The NRL will open its statistical vault to some of Australia’s best and brightest data-analysts for the first time, as part of the NRL DataJam on May 5th.



Leading statisticians from companies including Facebook, KPMG, Commonwealth Bank of Australia, Qantas and Accenture will bunker down at Facebook HQ in Sydney to ‘Jam’ the NRL’s data, looking to identify new trends and ways to visualise game play, participation levels, entertainment value and more.



The NRL’s first ever DataJam follows on from the New South Wales Rugby League Origin DataJam in May of last year and is in partnership with technology and data recruitment company Precision Sourcing.



The NRL’s Head of Football Brian Canavan, is eager to see what unique ideas and visualisations some of the best analytical brains in Australia can deliver.



“We’ve never allowed this level of access to our data from people outside of Rugby League before,” Mr Canavan said.



“But sometimes trying something different with a fresh set of eyes and differing mindsets can open doors to thoughts and opportunities we may never have noticed before, and that’s exciting.”



“I look forward to seeing what they come up with.”



Precision Sourcing Team Manager of Data Analytics, Joel Stein, is excited to be partnering with the NRL for what is the second DataJam inside a year that Precision Sourcing has put together.



“We are a tech and data recruitment business, so with data being the buzzword on everyone’s lips these days, this event is a great way to connect the NRL’s data with our network and offer an event unlike anything else out there,” Mr Stein said.



“By providing the NRL with access to some of the smartest data minds in Australia, our hope is that the outcomes presented can ultimately benefit all involved in the game, now and into the future.”



Similarly, Head of Marketing Science, Australia & New Zealand, Steve Lockwood said Facebook were really excited to host and play a key part in NRL’s first DataJam.

“It’s a great opportunity to bring the highly talented analytics community in Australia closer together to hopefully create some powerful insights for our partners at the NRL,” Mr Lockwood said.



“Ultimately we want to help grow the success of NRL as a business and build on the experience for the teams and their fans.”