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Lolli L, Bauer P, Irving C, Bonanno D, Höner O, Gregson W, Di Salvo V. Data analytics in the football industry: a survey investigating operational frameworks and practices in professional clubs and national federations from around the world. SCI MED FOOTBALL 2024:1-10. [PMID: 38745403 DOI: 10.1080/24733938.2024.2341837] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 04/04/2024] [Indexed: 05/16/2024]
Abstract
The use of data and analytics in professional football organisations has grown steadily over the last decade. Nevertheless, how and whether these advances in sports analytics address the needs of professional football remain unexplored. Practitioners from national federations qualified for the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022™ and professional football clubs from an international community of practitioners took part in a survey exploring the characteristics of their data analytics infrastructure, their role, and their value for elaborating player monitoring and positional data. Respondents from 29 national federations and 32 professional clubs completed the survey, with response rates of 90.6% and 77.1%, respectively. Summary information highlighted the underemployment of staff with expertise in applied data analytics across organisations. Perceptions regarding analytical capabilities and data governance framework were heterogenous, particularly in the case of national federations. Only a third of national federation respondents (~30%) perceived information on positional data from international sports data analytics providers to be sufficiently clear. The general resourcing limitations, the overall lack of expertise in data analytics methods, and the absence of operational taxonomies for reference performance metrics pose constraints to meaningful knowledge translations from raw data in professional football organisations.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lorenzo Lolli
- Football Performance & Science Department, Aspire Academy, Doha, Qatar
- Department of Sport and Exercise Sciences, Institute of Sport, Manchester Metropolitan University, Manchester, UK
| | - Pascal Bauer
- DFB-Akademie, Deutscher Fußball-Bund e.V. (DFB), Frankfurt, Germany
- Institute of Sports Science, Eberhard Karls University of Tübingen, Tübingen, Germany
| | - Callum Irving
- FIFA High Performance, Football Performance Analytics and Insights, Zürich, Switzerland
| | - Daniele Bonanno
- Football Performance & Science Department, Aspire Academy, Doha, Qatar
| | - Oliver Höner
- Institute of Sports Science, Eberhard Karls University of Tübingen, Tübingen, Germany
| | - Warren Gregson
- Department of Sport and Exercise Sciences, Institute of Sport, Manchester Metropolitan University, Manchester, UK
| | - Valter Di Salvo
- Football Performance & Science Department, Aspire Academy, Doha, Qatar
- Department of Movement, Human and Health Sciences, University of Rome "Foro Italico", Rome, Italy
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Kavanagh R, McDaid K, Rhodes D, McDonnell J, Oliveira R, Morgans R. An Analysis of Positional Generic and Individualized Speed Thresholds Within the Most Demanding Phases of Match Play in the English Premier League. Int J Sports Physiol Perform 2024; 19:116-126. [PMID: 38134895 DOI: 10.1123/ijspp.2023-0063] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/06/2023] [Revised: 09/14/2023] [Accepted: 10/12/2023] [Indexed: 12/24/2023]
Abstract
OBJECTIVES To analyze the positional distances covered above generic and individualized speed thresholds within the most demanding phases of match play. Categorized by position, 17 English Premier League players' match data were analyzed over 2 consecutive seasons (2019-20 and 2020-21). The most demanding phases of play were determined using a rolling average across 4 periods of 1, 3, 5, and 10 minutes. Distance covered in the time above the standard speed of 5.5 m/s was analyzed, with individualized metrics based on the maximal aerobic speed (MAS) test data. RESULTS Central defenders displayed lower values for high-intensity periods when compared with fullbacks, midfielders, and wide midfielders for both generic and individualized metrics. MAS during 1-minute periods was significantly higher for forwards when compared with central defenders (82.9 [18.9] vs 67.5 [14.8] for maximum high-speed running [HSR] and 96.0 [15.9] vs 75.7 [13.8] HSR for maximum MAS activity). The maximum effect size differences between the central midfielders, wide midfielders, and