Our Methodology
Built with academy coaches.
Written for parents.
Pathway's framework was built alongside professional academy coaches over two seasons. It covers four development bands — 5–7, 8–10, 11–13, and 14–16 — each with its own emphasis on what to track and, just as importantly, what to leave alone.
The four bands
Matches the age ladder on every Pathway report.
U5–7
Discovery
We track: Involvements, 1v1 attempts, time on the ball.
Why: At this age it's about love of the game and willingness to try. We deliberately don't measure passing accuracy — bravery is the story.
U8–10
Foundation
We track: Press triggers, ball recoveries, 1v1 attempts, receiving under pressure.
Why: Coaches look for engagement with the game. Position doesn't matter yet — does the player keep trying when things don't work?
U11–13
Youth Development
We track: Press work rate, forward passes, decision speed, position-specific actions.
Why: Position starts to matter. The data begins telling a more specific story about how each player affects the game.
U14–16
Pro Pathway
We track: Season-long trend lines, position KPIs, physical outputs (sprint, distance).
Why: Consistency across a season matters more than one big game. Are the numbers holding up in the tough fixtures too?
What the tech sees / what it doesn't
What the tech sees
- Ball events (passes, touches, shots)
- Heat maps and positional coverage
- Distance covered
- Sprint speed
- Involvements
- Recovery runs
What it doesn't
- —Attitude
- —Communication
- —Scanning
- —Decision context
- —Off-camera moments
- —Physical maturity (coach input only)
The tech measures. Coaches judge.
Free download
The full observation framework
The complete band-by-band framework used across every Pathway report — the exact metrics coaches asked us to include, and the ones we deliberately left out.