Actim Index

The Actim Index is the official player ratings system of the Barclays Premiership, Coca-Cola Championship and Scottish Premier League. It is compiled and distributed by PA Sport, a subsidiary of the Press Association.

The Actim Index ranks players on a weekly basis according to their performances on the pitch, both by position and in an overall chart, throughout the season. The Actim Index rankings are based on a player's aggregate score for all matches played.

Calculated using a mathematical formula developed by PA Sport alongside statisticians from Salford University, each player’s contribution to matches is examined including goals, shots, passes, dribbles, tackles, crosses, saves, clearances, blocks, interceptions, time on the pitch and number of points gained by their team. The formula has not been public, and the lack of public scrutiny had rendered the index largely irrelevant.

The Index is heavily biased towards strikers, as in the 2007-2008 season, the highest rated performers were: Cristiano Ronaldo, Emmanuel Adebayor, Fernando Torres, Roque Santa Cruz, and Carlos Tevez. Gareth Barry and Cesc Fabregas are the highest rated non-forwards, and there are only 4 defenders in the top 20.

Two additional calculations have been added for the 2006 – 2007 season, which take into account player assists and goalkeepers’ clean sheets. This has increased the amount of variables by which a player is now measured.

The data is collected by a representative from the Professional Footballers Association (PFA), usually an ex-player, at every Premiership and Championship league match. Video footage is then used to verify the information before the Index is generated and published.

The list of the Top 100 players and Top 5 players by position is updated during the football season every Tuesday for the Barclays Premiership and every Thursday for the Coca-Cola Championship, and is available free of charge from the official Actim website:

External links

*http://www.pa-sport.com/en/products/actim.html

PA Sport also distributes weekly media advisories which contain updates on the latest player rankings. The Premiership and Championship Actim Index Alerts are published every week following the announcement of the Actim Index for each league.

How the results are calculated

The six calculations which generate the Actim Index are:

Calculation 1 – Assesses a player's contribution to a winning team, based on points won by the team when he has appeared

Calculation 2 – Assesses a player's performance in each game by allocating points for actions that positively contribute to a winning performance such as shots, tackles, clearances and saves. It also takes points away from players for negative actions such as yellow/red cards and shots off target

Calculation 3 – Allocates points based on time on the pitch

Calculation 4 – Allocates points for goal scorers

Calculation 5 – Allocates points for assists

Calculation 6 – Allocates points for clean sheets

Results 2006 - 2007 Season

Premiership Top 10 Players

Championship Top 10 Players

External links

*http://www.pa-sport.com/en/products/actim_faqs.html