UAR Argentina Rugby Union Choose The Sports Office

Buenos Aires, Argentina:

The Sports Office are excited to announce that Argentina Rugby Union (UAR) is the latest major nation to choose our performance management system for elite rugby.

The UAR will use ‘The Rugby Squad’ system throughout their structures, including the Argentina national team ‘Los Pumas’. They are 10th in the World Rugby rankings currently and compete in the Rugby Championship. The Union’s Super Rugby team, Los Jaguares, will also use ‘The Rugby Squad’ to maximise the potential of their players.

Chris Tuson Client Manager presenting to UAR staff on The Rugby Squad

Teams in Argentina’s semi-professional and amateur competitions will also benefit from the system. High-performance rugby centres throughout the country will also be using the same platform as a centralised system.

Stuart Jones and Chris Tuson from The Sports Office Client Management team recently visited Buenos Aires to help UAR staff launch and implement the system.

Stuart Jones said: “We are delighted to welcome the UAR as a Sports Office client. Both the Argentina national team and Los Jaguares regularly compete at the highest level and we believe The Rugby Squad will provide excellent support as they strive for further success.”

Jones added: “The trip to Buenos Aires was a great success and we met with each department to help implement the system across the organisation.

“We are confident the whole of Argentinian rugby will benefit from The Rugby Squad’s many features.”

The implementation of the system within UAR structures consisted of full training days for staff in coaching, sports medicine, sports science and administration departments. Staff from the organisation’s high-performance centres also met with the Client Management team.

One element of the UAR’s use of The Rugby Squad system will be to improve scheduling. This will enable players from across a geographically large nation to attend training without timing conflicts. Improving sports medicine, sports science testing and data collection are also areas to benefit.

Los Pumas and Los Jaguares Training in Buenos Aires

Dublin, Ireland:

The Sports Office CEO, Phil Clarke and Client Managers Stephen Young and Dan Jackson recently met with Los Pumas coaching and management staff in Dublin, prior to their Autumn International against Ireland.

They met with all national team medical, coaching and performance staff including Alex Ross and Lucas Chioccarelli. The Client Managers went to ensure all Argentina player profiles were properly set up on the system. Specific injury fields and scheduling were also set up for the rest of the season.

Many elite rugby organisations throughout the world are among The Sports Office’s varied client base. These include governing bodies, teams in the SANZAR Super Rugby competition and the Australian NRL. Also, clubs in the UK’s Rugby League Super League and now in Major League Rugby over in USA.

If your organisation needs a centralised system allowing all departments to share data and information, contact The Sports Office now.

10th December 2018 /

NEW Medical Enhancements for 2019

The Sports Office has exciting developments and enhancements across the system to come for 2019, including site-wide and bespoke developments for specific clubs. The Medical module, the most powerful across the site is to go under a remodel with a brand new interface.

The new medical dashboard from The Sports Office

The new and improved medical dashboard provides easier access to current and previous medical data. This includes access to current and previous injuries, notes and other medical information.

Medics will soon see more information with fewer clicks. Faster processes for adding injuries, creating SOAP notes and accessing medical information will provide a significant improvement to the user experience.

These developments will be going LIVE in Spring 2019. The Sports Office centralised hub cohesively brings all departments together to work on one platform.

For more information on our developments and enhancements, or if you think your organisation could benefit from The Sports Office, contact us now!

7th December 2018 /

Canberra Raiders

Canberra Raiders:

The Sports Office’s Head of Client Services, Andy Gorski, recently travelled to Australia to work with leading National Rugby League club, Canberra Raiders, to deliver a full system implementation. All of the Raiders’ playing groups, including the first team, the Jersey Flegg team plus the Junior and Women’s teams have started to use The Sports Office’s ‘Rugby Squad’ platform for athlete management.

Staff from Coaching, Medicine, Sports Science and Administration departments have all received training. They are delighted with how quickly they have been able to integrate it into their daily workflows.

System Implementation:

The five-day on-site implementation was delivered at the Raider’s training facility prior to the start of the pre-season programme. Andy Gorski initially worked closely with the Coaching staff to prepare the system before players returned.

The following two days were spent with the Medical and Strength and Conditioning staff, focusing on pre-season screening and testing. Playing squads were also supported to gain access to their designated areas of the system, to view team schedules and wellbeing data.

Andy Gorski commented “This implementation and set-up for Canberra Raiders was a great success and we believe this aspect of our service is highly beneficial for our clients.

“The Club and Staff were friendly and welcoming and we’re delighted to have Canberra Raiders as one of the latest members of The Sports Office ‘club’.”

During the implementation visit, Andy Gorski also worked closely with Raider’s Performance staff Matt Ford and Wendy Bennett. This ensured all users had an account with a populated schedule and that elements including accurate GPS data points were input to prepare for future data collection.

Andy Gorski Teaching players how to use The Sports Office system

The Raider’s medical department also received support with the set up for injury surveillance, fitness testing, monitoring and screening in order to be ready for the NRL season. In addition, the bespoke medical dashboard was set up, ready for club-specific injury fields.

All dashboards and reports were configured to ensure player availability was transparent and accurate for Head of Performance, Nigel Ashley-Jones. This functionality allows sports science staff to monitor players’ physical wellness and test results.

The Raiders continued their use of the ‘Rugby Squad’ during a pre-season camp which included an intensive week of training. During this, the system allowed the staff to create the players’ daily schedule and training plans.

