The FINANCIAL — Leading professionals from the performance analysis and high performance sport sectors gathered alongside academics for the second UK Sports Analytics Conference which was staged by The Sports Office, in partnership with Manchester Business School.
The day included a series of thought provoking presentations from Simon Kuper, FT journalist and author of the best-selling book Soccernomics; and Dr Marco Cardinale, the British Olympic Association’s Head of Sports Science and Research.
They were joined by Major George Clegg from The Queens Dragoon Guards, Rob Coulthard from Judgement Index and former Captain in the British Army; Bret Myers, Assistant Professor at Villanova University; Joe Dunbar from IPro Interactive; Dave Collins, Professor of Coaching and Performance at the University of Central Lancashire; and Michael Bourne the England and Wales Cricket Board’s National lead for performance analysis.
As Manchester Business School announced, the event was hosted by ESPN’s football presenter, Rebecca Lowe.
As the day came to a conclusion, Phil Clarke, Sports Office Director, gave his thoughts on the event.
“I believe there has been a major cultural shift within many major sports organisations which means that people ask not what do we think but what do we know?
“We are seeing a growing emphasis in elite sport on evidence based decision making, in order to deliver success.
“The next generation of analysts therefore face the challenge of building on and capitalising on the opportunity that has now been created for them to have an increasing influence on the sports they operate within.
Phil, whose Sports Office business produces performance management IT systems according to the principles of information leading to intelligence and then performance, added: “From the presentations and discussions, one significant challenge that emerged consistently was how a sporting organisation can successfully manage so called Big Data.
“In other words, how can they find the right intelligence and insight from within the massive volume of statistics and raw information that they generate and are available to them? The questions they ask are what’s happened, what’s happening and what is going to happen?”
Mr Clarke also revealed that the issue for many elite coaches and performance professionals is about making best use of the insights gained from this analysis and using it to give them a competitive or information advantage.
"The other significant challenge for those involved in performance analysis is to successfully transfer intelligence and insight to coaches, players and athletes so that it can benefit them and make the best possible impact in a pressurised elite sporting environment”.
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