Article Details

Title Some Issues in Distance Construction for Football Players Performance Data
Authors Akhanli, Serhat Emre and Hennig, Christian
Year 2017
Volume 2(1)
Abstract For mapping football (soccer) player information by using multidimensional scaling, and for clustering football players, we construct a distance measure based on players’ performance data. The variables are of mixed type, but the main focus of this paper is how count variables are treated when defining a proper distance measure between players (e.g., top and lower level variables). The distance construction involves four steps: 1) representation , 2) transformation, 3) standardisation, 4) variable weighting. Several distance measures are discussed in terms of how well they match the interpretation of distance and similarity in the application of interest, with a focus on comparing Aitchison and Manhattan distance for variables giving percentage compositions. Preliminary outcomes of multidimensional scaling and clustering are shown.