Current Projects

Predicting game performance
Coaches and training academies could greatly benefit from knowing which characteristics of players are the best at predicting individual performance in games. Then, players can be selected not only based on prior game performance but also morphological (body) characteristics and performance on particular skill or athletic tests.

What we want to know is:
  • Which morphological characteristics are best at predicting good players?
  • Which skills or athletic traits are best at predicting game performance?
Most science in sport focuses on athletic traits, like sprint speed. We felt that athleticism alone was a too-simplistic way to look at soccer performance, so we designed a series of skill tests for players to undertake (along with the standard athletic tests). We found that skill was a better predictor of performance than athleticism.

What does this mean?
Many current training regimes (at all levels) are based on the long-standing idea that athleticism is most important to soccer performance. How would training regimes differ if particular skills were more important? How would player selection for teams and training academies differ, and for different age groups? How would coaches select players based on the best body type for skill versus athletic traits?

We have some ideas - stay tuned.

How to get involved
The most effective way for us to work is directly with coaches and training academies. This way, teams have access to the most up-to-date information we obtain from our scientific studies; and we benefit by obtaining data directly from players. We have lots of exciting ideas that we believe will change the future of soccer training.

If you'd like to participate in any of our research projects, please contact us here.