Richard Plugge

📚 Paper of the Week 📚 We stand with the players: a call to action for the football community from Dalen-Lorentsen et al. (2024). In this editorial article, Torstein Dalen-Lorentsen and colleagues discuss the ever growing match demands placed upon players and its potential impact upon the health of players. The article cites the recent injury of FC Barcelona player Gavi, who tore his ACL at the age of 19 having played 81 matches in the preceding year. With the increase in competitions, such as next season’s expansion of the Champions League, and increased injury time per match, can players just keep carrying on playing more and more or will something give? The authors highlight that based on current research, we don’t actually know what is the current limit of match play minutes a typical elite player can sustain. In addition, they authors call for research to focus more on absolute demands of match play across a season, rather than looking at isolated weeks of fixture congestion during the competitive schedule. Link to the Paper: https://lnkd.in/eYUpytGV ~~~ If you found this helpful, share the post to your network and follow me James Malone for daily content at 13:00 GMT.

43

1 commentaar

𝗖𝗹𝘂𝗯 𝗕𝗿𝘂𝗴𝗴𝗲 𝘁𝗮𝗸𝗲𝘀 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗻𝗲𝘅𝘁 𝗯𝗶𝗴 𝘀𝘁𝗲𝗽 𝗶𝗻 𝗳𝗮𝗻 𝗰𝗼𝗺𝗳𝗼𝗿𝘁. After an intense tender process at the start of last season, we're proud to announce three new partners at Club Brugge who will radically change and optimise fan experience in and around Jan Breydel stadium and The Nest stadium as of next season. To improve access, we're teaming up with SKIDATA BNLX, a leading player in the stadium industry and other sectors such as ski resorts and parking systems. Our stadium now belongs to a group of leading football clubs and stadiums that use the same technology, including Manchester United, Allianz Arena München Stadion GmbH and Sporting Clube de Portugal. We're also optimising our payment systems for next season. Partners Sjef.app and Adyen are joining forces to provide our fans with a seamless payment experience. That means fans will still be able to pay with our loyalty card: Club ID, but they will also be able to pay with their personal payment method of choice. Sjef.app supplies the new cash register systems in the stadium. Adyen, as a payment partner, will process all payments, both offline for food, drinks and merchandising, but also online for tickets or our online shop. These innovative partnerships mark an important milestone in improving the stadium experience for all our fans. The new system is designed to drastically reduce wait times and improve convenience. Looking forward to our collaboration Pieter Vanneste, Stefan Wellerdieck, Gert-Jan Cuypers. Big thanks goes out to the team for their drive to always challenge the status quo: Jannes L., Tom Van Regenmortel, Bruno De Poorter ⚡🍭, Lotte Denoo, Vincent Winckelmans, Tamara Boussy, Mattijs Buyck, Gauthier Vervaeke, Pepijn Vanderhaeghe, Evelien David, Marie Dubaere, Bob Madou, Nicky Laukens. #fanexperience #convenience #accesscontrol #payment

204

10 commentaren

How can AI help train and monitor the contribution of youth players to 'space dominance' and 'block forming'? ⚽ ⚽ Based on this theme, Forward Football organized a panel discussion 🛎 ⏳ during Soccerex Europe 2024 in the Johan Cruijff ArenA. As an Academy 👩‍🎓 Innovation partner of Soccerex, Forward Football put this complex part of #football under the magnifying glass 🔎. First, Lead Data Scientist Ryan Stepfner explained how AI and Machine Learning models provide solutions for monitoring and assessing players' contributions to the game without the ball. Among other things, because his models are able to calculate, based on position data of players and the ball during matches, which players are expected to have the ball in their possession on which parts of the field, based on their speed, running lines and ball possession. A second model detects 'block forming' after losing the ball. A block ❎ is a group of players who protect a certain zone around or behind the ball after losing the ball. Once a block has been detected, the model knows how quickly ⌚ it was formed, which players form the block, what their distances are from each other, etc., etc. Translated into applications, Forward Football's Technoleon #software can, for example, analyze blocks formed in the dominant zones of the #team and to what extent those blocks more often lead to an interception than blocks in zones where you as a team are less dominant. This allows the team to develop in applying #pressure at the right times and in the right zones.   After these clear insights 👀 🤩 into how #AI can help create smart #parameters for deeper analysis of player #performance, the floor was given to the 4 panel members who were questioned by moderator Beer Flik, ​​CEO of Forward Football. Read a summary of the discussion with David Carpels Siebren Hoekstra Jesper Gudde Melvin Boel in a next post on this page!

