Official U.S. Soccer Hackathon

Overview

This summer U.S. Soccer is hosting the first-ever soccer-specific hackathon in North America. We're inviting qualified data scientists, engineers, developers, quants, and analysts to use their coding skills to develop tools and devise solutions to push the sport forward from either a commercial or soccer standpoint. Participants will be divided into teams no larger than 5 (you can either self-select your team or we're happy to create a team for you). The hackathon will test the limits of each team over a nearly 24-hour period using data. At the end, each team's work will be presented to a panel of judges, and prizes will be awarded to the winners.

We'll also be hosting a watch party at the end of the event - there's a big game you may have heard of on July 15th. This will be an opportunity to decompress and network with fellow soccer and data enthusiasts.

Where

There’s no better place to spend a Summer weekend than Chicago, and Hackathon participants will have the privilege of working and networking in what is surely one of the coolest spaces in the city. We’re proud to host the event at 1871, a world-class tech community with 130,000 sq ft of work space in the heart of the city. 1871 was recently rated as the #1 business incubator in the world per UBI Global.

1871
222 W. Merchandise Mart, suite 1212
Chicago, IL 60654

When: July 14^th and 15^th

Saturday, July 14^th

07:00 AM     Check-in/Breakfast

09:00 AM     Intros, overviews, and team placements

10:15 AM     Teams begin working

12:00 PM     Lunch

06:00 PM     Dinner

12:00 AM     Late night snacks to be provided

Teams will work through the night

Sunday, July 15^th

07:00 AM     Breakfast

10:00 AM     Finish coding and projects are due

10:00 AM    Watch Party - Tournament Final (judges use this as an initial review period)

12:00 PM     Teams present their work to judges

• 5-minute presentations (depending on participant size)
• 5 minutes of questions (depending on participant size)

03:00 PM    Announce winners and award prizes

Who Should Register for an Invite?

The U.S. Soccer Hackathon is geared towards coders (age 18+) who can analyze large datasets and/or develop data-intensive software. Participants may already work in the soccer analytics space or apply data science for a different industry, they may be studying to work in the field one day, or they may just have a love for data/tech and soccer.

How to Earn an Invite

1. Submit your info on the Registration Portal
   1. Select one “ticket”
   2. Complete the free “checkout” process by letting us know a little more about you

*Everyone must register individually for the event, but if there are other applicants you’d like to team up with, be sure to indicate so in the space provided

2. Within 24 hours, you will receive a confirmation email in your inbox
3. Use the link in the email to submit your resume
4. Wait for us to review your application and give notification of status

REGISTRATION DEADLINE: Friday, June 29, 6 PM EST

Entry is Free

NO PURCHASE NECESSARY. Registration for the event is free. Food and drinks will be provided, as well, but participants are responsible for their own travel and accommodations.

U.S. Soccer has arranged a discount on rooms at the following nearby hotels.

• Hotel Allegro
• Springhill Suites
• Residence Inn
• Renaissance Chicago Downtown

Or rooms can also be booked by calling 1-800-KIMPTON (1-800-546-7866) to reserve (ask for the group rate under the “United States Soccer Federation Hackathon” block or ResID: NU8).

The Challenge

The objective for teams will be simple: use data and developer software to create commercial or sporting value for a soccer federation, league, or club. The most compelling projects will have application to U.S. Soccer, but it does not need to have unique utility for our organization. For example, a model for valuing/comparing players from different leagues around the world would have value to just about any club or federation, including U.S Soccer.

There are different developer skillsets and profiles that fit within the hackathon theme. While many people have full-stack capabilities, we have created a framework for people with only back-end or front-end skills to still compete and contribute ideas.

That said, we will encourage teams to create either A) an analysis or model that delivers new insights or predictive power or B) a data-intensive application (mobile or web) that improves user experience.

Teams are encouraged to come up with their own ideas to explore and questions to answer, but we are providing example topics where we see opportunities that can guide teams in their thinking.

Back-End

• To what degree does on-field success drive commercial opportunity off the field?
• Geographic dynamics – what communities (zip codes) display the highest soccer engagement? Are there any common variables or correlations with other market factors?
• A new metric or model for valuing individual defensive performance
• How is performance affected by environmental factors like stadium, weather, elevation, travel, or rest days?
• A model for more accurately comparing players across different leagues
• Does age composition affect team performance? Is there a right mix?
• How have the most successful playing styles in the World Cup evolved over time?

Front-End

• Fan engagement solution to improve the second-screen experience
• A web or social app that uses data to connect Millennial and Gen Z soccer fans
• A solution for incentivizing and gathering more data from fans in the stadium
• A custom tool for scouting teams and individual players
• A web app for comparing team playing styles

The Prizes

The top team will receive the grand prize: Ultimate Fan Tickets at a domestic USMNT or USWNT match* of your team’s choice, plus airfare and hotel. The Ultimate Fan Experience includes:

• An official NIKE U.S. Soccer jersey customized with your name and the number of your choice
• A visit to the U.S. locker room as it’s made ready for the team’s arrival
• A tour of the stadium, including TV truck, TV broadcast booth, press box, and other points of interest
• Access to field-level during warmups
• On-field seats for the match

The grand prize also includes standard tickets to all other U.S. Soccer-sponsored matches* in 2019.

The runner-up will receive an additional prize. Each team member will receive a U.S. Soccer Golden Ticket, granting them admission to all USMNT or USWNT domestic matches* for 2019.

*Must be a domestic match in 2019 controlled by U.S. Soccer

The Data

As the Official Live Match Data Provider of U.S. Soccer, Opta will be providing data from international and domestic league matches (both men’s and women’s).

Additional data to be provided:

• FIFA ’18 Player Rating Data

*Hackathon participants must sign a confidentiality agreement asserting that they will not share, license, or sell any data provided by U.S. Soccer or Perform Group and that they will remove and destroy all such data from their machines at the completion of the event. Admission to the event is conditional upon signing the agreement.

TERMS AND CONDITIONS