Off-the-shelf Masterclass: Football manager

About this Masterclass

From scouting players to planning match tactics, football teams increasingly rely on technology to make smart decisions. But would you trust a machine to make decisions for you?  

In this workshop, students will explore how computers make decisions using algorithms, logic, and conditional statements. By building and testing decision trees to pick their own football team line-up, students will uncover the principles behind machine learning models. 

Length: 2 hours (see the session leader notes for ideas on how to shorten the Masterclass).

Note: Worksheets and supporting documents are provided in .docx format as well as pdf format, to enable adaptations. These should be opened in desktop versions of word processing software to preserve formatting and layout.

Resources needed

• 1 copy of Stick or Twist cards per pair of students (you may wish to laminate or cut these out)
• 1 copy of Worksheet 1 – Building a decision tree per student
• 1 copy of Worksheet 2 – Creating a lineup picker per pair of students
• 1 copy of Worksheet 3 – Choosing a lineup per pair of students
• 1 copy of Football trump cards per pair (each card should be cut out, you may wish to laminate) – feel free to use other football trading cards if you have them.
• Whiteboard pens (optional, 1 per pair for the stick or twist activity if laminated)
• Pens or pencils
• Spare paper