions for feeds to add, please get in touch either here on the website or through Twitter.
France
Ligue 1 English (official)
Germany
Italy
https://www.getfootballnewsitaly.com/
Spain
https://www.football-espana.net/
Filters Applied
It's worth mentioning that for the purpose of displaying articles primarily focused on individual players it was important to set some filters. The two main ones here are to filter out match reports & lineups.
Key Takeaway Notes
Below are a few key takeaway points so far.
Surname only is not as common as I thought - possibly as some players are less well known in the foreign leagues? If Football Index do not change the current system which requires the full name, this could be significant with many well known players missing out on potential points and lesser known players receiving higher scores
Heavy focus in French media towards transfers and start of new season
Germany is finishing it's league and transfer speculation & announcements starting to appear
UK, Italy & Spain - Focus is still primarily on matches being played and performances
Griezmann media storm brewing?
Some transfers going under the radar (eg. Terrier to Rennes)
Significant variation in rate of publishing - Marca - very frequently, others not so much
Unsurprisingly, Marca has heavy focus towards the top three, Barcelona, Real Madrid, and some Athletico Madrid
Sources used are very football focused with little celebrity focus or articles about a players personal life
Sample Study & Indicative Points Allocation (10/07/2020)
In order to understand better the possible implications of foreign media on the current system, below is an indicative calculation of points based on the current scoring system from articles featured today, Friday 10th July 2020. As mentioned, all sources are used purely for speculative purposes and scores as accurate as possible using the current word scoring system. These can, and likely will be changed by Football Index, so should be taken as a general indication only.
Date of study: 10/07/2020
Daily news headlines here
Calculations based on the formula below. Sentiment refers to the total points scored from all of the words in the headline, where positive words count for more (max 5 pts) and negative for less (down to -5pts). These are then multiplied by 20 pts which are automatically allocated for all articles where a players full name appears in the headline.
(sentiment score +1) * 20
Indicative Players and Points allocation
France
Denis Bouanga 80pts
Rony Lopes 20pts
Valon Berisha 20pts
Morgan Schneiderlin 80pts
Germany
Milot Rashica 20pts
Milot Rashica 20pts
Leonardo Balerdi 80pts
Davy Klaassen 20pts
Italy
Zlatan Ibrahimović 20pts
Piotr Zielinski 20pts
Valon Berisha 20pts
Spain
Karim Benzema 20pts
Marcelo 20pts
Nolito -120pts
David Villa 20pts
Karim Benzema 160pts
Joselu 60pts
Surname only
Trippier 20pts
Lodi 20pts
Kubo 20pts
More insight and sample studies to come on this later and I will update the news pages in line with any announcements from Football Index themselves.
Extended Version (Additional Notes on Players and Trends)
Expanding on some of the points above, I will now take a closer look at some of the player specific examples and trading opportunities which they may present.
Trading Opportunities
One of the great things about Football Index is the abundance of opportunities there are for various trading styles, highlighted further by the range of opinions and depth of knowledge seen on social media and the forum. As has been said many times, there is no right (or wrong) way to trade, but a successful trade requires at least some foresight and planning. This is where it can pay to observe the market, and adopt a contrarian position - searching
for those players who are going under the radar or have potential for growth and future dividends, but are for some reason, not currently part of a trend or in the minds of traders. This is especially true for players who have recently made a significant transfer.
Traders eyes at present are focused towards match days and performance dividends with matches aplenty and the Champions League knockout stages just around the corner. One example of a transfer going slightly under the radar being Martin Terrier's transfer to Rennes confirmed this week, where he is expected to have greater first team involvement and Champions League football. Despite this, his price has not seen a large increase so far and there remains an opportunity for growth, especially as traders' focus shifts and the new Ligue 1 season draws closer.
Monitoring news feeds can also give you a headstart on transfer speculation and announcements. A chance to spot a rising star or a transfer about to go through. Likewise the lesser known media outlets can be useful to identify stories before they are picked up by the mainstream media. Social media also, but with varying degrees of reliability.
Likewise, monitoring media outlets can give clues about upcoming media exposure. For example, the current situation surrounding Antoine Griezmann and the criticism of his contribution so far at Barcelona this season, heavily featured in Marca in recent weeks. With a (short) summer break coming up this could be something of a media storm brewing and potentially featuring across various outlets. Add to this, the prospect of foreign media combined with next summer's Euros, and his price could start to look very appealing given his consistent decline but obvious potential and media appeal.
Ligue 1 Season
The seemingly hurried decision to finish the Ligue 1 season back in April has been much criticised, but it's worth looking also at the implications this may have, for the season ahead and the Euros next summer. With French teams having last played football back in April it could mean players are well rested and fresh ahead of a long season. Of course, the exception here being the two teams competing in the Champions League - PSG & Lyon. Without doubt, as the season approaches, the media in France will switch to focus more on matches just as the other countries are completing their season and entering into a short break.
As it stands, the Ligue 1 season is set to begin on 22nd August 2020.
Screenshots taken from the Football Index app.
Cover photo: Joshua Fuller/ Unsplash.
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