fullbacks for HSR and MAS measures under the maximum HSR criterion was 0.28 and 0.18 for the 1-minute period, 0.36 and 0.19 for the 3-minute period, 0.46 and 0.31 for the 5-minute period, and 0.49 and 0.315 for the 10-minute period. CONCLUSIONS Individualized speed metrics may provide a more precise and comparable measure than generic values. Data appear to be consistent across playing positions except for central defenders. This information may allow practitioners to directly compare individualized physical outputs of non-central defenders during the most demanding phases of play regardless of the players' positional group. This may provide coaches with important information regarding session design, training load, and fatigue monitoring.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ronan Kavanagh
- Nottingham Forest FC, Nottingham, United Kingdom
- Football Performance Hub, Institute of Coaching and Performance, University of Central Lancashire, Preston, United Kingdom
| | - Kevin McDaid
- Applied Data Analytics Research Group, Dundalk Institute of Technology, Louth, Ireland
| | - David Rhodes
- Human Performance Department, Burnley Football Club, Burnley, United Kingdom
| | - Jack McDonnell
- Applied Data Analytics Research Group, Dundalk Institute of Technology, Louth, Ireland
| | - Rafael Oliveira
- Sports Science School of Rio Maior-Polytechnic Institute of Santarém, Rio Maior, Portugal
- Research Center in Sport Sciences, Health Sciences and Human Development, Vila Real, Portugal
- Life Quality Research Center, Rio Maior, Portugal
| | - Ryland Morgans
- Football Performance Hub, Institute of Coaching and Performance, University of Central Lancashire, Preston, United Kingdom
- School of Sport and Health Sciences, Cardiff Metropolitan University, Cardiff, United Kingdom
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Silva JR, Buchheit M, Hader K, Sarmento H, Afonso J. Building Bridges Instead of Putting Up Walls: Connecting the "Teams" to Improve Soccer Players' Support. Sports Med 2023; 53:2309-2320. [PMID: 37480484 PMCID: PMC10687197 DOI: 10.1007/s40279-023-01887-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 06/22/2023] [Indexed: 07/24/2023]
Abstract
The increase in the economic value of soccer occurred in parallel with an increase in competing demands. Therefore, clubs and federations evolved to greater specialization (e.g., state-of-the-art facilities and high-profile expertise staff) to support players' performance and health. Currently, player preparation is far from exclusively club or national team centered, and the lack of control in each player's environment can be more prevalent than expected. For example, an elite group of professional players faces disruptions in the season club-oriented planification due to involvement in national teams. Moreover, as elite players' financial resources grow, it is common for them to employ specialized personal staff (e.g., strength and conditioning, nutritionist, and sports psychologist) to assist in their preparation, resulting in complex three-fold relationships (i.e., club, player's staff, national team). Although efforts have been made to improve communication with and transition from the club to the national team supervision, this new reality (club-players' staff) may generate serious compound role-related problems and difficulties in monitoring load and training adaptation and having a unified message. Therefore, efforts must be implemented to ensure a more informed management of the players' performance environment, where the existence and impact of these various personal staff are considered to avoid a long-term non-zero sum for all intervening parties. If left unchecked, current professional thinking may collide or overlap, potentially triggering conflict escalation and impairing athletic performance or health, especially if effective communication routes are not adequately established. Moreover, diluted personal responsibility regarding performance may ensue, resulting in decreased productivity from all involved, which may cause more harm than benefits for the player's overall health and performance. This emerging reality calls for developing a joint working framework (i.e., between the player's personalized support team and the clubs' team) and better managing of a player-centered process.
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Affiliation(s)
- João Renato Silva
- Faculty of Sport, Center for Research, Education, Innovation, and Intervention in Sport (CIFI2D), University of Porto, Porto, Portugal.
