Technology and data have become commonplace at the highest levels of professional football. As teams begin to work with multiple datasets and a range of different technologies, OptaPro has aimed to ensure it can cater to this demand, and meet the needs of its clients. OptaPro combines Opta data with that of some key partners: ChryonHego’s analytics on player tracking and movement and Scout 7’s huge bank of video resources on players across the world.
“We built Iris to empower athletes to understand how their performance training can be augmented through an understanding of their genetic foundation especially when considered in combination with variables that coaches have considered for more than half a century,” he said.
“Football is a low-scoring sport, compared to basketball, for example, which means the score-line lies a lot more. The league table also lies, even a long way into the season. So there’s a need to try and identify some under-lying performance indicators that give you a more solid indication as to where you are going against where you currently are in the table. It’s more a model that takes into account other factors is a fairer reflection of the game to provide a table of justice.”
The technology is complex, but the idea’s simple; Carry the football the correct way, and the football gives off a shrill beep. But the let football just a hair loose, and it goes silent.
But now, the 42-year-old managing director of Gabbett Performance Solutions estimates that it takes about two to 10 minutes to analyse the data of an entire team, as the developments in sports science technology have allowed athletes to wear performance-tracking devices from which data can be retrieved within minutes.