Zimbabwean Data Analyst Chris Shumba Eyes Success At Manchester United

Zimbabwean data analyst, Chris Shumba, has said he wants to help Manchester United build the best data platform in sport after he joined the club’s data team in March 2023.

Shumba, who grew up in Zimbabwe, told BBC that data has an important role to play in football. He said:

Data science enables decision-makers to make better judgements using data-driven knowledge. This capability results in a data-informed organisation.

When we think of data enablement, we think of the entire organisation. As a data team, we are not only there to answer questions but also to help people answer their own questions using data.

This is a more scalable approach and one with a bigger impact on the organisation and industry.

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Shumba said that when he joined Manchester United’s data team early this year, he had never worked in football before. He said:

I was both excited and nervous before starting. I had never worked in football before, so I had no idea what to expect. Everyone has been so warm and friendly.

I usually don’t feel like I am working because I am doing something I love. Being part of the club feels very special to me.

Shumba said he originally aspired to a career as an actuary as he was interested in statistics but found himself drawn to data science following his graduation.

But after completing his A-Levels, he studied applied mathematics at Sheffield Hallam University and then a Master’s in statistics at Sheffield University. 

As the nature of the degree was applied mathematics, he got to write code a lot.

Shumba believes that data science is an important area for children to gain skills in. He said:

Computing is not primarily about computers or code; rather, it is about problem-solving, question-answering, being creative and innovative, and most importantly, feeling empowered.

You can alter the world with your ideas. In the future, programming will open up countless opportunities for pupils.

I also believe it will keep them interested in STEM subjects by demonstrating their practicality.

The pace of innovation within the digital space has been very fast. There are plenty of opportunities within health, education, sport, environment, transportation, economy and finance, social welfare and many others to contribute to the digital landscape.

Abraham Lincoln once said, “The philosophy of the school room in one generation will be the philosophy of government in the next”.

So as a teacher, you may have the next prime minister in your class, as a student you might be a future prime minister. So it is important to be ready for that future now.

Data science is a multidisciplinary approach that combines principles and practices from the fields of mathematics, statistics, artificial intelligence, and computer engineering to analyze large amounts of data.

This analysis helps data scientists to ask and answer questions like what happened, why it happened, what will happen, and what can be done with the results.

More: Pindula News