| | - Martin Buchheit
- HIIT Science, Revelstoke, BC, Canada
- Laboratory of Sport, Expertise and Performance, French National Institute of Sport (INSEP), Paris, France
- Kitman Labs, Performance Research Intelligence Initiative, Dublin, Ireland
- Lille OSC, Lille, France
| | - Karim Hader
- Kitman Labs, Performance Research Intelligence Initiative, Dublin, Ireland
| | - Hugo Sarmento
- Research Unit for Sport and Physical Activity (CIDAF), Faculty of Sport Sciences and Physical Education, University of Coimbra, Coimbra, Portugal
| | - José Afonso
- Faculty of Sport, Center for Research, Education, Innovation, and Intervention in Sport (CIFI2D), University of Porto, Porto, Portugal
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Taberner M, Allen T, O'Keefe J, Richter C, Cohen D, Harper D, Buchheit M. Interchangeability of optical tracking technologies: potential overestimation of the sprint running load demands in the English Premier League. SCI MED FOOTBALL 2023; 7:374-383. [PMID: 35896059 DOI: 10.1080/24733938.2022.2107699] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 07/26/2022] [Indexed: 10/16/2022]
Abstract
PURPOSE The purpose of this study was to assess the agreement between match-derived running load outputs; total distance (TD), high-speed running (HSR) and sprint distance (SPR) obtained by two optical tracking systems. METHODS Data were collected from 31 elite footballers from the first team and under-21 squads of an English Premier League (EPL) football club across three competitive matches. One EPL game (game 2) and one under-21 Premier League game (game 3) were played at the team's home stadium and one EPL game (game 1) at an away venue. All matches were tracked concomitantly using eight colour cameras sampling at 10 Hz (PROZONE®) and six high-definition motion cameras sampling at 25 Hz (TRACAB®). RESULTS TD displayed a perfect (r = 0.99) correlation while HSR and SPR displayed very large (r = 0.81 and r = 0.73) correlations between TRACAB® and PROZONE®. Mean biases were 5% for TD, -3% for HSR and 61% for SPR. Between games, mean biases for TD were 6% for game 1, and 5% for game 2 and game 3. For HSR, 9% for game 1, -5% for game 2 and 6% for game 3 and for SPR, 31% for game 1, 71% for game 2 and 84% for game 3. CONCLUSION TD and HSR can be interchanged between PROZONE® and TRACAB®, to allow accurate interpretation between the two optical systems. PROZONE® overestimated SPR compared to the TRACAB®, with the magnitude of difference considered meaningful, altering interpretation of historical match outputs, sprint volume trends in the EPL and forecasts of the modern game.
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Affiliation(s)
- Matt Taberner
- School of Sport and Exercise Sciences, Liverpool John Moore's University, Liverpool, UK
| | - Tom Allen
- Arsenal Performance and Research Team, Arsenal Football Club, London, UK
- Institute of Coaching and Performance, University of Central Lancashire, Preston, UK
| | - Jason O'Keefe
- Academy Sports Science Department, Everton Football Club, Liverpool, UK
| | | | - Daniel Cohen
- Masira Research Institute, University of Santander (UDES), Bucaramanga, Colombia
- Sports Science Center (CCD), Colombian Ministry of Sport (Mindeporte), Colombia
| | - Damian Harper
- Institute of Coaching and Performance, University of Central Lancashire, Preston, UK
| | - Martin Buchheit
- Kitman Labs, Dublin, Ireland
- Performance Department, Lille OSC, Lille, France
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Russomanno TG, Blauberger P, Kolbinger O, Lam H, Schmid M, Lames M. Drone-Based Position Detection in Sports-Validation and Applications. Front Physiol 2022; 13:850512. [PMID: 35492583 PMCID: PMC9040709 DOI: 10.3389/fphys.2022.850512] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/07/2022] [Accepted: 03/01/2022] [Indexed: 12/02/2022] Open
Abstract
Radio and video-based electronic performance and tracking systems (EPTS) for position detection are widely used in a variety of sports. In this paper, the authors introduce an innovative approach to video-based tracking that uses a single camera attached to a drone to capture an area of interest from a bird’s eye view. This pilot validation study showcases several applications of this novel approach for the analysis of game and racket sports. To this end, the authors compared positional data retrieved from video footage recorded using a drone with positional data obtained from established radio-based systems in three different setups: a tennis match during training with the drone hovering at a height of 27 m, a small-sided soccer game with the drone at a height of 50 m, and an Ultimate Frisbee match with the drone at a height of 85 m. For each type of playing surface, clay (tennis) and grass (soccer and Ultimate), the drone-based system demonstrated acceptable static accuracy with root mean square errors of 0.02 m (clay) and 0.15 m (grass). The total distance measured using the drone-based system showed an absolute difference of 2.78% in Ultimate and 2.36% in soccer, when compared to an established GPS system and an absolute difference of 2.68% in tennis, when compared to a state-of-the-art LPS. The overall ICC value for consistency was 0.998. Further applications of a drone-based EPTS and the collected positional data in the context of performance analysis are discussed. Based on the findings of this pilot validation study, we conclude that drone-based position detection could serve as a promising alternative to existing EPTS but would benefit from further comparisons in dynamic settings and across different sports.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tiago Guedes Russomanno