12

𝐈𝐬 𝐭𝐫𝐚𝐝𝐢𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐚𝐥 𝐭𝐞𝐧𝐧𝐢𝐬 𝐬𝐜𝐨𝐫𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐭𝐮𝐫𝐧𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐧𝐞𝐰 𝐟𝐚𝐧𝐬 𝐚𝐰𝐚𝐲? 𝐋𝐞𝐭'𝐬 𝐭𝐚𝐥𝐤 𝐚𝐛𝐨𝐮𝐭 𝐢𝐭! As a long-time tennis enthusiast, I've been pondering a question that might ruffle some feathers in the tennis community: Is our beloved sport's scoring system too complex for new fans? Consider this: • Love, 15, 30, 40... Why not just 1, 2, 3, 4? • Deuce and advantage - a potential endless loop! • Sets and matches - how long will this go on? While we purists appreciate the nuances, could this be a barrier for newcomers to the sport? Some ideas to explore: 1. Simplified scoring (like volleyball's rally point system) 2. Tiebreaker-only sets 3. Educational initiatives for new fans What do you think? Is it time for a change, or should tradition prevail? Let's serve up some opinions in the comments! 🎾

22

8 commentaren

🤔 Is sport all about winning at any cost, or is the way you play and entertain also important? 🤔 During the conclusion of the Performance Coaching Minor with Janneke Wikkerink, Kelly Cummins-Smith, Drs. Nicole Ebben, and Tim Rademakers, this question came up, especially with the Euros and Wimbledon in full swing. The question still lingers in my mind, leading me to discuss it further with Bastiaan Riemersma tonight. Three observations: France reached the finals in three of the last four major tournaments and even became world champions in 2018. They are again among the top four football nations in Europe. Yet, in France, there is widespread criticism of their play, which is considered boring. Novak Djokovic played in 36 Grand Slam finals, winning 24 of them, including seven Wimbledon titles. However, he was booed by the British crowd during his last match at Wimbledon. The Netherlands reached the semi-finals of the Euros for the first time in 20 years. However, this is not enough to generate only positivity among our 17 million national coaches. This brings to mind two quotes: The first is from Juanma Lillo, an inspiration to Pep Guardiola, who said something like: "People don't come into the stadium in the 89th minute just to see the result. They come because they want to be moved and entertained during those 90 minutes of football." The other quote contrasts sharply with the first. Many great coaches believe that the number of trophies you win is all that matters. For example, Didier Deschamps, the current coach of France, who led the team to the World Cup victory in 2018. Deschamps responded to the current criticism from his fellow countrymen with something like: "Results are sacred. That is all that matters. And if you don't like the way we play, then turn off your TV." So, what do you think? Is sport only about winning, or does the way you play and the level of entertainment also matter?

1

Sport for Business members gathered on Friday morning for the latest in our Smart Minds Series looking at Sustainability and Sport. It was a nice prelude to today's #EarthDay. The imperative to do something together is real. Sport understands time-limited actions. It is what we do, so let’s see what is possible. Friday's participants are, in the main, on the front line of addressing the challenges as they arrive, in every form from reporting and monitoring to persuading and budgeting, all the way to storytelling and keeping on top of regulation. This was a good safe space in which we could share the wins and not feel so overwhelmed by the apparent size of the challenge but also the necessity and the opportunity to step up in this area. Sport has an unmatched connection to how people feel and if we can drive initiatives that reduce our emissions and also nudge people towards changing their behaviour, that will be a win, in an area where if we lose we will lose big. We are now looking at ways in which Irish Sport can stay connected in this area. There will be a new feature and hub on the Sport for Business website which we will launch shortly as a gathering point for shared experience across the whole sector, and we are keen to do more as well. Thanks to Peter McKenna, Ashley Keating, Elizabeth Cribbin Ann Courtney, Aidan Byrne, Philip Quinn, Salina Janzan, Rob Pearson and Alan McMillan for their contributions and insight. https://lnkd.in/ev76Djjf

67

1 commentaar

Part 2 Football is passion, but there are differences. I felt always, Germans play with brain - less with the heart, there are mostly very good listeners and collective in foreground, these why it’s often cool blooded and playing a chess game, not beautiful like Dutch teams that have understood to create “The beautiful game”, but comparing both success is very visible on their chest. Germans have four stars to none of Holland!!! Always in our heated discussions a magic point to level down my fellow friends with lots of football knowledge, but in the end it’s about winning. There is s very famous quote from Gary Lineker, we all know….! In South Africa, often i really had mountain to claim to adjust my self and not to ask tactical behaviors they never heard before which surely not the problem of the players rather the upbringing and youth development and mostly to find there counterparts in Europe having at least 10 years of proper educated development before (I call professional football the university) to go to University. In SA probably to most 4/6 years that means most will go from primary school to University. Considering it’s great achievement how these players perform at the highest level . To ticklish my players to think and play with the heart and certain freedom in matter of entry’s in the third zone was a mammoth task, we needed to give those extremely creative players like Jabu Pule, Thabo Mooki, Manyama, Nomvethe or Fredericks, pattern to hold on after loosing the ball. There is a huge Cliche about Football players, expressing themselves, these is in top football countries not the case. Players can and need to express within parameters and game Concept, it’s about “how”to bring “Collective and Individual in harmony. The Players making decisions based on that. The game today is not only based on how skillful or being athletic the player is. What has disturbed me, the view in Europe done so called Experts, about African Players laziness and the discipline, which I disagree. Players have very interesting abilities. İ would say, mostly very intelligent in different aspects with their own cultural and social upbringing. A team is a very dynamic organ from lots of aspects of our lives and constantly playing under huge demand and pressure. On the emotional part, they know when to follow orders or use the own ability or judgements. Cultural background and upbringing plays a huge role in their professional approach later on. İn Turkey, i found when you are talking most listen, to give answers not to listen to understand that often irritated me because they extremely impatient and very quick thinkers. Comparing to South African players you won’t get any feedback unless in small groups when you ask questions. İt’s the upbringing, I got my trust when we had individual meetings or in small groups where i could reach the players to give us feedback which for me extremely important to get players opinions…..2 Part 3 soon …

