How are premier league stats recorded?

Football is full of statistics and data.

Premier League matches move quickly. One minute the ball’s being pinged around midfield, the next there’s a counter-attack, a slide tackle, a referee trying to calm everyone down, and somebody in the stands shouting something very specific about a full-back’s passing ability.

But while it all feels frantic, the match is being recorded in detail the whole time. Every pass, shot, clearance, header and misplaced cross is logged, tagged and stored. Nothing gets lost in the chaos.

Those stats help explain the parts of the match that are easy to miss: who controlled the tempo, where attacks started, which players influenced the game even if they didn’t score or assist.

This is how Premier League stats actually get recorded, and why they matter.

How are football statistics collected?

Premier League stats come from two main sources: event data and tracking data.

Event data

This is recorded by trained analysts who watch the match live. 

They log passes, tackles, shots, fouls, possession and more. The record includes where the action happened and who was involved. This creates the classic match stats you’ll see on broadcasts and match reports. 

It’s a structured way of turning the match into a list of actions that can be compared and reviewed. 

Tracking data

This is collected using high-speed camera systems in every Premier League stadium. These cameras follow all 22 players and the ball several times per second. 

The system builds a moving map of positioning, speed and distance. Tracking data shows:

• Player sprint speeds

• Distance covered

• Pressing and defensive spacing

• Build-up patterns

Tracking explains how a match is shaped. Event data explains what happened. Together, they give the overall picture.

What do GF, GA and GD stand for?

These are some of the most recognisable stats on a Premier League league table.

GF - "Goals For" - How many goals a team has scored

GA - "Goals Against" - How many goals a team has conceded

GD - "Goal Difference" - GF minus GA

Goal difference is often a more useful indicator of performance than points alone. A team with a strong goal difference tends to be creating chances and controlling matches, even if a few results didn’t fall their way.

How do league standings work?

League positions in the Premier League are decided by points. It’s 3 points for a win, 1 point for a draw, and no points for a loss.

If two teams finish with the same number of points, the table orders them using:

1. Goal difference

2. Goals scored

3. Head-to-head results

4. And very rarely, a playoff

This keeps the league straightforward. Win games and you move up. Fail to get the results and you drift down. It’s as simple as that. 

The role of stats in understanding matches

Supporters use Premier League stats in all sorts of ways. Sometimes it’s to back up what they already believe, sometimes it completely changes the conversation. 

A player who seemed quiet might actually have linked play all game, and a team that looked passive might have been controlling possession without taking big risks.

The numbers help explain what we all sometimes miss, and clubs use this information to look for patterns that repeat, strengths that hold up under pressure, and weaknesses that might appear when the pace changes. 

The decisions that club strategists make across a season are often rooted in these small statistical details. At the end of the day, the numbers don’t run the game, but they do help everyone understand it a lot more clearly.

Turn live football stats into chances to win

Stats give supporters a clearer view of what happened over the course of a match. They show how teams used the ball, where pressure came from, and which players influenced the game in ways that aren’t always obvious live.

Match Bingo follows those parts of the match as they happen. Our bingo cards update with the flow of play, so you can spot when momentum shifts or when a side starts to take control. When you read those moments early, it makes watching the game feel much more involved.

All the upcoming Premier League fixtures are live in the app. Download now and follow the game as it moves.