- Chair of Performance Analysis and Sports Informatics, Department of Sport and Health Sciences, Technical University of Munich, Munich, Germany.,Laboratory for Teaching Computer Science Applied to Physical Education and Sport, Faculty of Physical Education, University of Brasilia, Brasilia, Brazil
| | - Patrick Blauberger
- Chair of Performance Analysis and Sports Informatics, Department of Sport and Health Sciences, Technical University of Munich, Munich, Germany
| | - Otto Kolbinger
- Chair of Performance Analysis and Sports Informatics, Department of Sport and Health Sciences, Technical University of Munich, Munich, Germany
| | - Hilary Lam
- Chair of Performance Analysis and Sports Informatics, Department of Sport and Health Sciences, Technical University of Munich, Munich, Germany
| | - Marc Schmid
- Chair of Performance Analysis and Sports Informatics, Department of Sport and Health Sciences, Technical University of Munich, Munich, Germany
| | - Martin Lames
- Chair of Performance Analysis and Sports Informatics, Department of Sport and Health Sciences, Technical University of Munich, Munich, Germany
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Russell JL, McLean BD, Stolp S, Strack D, Coutts AJ. Quantifying Training and Game Demands of a National Basketball Association Season. Front Psychol 2021; 12:793216. [PMID: 34992569 PMCID: PMC8724530 DOI: 10.3389/fpsyg.2021.793216] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/11/2021] [Accepted: 11/16/2021] [Indexed: 01/27/2023] Open
Abstract
Purpose: There are currently no data describing combined practice and game load demands throughout a National Basketball Association (NBA) season. The primary objective of this study was to integrate external load data garnered from all on-court activity throughout an NBA season, according to different activity and player characteristics. Methods: Data from 14 professional male basketball players (mean ± SD; age, 27.3 ± 4.8 years; height, 201.0 ± 7.2 cm; body mass, 104.9 ± 10.6 kg) playing for the same club during the 2017-2018 NBA season were retrospectively analyzed. Game and training data were integrated to create a consolidated external load measure, which was termed integrated load. Players were categorized by years of NBA experience (1-2y, 3-5y, 6-9y, and 10 + y), position (frontcourt and backcourt), and playing rotation status (starter, rotation, and bench). Results: Total weekly duration was significantly different (p < 0.001) between years of NBA playing experience, with duration highest in 3-5 year players, compared with 6-9 (d = 0.46) and 10+ (d = 0.78) year players. Starters experienced the highest integrated load, compared with bench (d = 0.77) players. There were no significant differences in integrated load or duration between positions. Conclusion: This is the first study to describe the seasonal training loads of NBA players for an entire season and shows that a most training load is accumulated in non-game activities. This study highlights the need for integrated and unobtrusive training load monitoring, with engagement of all stakeholders to develop well-informed individualized training prescription to optimize preparation of NBA players.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jennifer L. Russell
- Faculty of Health, School of Sport, Exercise and Rehabilitation, University of Technology Sydney, Moore Park, NSW, Australia
- Human and Player Performance, Oklahoma City Thunder Professional Basketball Club, Oklahoma City, OK, United States
| | - Blake D. McLean
- Faculty of Health, School of Sport, Exercise and Rehabilitation, University of Technology Sydney, Moore Park, NSW, Australia
- Human and Player Performance, Oklahoma City Thunder Professional Basketball Club, Oklahoma City, OK, United States
| | - Sean Stolp
- Faculty of Health, School of Sport, Exercise and Rehabilitation, University of Technology Sydney, Moore Park, NSW, Australia
| | - Donnie Strack
- Human and Player Performance, Oklahoma City Thunder Professional Basketball Club, Oklahoma City, OK, United States
| | - Aaron J. Coutts
- Faculty of Health, School of Sport, Exercise and Rehabilitation, University of Technology Sydney, Moore Park, NSW, Australia
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