A new research focus that blends complex systems science and sports analytics is taking shape at the Network Science Institute. NetSI Sport is built around a simple yet powerful idea: that network science, with its tools for understanding connectivity, dynamics, and emergent patterns, can offer fresh perspectives on sports analytics, particularly in soccer where interactions between players create intricate webs of collaboration and strategy.

From passion to program

‍NetSI Sport officially launched in Fall 2024, thanks to a generous gift that enabled the purchase of the comprehensive Hudl Statsbomb dataset covering men's and women's top-flight soccer leagues. What began as a long-time passion for soccer and networks among several NetSI members quickly evolved into a structured research program led by Prof. Brennan Klein. “With NetSI Sport, we’re doing two things—shares Prof. Klein— pushing the boundaries of sports analytics with complex systems research, and using that same energy to spark new exciting and accessible education programs, especially to pull young people into science by showing how networks add even more meaning to the sport they love.”

The team expanded to include Dr. Maddalena Torricelli as a postdoctoral researcher now leading projects development, PhD student Luca Santagata, and collaborators from different backgrounds spanning mathematics, physics, computer science, and management.

The mission of this group is dual: advancing the frontiers of sports analytics through complex systems research while using that same work to inspire younger generations to engage with science through the lens of sports they already love.

Building momentum off the pitch

‍Over the past year, NetSI Sport has actively built partnerships across academia and professional sports. The team led a Collabathon at the Complexity 72h Workshop in Madrid, where they compared evolutionary strategies in women's and men's soccer. They've forged connections with soccer analytics experts like Prof. Ulrik Brandes of ETH Zürich (tactical advisor to the Swiss Football Association) and Prof. Javier M. Buldú of Rey Juan Carlos University.

NetSI Sport is also exploring collaborations with both men and women’s professional teams in New England. “The goal is to apply the depth and rigor of academic research in practical settings,”—says Maddalena Torricelli—“supporting teams, addressing their real challenges while keeping a bird's eye view on how the game is evolving across leagues. Especially in women's soccer, which is moving so fast right now. It's vibrant, exciting, and we're right in the middle of it”.

Game in progress

‍NetSI Sport is currently working on a wide range of exciting projects that highlight the power of network thinking. The "Goal Scoring Dynamics" project, which included two high school interns, analyzes temporal patterns in goal-scoring in soccer and examines how first goals shape match outcomes. The team's Complexity 72h Collabathon work resulted in a pre-print titled "Harder, shorter, sharper, forward: A comparison of women's and men's elite football gameplay (2020-2025)" offering insights into how the women's game has evolved over five seasons.

Other projects draw on frameworks from linguistics, physics, and complex systems to understand how teams coordinate, adapt, and develop distinctive styles of play. The group explores questions like: What makes a team more than the sum of its players? How do tactical identities emerge and evolve? How do spatial dynamics shape decision-making on the pitch? By combining tracking data, event data, and computational modeling, NetSI Sport wants to uncover the hidden structures that drive performance across both men's and women's soccer.

Spring 2026 and beyond

Looking ahead, this Spring Prof. Klein will teach a new course, "Sports Analytics through Data and Networks" (CNET 5442), offering Northeastern master's and advanced undergraduate students the chance to apply network science tools to sports data. In February 2026, NetSI Sport is co-organizing a sports analytics hackathon with Northeastern's Sports Analytics Club, free and open to students from Boston-area universities (with registration deadline January 7, 2026).

June 2026 promises to be particularly eventful. NetSI will host NetSci 2026, the flagship network science conference, which will include a focus session on sports analytics—a unique opportunity to introduce NetSI's emerging role at the intersection of complexity science and sports. Immediately following, NetSI's London campus will host the Complexity 72h Workshop, featuring another sports analytics Collabathon organized by Dr. Torricelli.

Through these expanding research efforts, hands-on learning opportunities, and cross-campus collaborations (from the new sports analytics course and student hackathon to major international conferences and workshops) NetSI Sport is looking into how network science can reshape the way we understand team sports, and along the way inspire the next generation to appreciate networks and data through a game they love.