Event Stats Level (ESL) & Season Stats Level (SSL)

Owned by Adam Działach
Last updated: 22.03.2022
8 min read

Event Stats Level (ESL) and Season Stats Level (SSL) are the most important parameters in SportsApi. It’s extremely important to us to help our partners understand and read them correctly.

SportsAPI gives you an access to a vast amount of data, every possible information or statistic that may happen in the world of sports. Knowing how huge our database already is, we had to figure out how to group the sports content to make it feasible for our partner to use it for his needs.

This is why we organised our data into 4 different levels that determine what kind of information/statistic is guaranteed on each of the levels (ESL/SSL) and which is an add-on within the selected level (ESL+/SSL+).

Event Stats Level (ESL)

This parameter is related to a single Game. We use this parameter to inform our current and future partners about the number and depth of statistics collected for a single event depending on the level. This parameter changes over time and gives you information what is the current level of stats we believe will be provided for the selected event.

We have 4 different levels of statistics collected within a single event:

  • VIP

    • the biggest number of stats we can possibly collect within the selected game

    • LIVE coverage very often done by two Scouts in team sports or one Scout in individual sports (if there is no chance to go deeper on stats, and a second Scout isn’t needed)

  • GOLD

    • decent number of team stats and basic player stats collected either LIVE by one Scout or entered manually after the game by a Season Data team member (Data Manager, Data Supervisor or League Editor)

    • lineups and players' names being added live per key incidents in team sports

  • SILVER

    • basic team stats collected either LIVE by one Scout (mostly using a mobile phone from the venue/sports ground) or entered manually after the game by a Season Data team member (Data Manager, Data Supervisor or League Editor)

    • no lineups and players' names guaranteed (could be provided depending on sport)

  • BRONZE

    • just the live score and event time provided during LIVE coverage

    • ‘Full time only’ result if there is no LIVE coverage

    • no Scout nor League Editor presence is required

Event Stats Level is an extremely important parameter during full event’s life cycle, from being created till few hours after it’s finished, as we inform our partners what level of statistics are available for the precise moment they enter our database (game could be on ESL BRONZE 3 days before the start, on ESL SILVER LIVE and on ESL GOLD 5 hours after it’s finished).

Example:

Within one round of Polish Ekstraklasa, we could decide that:

  • Górnik Zabrze - Piast Gliwice game will be covered from the venue by a Scout using a mobile phone, so Event Stats Level for live coverage is going to be set on SILVER

  • Wisła Kraków - Legia Warszawa game will be covered in front of TV and a Scout will be capable of adding lineups and player names per important incidents, so Event Stats Level for live coverage is going to be set on GOLD

  • Raków Częstochowa - Śląsk Wrocław game will be provided by an external provider that can only offer live stats compatible with our Silver ones, so Event Stats Level for live coverage is going to be set on SILVER

  • For the Jagiellonia - Pogoń Szczecin game we have no Scout who would cover the match from the venue, no coverage on TV and our external provider can only supply us with a live score, so Event Stats Level for live coverage is going to be set on BRONZE

Event Stats Level + (ESL+)

Event Stats Level is a fundamental set of details and statistics that we guarantee for a selected single Game within a set level. However, we always want to collect as many stats as possible, and there is always a chance there could be one (or more) single statistic that could be collected within the selected game as an add-on, but it may not be enough to rise the whole event’s ESL to a higher level. And this is where the “+” indicator comes in.

We can’t rise Event Stats Level until all guaranteed stats are provided on a higher level, but we can inform our partners that we have some additional stats within the selected event on the current level.

Example:

We have a Manchester United - Liverpool game to be delivered by a Scout from TV, and he is capable of delivering all the details and stats that are guaranteed on ESL GOLD, which is the base level that will be set.
However we also asked him to deliver for this game one more statistic named ‘Assists’, that isn’t among the guaranteed stats for ESL GOLD (we have ‘Assists’ guaranteed for ESL VIP).
The Scout will provide this additional statistic, however he wouldn’t be able to add all other stats that are required on ESL VIP, so we can’t set the whole event to ESL VIP.
As a final result, we will inform our partner that Manchester United - Liverpool will have ESL GOLD+ with an information that an add-on stat named ‘Assists’ is also available.

Event Stats Level Live (ESL Live)

This parameter is related to a single Game and gives you a heads-up information what level of statistics we aim to provide LIVE. This parameter is mostly used as a source of pre match knowledge for our play-by-play products: ScoutsFeed, LivematchPro, but also SportsAPI’s Livescore add-ons.

The higher the ESL is, the deeper stats and more incidents will be provided LIVE.

Event Stats Level After (ESL After)

This parameter is related to a single Game and gives you a heads-up information what level of statistics we aim to provide post-match. This parameters is very handy for those of our SportsAPI partners that aim to reach out for single events in-depth stats. Looking ahead in the fixtures you will know few days/weeks before what level of stats will be provided after the game is finished.

The higher the ESL is, the deeper stats and more incidents will be provided post-match.

Season Stats Level (SSL)

This parameter is related to a full Season. We use this parameter to inform our current and future partners that selected Season from a selected Competition consists of a selected number and depth of statistics collected depending on the level.

When using our API, with every Season Stats Level you will also see a stats level set not only to a single season, but to a whole competition. Keep in mind though that stats level for competition is always the same, as Season Stats Level for the current active season. That is why we suggest to ignore this field and focus on Season Stats Level.

We have 4 different levels of statistics collected within a single season:

  • VIP

    • fixtures, results, basic standings and extended standings

    • the most in-depth stats we could collect within a selected sport

    • very often collected by two Scouts during live coverage

    • consists of deep and extensive stats per teams (participants), but also per players (subparticipants) involved in the event

    • majority of the seasons with STATSCORE as an official sports data provider

  • GOLD

    • fixtures, results, basic standings and extended standings

    • exhaustive statistics within a selected sport, however, required data must be provided either on the official website of the competition, or through other verified sources to be available for database entry

    • very often collected by a Scout live, but this is neither a rule nor a must have obligation

    • consists of deep stats per teams (participants), but also selected ones per players (subparticipants) involved in the event

  • SILVER

    • fixtures, results and basic standings

    • basic statistics collected for teams (participants) taking part in the event (limited sub-participants/players statistics depending on sport e.g. goal scorers in soccer)

    • very often collected by a Scout using a mobile phone focused on team stats only (no team lineups available)

  • BRONZE

    • fixtures, results and basic standings

In order to have a correct Season stats we have to be focused all season long. This requires detailed and patient work on every game that is being played within the season, because Season stats work as a sum of the stats collected from every single event protocol within the season.

  1. SSL VIP season

    1. all games must have ESL VIP verified not later than within 24 hours after they are finished

  2. SSL GOLD season

    1. all games must have ESL GOLD or VIP verified not later than within 24 hours after they are finished

  3. SSL SILVER season

    1. all games must have ESL SILVER, GOLD or VIP verified not later than within 24 hours after they are finished

  4. SSL BRONZE season

    1. all ESL are accepted, no protocol verification involved

Season Stats Level (SSL+)

Season Stats Level is a fundamental set of details and statistics that we guarantee for a selected Season from a selected Competition. However, we always want to collect as many stats as possible, and there is always a chance there could be one (or more) statistic that could be collected as an add-on even on a such long distance as full season. Yet it may not be enough to rise the whole season’s SSL to a higher level. And this is where the “+” indicator comes in.

It’s very similar to what you have already read about ESL+. The main difference is that this time the “+” indicator refers to statistics that are collected as ad-ons (beyond guaranteed) on a full season basis (ESL+ applies to a single event).

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