Opta will be a familiar name to many football fans, but you might be unsure exactly what the company do. That’s why we took a trip down to their head offices in London last week, to take a look at this stat-happy gang in action. The company has offices across Europe, but it’s London that’s the real central hub for Opta’s operations. Umbro joined them on a Champions League evening, and there was a constant buzz of excitement about the place as kick off drew closer. Before watching the Opta boys do their stuff, we sat down for a chat with Simon Banoub, Opta’s Head Of Marketing, to talk about the impact of statistics on the world of football.

Opta has existed since 1996 in various guises, providing statistics and sports data to football clubs, TV companies and betting agencies. As Simon explains, Opta was in the right place at the right time to deal with the increasing desire for footie stats. ‘The birth of the stats industry was around the same time as when Opta started,’ he explains. ‘If you think about it, before that things like assists weren’t in people’s languages. Opta’s been growing with the industry and to some extents driving the industry from that point really.’

Various reasons have been given as to why stats have become such a big thing in the game, and one factor is mentioned more than any other – TV.  ‘I think changes in technology have been important, but I think it was the growth of televised games, from everywhere, that was the big thing,’ Simon suggests. ‘Previously, to really know about football, you had to go to the games. When Sky came along, the Premier League kicked off, and there was more and more live games. From the live coverage there was more interest in the game, and then people wanted to enhance their coverage, and that’s where the growth of stats really came in. Online took it to another level – it allows for live statistical coverage, people like Opta can send data directly to TV companies so they can use it in graphics live as the match is taking place.’

People have often talked about the effect that television has had on football, both good and bad, and one thing often mentioned is the globalisation of the game. On the night in question, Liverpool were due to take on Lyon, and the attention surrounding that game typified how far football has changed. ‘Five or six years ago, we wouldn’t have known any of the Lyon players, or most of the Barcelona team,’ argues Simon. ‘But now Messi, Iniesta and people like that are household names. Football has globalised so much – there’s kids growing up in England who support Spanish teams, because they can watch them every week on TV. The interest has grown both in terms of the depth of coverage of our own league, and in the breadth of information. Stats have grown alongside that.’

Another big change that the world of statistics has enabled is the kind of man who now sits in the dugout. The big-mouth manager, shouting and bawling on the touchline, is much less common than he used to be, with a more tactically astute character taking his place. ‘There’s a different breed of manager now such as Arsene Wenger who’s interested in the statistical side of performance, the nutritional side of performance, the scientific side,’ Simon explains.

There are plenty of people that would argue that, because of these changes, football has lost some of its romance, and that a manager like Brian Clough wouldn’t have been such a success in the statistical era. Opta would obviously disagree, and argue that there’s still plenty in football that’s down to intuition and instinct.

‘I think there’s too much money in football now to leave it to chance,’ Simon suggests. ‘But I think there’s still a place for instinct – spotting young players for example, because there aren’t the layers of data available about them. You can see the point about it losing some of the romance, but I do think there’s a place for the subjective and the objective in football. Every decision that a manager makes now is a big business decision, and nobody would make a decision worth millions of pounds without consulting all the available information. Companies like us are just providing that information, but there’s still an element about getting the right blend in a team, and no amount of stats can ever really tell you that. I don’t think we’re going to start collecting stats on the shopping habits of player’s wives, so these things are still open to chance!’

Of course, while things might have changed on the pitch, in the pubs and around the grounds, there’s still plenty that’s the same – such as arguments about which players are up to the job or not. For someone working at Opta, being able to pull out an argument-winning stat is one of the best things about the job.

‘It’s absolutely brilliant actually!’ laughs Simon. ‘When all the talk about Michael Owen was kicking off when Man Utd signed him, and plenty of people were saying he wasn’t as good as he’d been, we could look at the stats and see that his chance conversion ratio was better than any other player in the Premier League last season. Michael Owen actually used that stat in his brochure, and these nuggets of information are so great to use. It’s that element of Opta, driving the pub conversation, that really appeals to me. I’m a Middlesbrough fan, and when Gordon Strachan took over recently I was straight onto the stats team to find out his win ratio, things like that. They can do it so quickly, because all the info is in that database – so they can tell me that Alfonso Alves really is rubbish!’

And with that controversial statement, it was time for kick off. The pictures here capture the Opta team at work, as eight Champions League games, plus the Premiership tie between West Ham and Aston Villa, kicked off almost simultaneously. Every match has at least two people watching, one for each team, who type in every piece of action as it happens. Every shot, save, free kick, misplaced pass or throw in is tracked by the observers, with anything slightly contentious passed on to a third ‘referee’ to clarify. A big game – such as Lyon against Liverpool, pictured above – is watched on five monitors, in order to ensure the accuracy of the data that’s being recorded. This data can be used almost instantly, by bookmakers providing betting odds, TV companies updating the action, and the teams themselves, to work out what they’re doing right and wrong, and how to fix it.

It’s a tricky job to do, and must require a massive knowledge of football to do on a regular basis. As one member of staff pointed out to us, it’s one of the only roles in the world where you can admit to a love of watching football and playing computer games, and enhance your chances of getting the job. Apparently, only five out of every 100 applicants to a position is seriously considered for a job, with the ones who get the job able to accurately mark 98% of what happens in the game, a figure which rises to 100% when the matches are re-checked afterwards.

Despite all the football action taking place, Opta’s offices have a very different atmosphere to what you might expect, with an air of busy industry throughout the evening. The only time any shouts are heard is when Lyon’s late equaliser hits the net, bringing an equal amounts of curses and shouts of joy from the room.

Of course, this is a workplace, rather than a football stadium, and it’s clear that everyone at Opta takes their work very seriously. Earlier, talking to the team about their plans for the future, we were given a glimpse of a video-database that will hopefully be established in the new year. From this, a team will be able to select any player, and see all their action in a clip virtually instantaneously. Had a German winger recommended by a scout? Use this tool, and you’ll be able to watch all his assists, or all his mis-placed crosses before you make your decision.

There’s also enhanced searches on the horizon, which will allow clubs to accurately compare players from anywhere around the world against each other. Want to see a list of central midfielders under 25 in La Liga who performed best against the top clubs, particularly in the second half when every other player was getting tired? You’ll be able to do so, at the click of a button. It’s impressive stuff, and the breadth of information is almost scary.

Another project on the horizon for Opta is a historical look at the World Cup, from 1966 to 2006. Every match from these tournaments is being analysed and recorded by Opta’s stats guys so that comparisons can be made between the players then and now. Want to know who is really better between Bobby Charlton and Franz Beckenbauer? Soon the stats will be there that’ll show you. It seems that, having shaped our footballing present, Opta are looking to offer a new perspective on football’s past and future as well.

If you’re interested in following Opta on Twitter, where you can get interesting statistical info as games are played live, you can do so here.