League Titles and International Tournaments: GIS Coaching and Analysis Students in the Industry

A core value of GIS is our ability to develop students into industry-ready professionals who can implement their studies in the real sporting world.

Since launching in 2020, we’re proud to have seen many of our alumni go on to make a difference at large organisations and professional clubs. 

As part of a series dedicated to sharing these stories with students aspiring to work in the fast-paced world of sport, this article hears from four of our graduates currently working in the field of coaching and analysis.

Pascal Xanthos

Current Organisation: Bristol City Women

Previous Experience: Everton, FIFA, MK Dons, Hearts

A matter of months ago, Hearts Women had never won a Scottish Women’s Premier League title. That all changed on the 24th of May 2026 when the club won the league on the final day of the season, finishing on 62 points and 85 goals from 28 games.

Pascal Xanthos, an MSc Football Coaching & Analysis graduate, was part of the team that accomplished this in his role as assistant coach, helping them qualify for next season’s UEFA Women’s Champions League.

Speaking to GIS, Pascal explained part of his focus at the club, saying he wanted to “build an environment where players feel safe to be brave,” and emphasised that the title itself was never used to motivate the players.

“When you’re part of a group that is competing at the top end,” he said, “you feel the standards rise every day, and that is what makes it enjoyable. 

“Historic seasons are never built by one moment alone, they’re built through consistency, trust, and a real willingness from everyone to buy into the work.”

Having previously coached at Everton and MK Dons, he has now been appointed Assistant Coach of Bristol City Women at the start of the 2026/27 season.

Christopher Butler

Current Organisation: West Bromwich Albion

Previous Experience: Wolverhampton Wanderers, Birmingham City

With more than 16 years of coaching experience, Christopher Butler is another of our MSc Football Coaching & Analysis alumni. 

Christopher has been the Lead Academy Goalkeeping Coach at West Bromwich Albion since 2023, having specialised as a coach in this position after playing there himself. 

Previously at Wolverhampton Wanderers and Birmingham City, he spoke to GIS about the differences between coaching goalkeepers and outfield players, citing the scrutiny they face.

“Psychological development is crucial because when a goalkeeper concedes, all eyes are often on them. The challenge is helping them cope with and thrive under these pressures. 

“This is where close collaboration with psychology departments becomes important in creating development tools that support performance under pressure.”

He also highlighted the small number of players who make it to the professional level, and therefore the importance of developing players off-the-pitch as well as on it, adding: “I see coaches as teachers, supporting not only physical development but also personal growth.”

Lemekani Mwanza

Current Organisation: Power Dynamos and Zambia Football Association

Previous Experience: Nkwazi FC

From the midlands we shift our focus to Zambia, where GIS MSc Performance Analysis in Football student Lemekani Mwanza is an analyst at Power Dynamos, one of the nation’s most successful clubs.

Supporting the team as they became back-to-back Zambia Premier League champions this year, Lemekani told GIS about one of the main responsibilities in his role.

“My starting point is always the coaching staff’s priorities. What are the two or three key messages they want to land for this specific game? Everything I do flows from that. I’m not producing a comprehensive analysis document for its own sake, I’m building a tool that supports a specific conversation between the coaches and players.”

“From there,” he continued, “I try to apply a simple filter: If a player watches this clip, will it change something they do on Game Day? If the answer is no, it probably doesn’t need to be in the session.”

Alongside his club position, Lemekani also works as an analyst for the Zambia Women’s National Team, who are competing in the 2026 Women’s Africa Cup of Nations.

Aleks Asenov

Current Organisation: FIFA, Bulgaria Football Union, CSKA Sofia

Previous Experience: Bolton Wanderers, Coventry City, Oldham Athletic

Also working in international football is MSc Football Coaching & Analysis alumni Aleks Asenov.

Graduating in 2022, Aleks has gone onto work for a number of organisations in elite sport, and holds three current roles both in Bulgaria and with FIFA.

In Bulgaria, he is a Football Performance Analyst with the national team’s U16 and U17 teams, whilst also working as an analyst and scout for CSKA Sofia—Bulgaria’s most successful club and two-time European Cup (Champions League) semi-finalist.

For FIFA, Aleks is a Tournament Football Analyst, where his job is to collect data from tournaments such as the World Cup to support each competing nation as well as improving the experience of fans at home.

“We collect our data manually,” Aleks explained, “such as offers and defensive pressures, and we have significantly more data points than the second-place data collector.”

He then explained how his GIS studies supported him to get to his current roles, saying the modules involved, “were key for my deeper understanding of coaching and analysis.”

“Prior to that, my experience within analysis was limited, however the master’s at GIS completely changed my perspective and helped me build my confidence and skills required to be a good analyst.”

GIS in the Industry

Whether it be winning domestic league titles or working in major football tournaments, GIS coaches and analysts are applying the skills they learn in the real world.

Modules from Data & Recruitment Analysis to Philosophy in the Coaching Process help them do so, all of which are led by expert lecturers who you can read more about in our Meet Your Lecturers series.

If you’d like to learn more about the courses that can help set you up for a career in sport, explore our programme offerings.

Article by Zakaria Anani