Football Data

Before writing queries, consult references/api-reference.md for endpoints, ID conventions, and data shapes.

Setup

Before first use, check if the CLI is available:

which sports-skills || pip install sports-skills

If pip install fails (package not found or Python version error), install from GitHub:

pip install git+https://github.com/machina-sports/sports-skills.git

The package requires Python 3.10+. If your default Python is older, use a specific version:

python3 --version  # check version
# If < 3.10, try: python3.12 -m pip install sports-skills
# On macOS with Homebrew: /opt/homebrew/bin/python3.12 -m pip install sports-skills

No API keys required.

Quick Start

Prefer the CLI — it avoids Python import path issues:

sports-skills football get_daily_schedule
sports-skills football get_season_standings --season_id=premier-league-2025

Python SDK (alternative):

from sports_skills import football

standings = football.get_season_standings(season_id="premier-league-2025")
schedule = football.get_daily_schedule()

CRITICAL: Before Any Query

CRITICAL: Before calling any data endpoint, verify:

• Season ID is derived from get_current_season(competition_id="...") — never hardcoded.
• Team ID is verified via search_team(query="...") if only a name is provided.
• get_event_xg and get_event_players_statistics (with xG) are only called for top-5 leagues (EPL, La Liga, Bundesliga, Serie A, Ligue 1).
• get_season_leaders and get_missing_players are only called for Premier League seasons (season_id must start with premier-league-).

Choosing the Season

Derive the current year from the system prompt's date (e.g., currentDate: 2026-02-16 → current year is 2026).

• If the user specifies a season, use it as-is.
• If the user says "current", "latest", or doesn't specify: Call get_current_season(competition_id="...") to get the active season_id. Do NOT guess or hardcode the year.
• Season format: Always {league-slug}-{year} (e.g., "premier-league-2025" for the 2025-26 season). The year is the start year of the season, not the end year.
• MLS exception: MLS runs spring-fall within a single calendar year. Use get_current_season(competition_id="mls").

Commands

See references/api-reference.md for full parameter lists, return shapes, and data coverage table.

Examples

Example 1: Premier League table

User says: "Show me the Premier League table"

Actions:

1. Call get_current_season(competition_id="premier-league") to get the current season_id
2. Call get_season_standings(season_id=)

Result: Standings table with position, team, played, won, drawn, lost, GD, points

Example 2: Match report

User says: "How did Arsenal vs Liverpool go?"

Actions:

1. Call get_daily_schedule() or get_team_schedule(team_id="359") to find the event_id
2. Call get_event_summary(event_id="...") for the score
3. Call get_event_statistics(event_id="...") for possession, shots, etc.
4. Call get_event_xg(event_id="...") for xG comparison (EPL — top 5 only)

Result: Match report with scores, key stats, and xG

Example 3: Team deep dive

User says: "Deep dive on Chelsea's recent form"

Actions:

1. Call search_team(query="Chelsea") → team_id=363, competition=premier-league
2. Call get_team_schedule(team_id="363", competition_id="premier-league") → find recent closed events
3. For each recent match, call in parallel: get_event_xg, get_event_statistics, get_event_players_statistics
4. Call get_missing_players(season_id=) → filter Chelsea's injured/doubtful players

Result: xG trend across matches, key player stats, and injury report

Example 4: Player market value

User says: "What's Saka's market value?"

Actions:

1. Call get_player_profile(tm_player_id="433177") for Transfermarkt data
2. Optionally add fpl_id for FPL stats

Result: Market value, value history, and transfer history

Example 5: Non-PL club

User says: "Tell me about Corinthians"

Actions:

1. Call search_team(query="Corinthians") → team_id=874, competition=serie-a-brazil
2. Call get_team_schedule(team_id="874", competition_id="serie-a-brazil") for fixtures
3. Pick a recent match and call get_event_timeline(event_id="...") for goals, cards, subs

Result: Fixtures, timeline events (note: xG, FPL stats, and season leaders NOT available for Brazilian Serie A)

Commands that DO NOT exist — never call these

• ~~get_standings~~ — the correct command is get_season_standings (requires season_id).
• ~~get_live_scores~~ — not available. Use get_daily_schedule() for today's matches.
• ~~get_team_squad~~ / ~~get_team_roster~~ — get_team_profile does NOT return players. Use get_season_leaders for PL player IDs, then get_player_profile.
• ~~get_transfers~~ — the correct command is get_season_transfers (requires season_id + tm_player_ids).
• ~~get_match_results~~ / ~~get_match~~ — use get_event_summary with an event_id.
• ~~get_player_stats~~ — use get_event_players_statistics for match-level stats, or get_player_profile for career data.
• ~~get_scores~~ / ~~get_results~~ — use get_event_summary with an event_id.
• ~~get_fixtures~~ — use get_daily_schedule for today's matches or get_season_schedule for a full season.
• ~~get_league_table~~ — use get_season_standings with a season_id.

If a command is not in the Commands table above, it does not exist. Do not try commands not listed.

Error Handling

When a command fails (wrong event_id, missing data, network error, etc.), do not surface the raw error to the user. Instead:

1. Catch it silently — treat the failure as an exploratory miss.
2. Try alternatives — if an event_id returns no data, call get_daily_schedule() or get_team_schedule() to discover the correct ID.
3. Only report failure after exhausting alternatives — use a clean message (e.g., "I couldn't find that match — can you confirm the teams or date?").

Troubleshooting

Error: sports-skills command not found

Cause: Package not installed

Solution: Run pip install sports-skills. If not on PyPI, install from GitHub: pip install git+https://github.com/machina-sports/sports-skills.git

Error: ModuleNotFoundError: No module named 'sports_skills'

Cause: Package not installed or path issue

Solution: Install the package. Prefer the CLI over Python imports to avoid path issues

Error: get_season_leaders or get_missing_players returns empty for a non-PL league

Cause: These commands only work for Premier League; they silently return empty for other leagues

Solution: Check the Data Coverage table in references/api-reference.md. For other leagues, use get_event_players_statistics for player data

Error: get_team_profile returns no players

Cause: This command does not return squad rosters — this is expected behavior

Solution: For PL teams, use get_season_leaders to find player FPL IDs, then get_player_profile(fpl_id="...")

Error: Wrong season_id format

Cause: Season ID must follow the {league-slug}-{year} format

Solution: Use get_current_season(competition_id="...") to discover the correct format. Example: "premier-league-2025", not "2025-2026" or "EPL-2025"

Error: No xG data for a recent match

Cause: Understat data may lag 24-48 hours after a match ends

Solution: If get_event_xg returns empty for a recent top-5 match, retry later. Only available for EPL, La Liga, Bundesliga, Serie A, Ligue 1

Error: Team or event ID unknown

Cause: ID was guessed instead of looked up

Solution: Use search_team(query="team name") to find team IDs, or get_daily_schedule / get_season_schedule to find event IDs. Never guess IDs.