105

15 commentaren

🗣️ Marc Klok Want to know what Marc Klok is talking about? Then send us a DM to arrange a FREE trial session! 🤝 Keep up the excellent work with your coach Loran, Marc 💪📈 #football #coaching #performance #reference

8

1 commentaar

Financial foul play ⚽ A discussion about the current state of football's finances. Join this panel at #soccerexeurope at the Johan Cruijff ArenA ⚽

12

2 commentaren

A very subtle summarization of the current dynamics of the GUT (barring the lack of mathematical proofs).

8

3 commentaren

Last call to have your say in shaping the Sport Innovation Index and helping to define how it can benefit you and your organisation. The index aims to cover the needs for all sectors of Sport, from clubs and governing bodies to commercial and technology providers and also for local government / sports partnerships. This is a European project and will help participants understand where they are positioned in a peer, local and international context and identify opportunities for innovation. The survey takes about 10 minutes to complete : https://lnkd.in/eTDP5GmB And follow Sport Innovation Index for updates as this project develops.

10

In today's #TFAArchives you will find... Cody Gakpo delivered a stellar performance for the Netherlands versus Poland yesterday, showcasing many of the attributes that we highlighted in a piece explaining why he was garnering such attention from other clubs in 2021, a bit before his eventual big move to Liverpool: https://lnkd.in/eCY2H6zG Jude Bellingham scored the only goal of the game to help England overcome Serbia in their opening game of the Euros — we investigated the Real Madrid star’s goal probability in a data-led analysis from April: https://lnkd.in/ebw7Aa6J Christian Eriksen scored Denmark’s opening goal of the Euros in one of the feel-good stories of the tournament. He played as a ‘10’ for his nation yesterday but has frequently occupied deeper positions for Manchester United, as we explained in an analysis. Which role do you prefer him in? https://lnkd.in/eP89t6Ne Fabián Ruiz has been receiving some deserved plaudits following his performance for Spain in their Euros opener against Croatia. Back in 2017/18, we analysed the midfielder who shone brightly for Quique Setien’s Real Betis: https://lnkd.in/eT7Yffaj We'll be back tomorrow with the latest analysis. #euros #euro24 #euro2024 #football #analysis #scouting #tactics #soccer #tactical #recruitment #data #analytics #viz

1

TRIGGER WARNING - sexual offences discussed A man convicted of raping a 12-year-old three times is set to represent the Netherlands at the Paris Olympics. Yes. You heard that right. Steven van de Velde (now 29 years old) was sentenced to four years in prison in 2016 after admitting three counts of rape against a child, which took place back in 2014. He was 19 year’s old at the time. He met the 12 year old on Facebook, travelled from Amsterdam to the UK, plied her with alcohol and raped her repeatedly at an address in Milton Keynes. The girl has since self-harmed and made attempts to overdose since. Despite being given a four year sentence, he was allowed to serve it in the Netherlands but was released after just 12 months. Despite in 2014, his sentencing judge stating his career was now ‘shattered’ and his hopes of representing his country lay as a ‘shattered dream’, he resumed his volleyball career and has competed in international tournaments since 2018. The Dutch Olympic Committee told the BBC, “After his release, Van de Delde sought and received professional counselling. He demonstrated to those around him – privately and professionally – self insight and reflection.’  They have also said that his return to the sport met guidelines set by the Dutch Volleyball Federation which sets out conditions for athletes to resume competing after conviction. Van de Velde has previously said, “I can’t reverse it, so will have the bear the consequences. It has been the biggest mistake of my life.” Now here are my issues: 1)    Why has he served just ¼ of his four year sentence? 2)    How is a convicted rapist and paedophile representing his country at the Olympics? 3)    There is a lot of talk around how HE has changed his life and is now a better person. What about the victim? At what point does anybody think about the victim’s life? 4)    What message does this send to society to both victims and perpetrators? Moral of the story? If convictions don’t ruin lives, allegations certainly don’t. I understand that once a perpetrator has served their sentence, they have done just that. I also understand that guidelines have been followed. Whether said guidelines are adequate is a different story. But my concerns come from a moral capacity. In what world is it ok for a convicted rapist and paedophile to drug (with alcohol) a child and repeatedly rape them; serve a quarter of their sentence; go to therapy and self reflect and then represent their country at the Olympics? What message is that sending to young people? I am no longer shocked by the way perpetrators of violent and sexual offences are completely prioritised over victims but I am angry that this has been allowed to happen. Solidarity with the victim and any other victims who find this a tough thing to process and digest. #olympics #vawg #volleyball #abuse #domesticabuse https://lnkd.in/ejr4xTJn

10

9 commentaren