Ben Mackriell

Can you tell us about your background in the Sports Data industry?
My interest in data and performance analysis started as a teenage hockey player. Fortunate enough to play at a level where there was access to some analytics, I spent hours analysing my performance and that of top players in the world. Inspired by this, I completed a Sports Science degree at Liverpool John Moores University, focusing on physical and technical performance. This helped me land my first role as an academy analyst at Everton Football Club. Ten years later, I’d worked for five Premier League clubs, primarily in first-team analysis, scouting, and recruitment. Following this, I became Head of Performance and Data Science at Opta, working in a variety of sports – from Football, Rugby, and Cricket to Basketball and Tennis – for seven years.

What inspired you to take your role at Oval?
In my career so far, I have seen technology truly shape the world of sport. Rugby has always been a huge part of my life, so I ultimately want both codes to feel the same benefit of technology as I’ve seen in the likes of Football and US Sports. I also feel it is important to learn from the challenges that these sports have faced and ensure that any developments in Rugby safeguard the core values which endear so many to the game.

What is your personal relationship with Rugby?
Despite my background in Football and other sports, Rugby is my first love. I grew up supporting Sale Sharks, watching the likes of Jason Robinson, Bryan Redpath, Charlie Hodgson, and Mark Cueto run out at Heywood Road and Edgeley Park; you can tell I’m a back! A move to North Wales immersed me in a brilliant rugby culture: I played my youth rugby at Mold Rugby Club, one of the region’s best development pathway clubs.

After returning to North Wales in 2015, I started playing again at Flint Rugby Club, later becoming the Attack and Skills Coach. You can still find me in the stands in Salford watching the Sale Sharks, and I regularly visit the Halliwell Jones Stadium to support Warrington Wolves. Through working, playing, and watching, rugby has become an all-encompassing passion.

Can you describe Oval’s fundamental objective.
Oval’s ultimate goal is to use data and technology to positively influence our sports, inspiring more people to watch and play. We want to influence the way that Rugby is played and highlight the most powerful storylines that both codes have to offer. Rugby League and Rugby Union are already complex sports, we want to make them easier to understand and for more people to enjoy them as much as we do.

What have been Oval’s key achievements since its inception?
Oval has pushed itself into an industry that has been relatively stable for 20 years, aiming to drive the evolution of the way that the game is coached, played, and consumed. I believe we’ve done that. Within 12 months of its inception, Oval was already the official data provider for Premiership Rugby, URC, and EPCR. Since then, we’ve supported their fan engagement and broadcast content. We have also worked closely with Stan and Sky NZ during their coverage of Super Rugby, major internationals, and Stan’s coverage of the 2023 Rugby World Cup. However, our core passion is helping improve on-pitch performance. Working with some of the most successful teams in both codes is something everyone at Oval is very proud of. Just like players and coaches though, we are always focused on the next season and the next game.

What has been the most exciting development at Oval during your involvement?
Since it was founded, Oval has aimed to use Rugby data in different and more impactful ways than we have seen in either code. Our predictive analytics have already influenced successful game plans at the highest level and shaped the way that new fans can engage with the sport. Our most recent challenge was putting the power of our unique and rich dataset into the hands of the people who will drive the sport forward. With our partners at TruMedia Networks, we launched ‘Oval Insight’ in July 2023. ‘Oval Insight’ is a first-of-its-kind Rugby analytics platform – influenced by similar products in the NFL – which gives coaches and broadcast producers alike streamlined access to unprecedented levels of detail.

What do you think is the most exciting prospect for Oval in the next 12 months?
Alongside the launch of ‘Oval Insight’, we continue to evolve our AI-powered analytics content. Our analytics products – including our season and match predictors, showcased weekly by a variety of major competitions – are built on a unique player value model. We are currently looking to use this product more descriptively. For example, by identifying the stylistic character of players and teams, and investigating how this influences matches. Via ‘Oval Insight’, this will be made available to coaches, allowing them to make recruitment and selection decisions with more advanced information than ever before.

How does the ‘Powering Rugby’ tagline encapsulate Oval’s work and ambitions for the future?
First and foremost, Oval is made up of people who are incredibly passionate about both codes of Rugby; a group that wants to support the sport’s growth on and off the pitch. Rugby hasn’t yet seen the impact of technology and analytics that Football and US sports have, but these sports have shown how data can improve the quality of play and fan engagement. At Oval, we strongly believe we can bring this effect to Rugby: our collaborations with Unions and Clubs have already begun to influence performance, and our analytics are creating deeper stories for rugby’s growing audience.