The Canberra pre-season programme now continues until the NRL kick-off in March 2019. The Sports Office Client Management team will continue to provide ongoing assistance with the performance management system.

The Sports Office provides online performance management systems for elite sport, which offer a range of functionality. The systems support key performance processes including athlete monitoring and training load management. In addition, the Raider’s will also be using the system to assist with injury prevention, administration, and sports analytics.

Many elite rugby organisations throughout the world are among the company’s varied client base. These include governing bodies, teams in the SANZAR Super Rugby competition, the Australian NRL and clubs in the UK’s Rugby League Super League.

If your club needs a centralised hub, allowing departments to cohesively work under one system, contact The Sports Office now!

3rd December 2018 /

Academy Directors across elite sport use The Sports Office ‘Report Engine’ for Long Term Player Development

Academy Directors from a range of elite sports clubs have highlighted The Sports Office ‘Report Engine’ as an invaluable tool for optimising long-term player development.

The ‘Report Engine’ is a core element of The Sports Office performance management systems for elite sport. The functionality has the power and capacity to deliver fully customisable and automated reports to staff, players and other key personnel.

Users can create and share individual player or automated team reports, using a range of performance data. The reports can track on-field and training performance, injuries and wellbeing.

Emma Flett, Aberdeen FC’s Senior Football Operations Coordinator, commented: “Player and parent engagement has improved as coaches’ reports can be tracked and analysed.

“Prior to the adoption of The Sports Office, much of the reporting on players’ performance was verbal, which was difficult to monitor and review with players at later dates.”

She continued, “The ease of use of the system has allowed the club to develop and progress its Academy functions. It has been invaluable since its introduction in 2013.”

The Sports Office Report Engine Player Performance Report on a MacBook

The ‘Report Engine’ has key benefits for everyone within an elite football organisation. Transparency and feedback can be provided at all levels including federations, players and parents.

In addition to their success within Scotland, The Sports Office also work to support the FA’s The Long-term player development strategy. A strategy which emphasises the importance of accurate performance data and applied knowledge for player development.

The ‘Report Engine’ can also present data in an accessible format. This makes it easier to apply and take effective evidence-based decisions.

If you feel your organisation would benefit from a centralised hub which cohesively brings together all elements of performance workflow into one system, contacts The Sports Office now.

19th November 2018 /

Sports Analytics World Series – London 2018

A team from The Sports Office has attended the Sports Analytics World Series conference in London. The event – hosted by professional services giants KPMG – was the fifth in a global series of eight, which focus on sports analytics and sports technology.

The Series showcases cutting-edge ideas and innovations. It attracts more than 5,000 attendees in Australia, India, UK, Netherlands, Japan, Canada, the United States and China.

Client Manager Stephen Young, Business Development Manager Sean Pike and Marketing Coordinator Lori Scriven joined presentations and panel discussions from a number of sports teams, leagues and tech companies. The team also attended sessions on elite sports performance and sports data and analytics.

Client Manager Stephen Young and Marketing Coordinator at SAC World Series

Sean Pike commented: ”The event provided a great opportunity to meet a range of people in high-performance sport and discuss the latest innovations in Sports Technology and analytics.”

Dr Julia Wells, Head of Performance at the English Institute of Sport, was among the presenters. She discussed her experiences as a performance analyst at the Olympics with Canoe Slalom and other Olympic sports.

Dr Julia Wells, EIS discussing High Performance Analysis

The Sports Office is the industry leader in Performance Management. We provide a centralised system to clubs and organisations across elite sports, including teams across NRL, Premier League, and MLS. To learn more about our services and apps including The Player’s App and The Manager’s App, contact us now.

1st November 2018 /

Record Level of Automated Custom Reports through The Sports Office Systems

The volume of automated custom reports generated by The Sports Office performance management systems ‘Report Engine’ has reached a record level.

In September 2018, more than 8000 instant reports and 1200 automated reports were delivered using 167 unique templates for users across elite sports using the ‘Report Engine’. These clients included teams in the Premier League, Serie A and MLS. As well as clients in elite rugby, pro cycling, ice hockey and sports academies. They covered a broad range of data including training loads, injury data, future squads and more.

The Sports Office performance management systems allow users to quickly and easily trigger the output of reports across their bespoke performance criteria and key performance indicators. All reports export into a visually accessible style. They are also available to view and download on all devices, including desktops, tablets and mobiles.

“We are delighted that this record volume of reports has been achieved by our performance management systems”, commented Phil Clarke

Phil added: “Our systems offer clients the option to fine-tune the reports they create and set up, so they are completely bespoke to their own needs. The reports provide highly-accurate insights which are easy to share and understand, and users can have full confidence in them. Presenting critical information in a simple way is the most important thing in sport and our experience has made us the best at doing this.”

Custom Reports Example from The Sports Office Report Engine

Custom Report Example from The Sports Office Report Engine

Custom Reports Across the World:

The capacity to generate a huge range of custom reports in real-time is just one element of The Sports Office systems. More than 100 professional football clubs, competing in the world’s most high-profile competitions use our systems. This includes teams from the English Premier League, Italy’s Serie A and the MLS.

Several major national sports governing bodies have also chosen to adopt The Sports Office athlete monitoring systems. One of these is the Scottish FA, who use it throughout their structures. This includes all their national teams and all seven of their Performance Schools.

Elsewhere in the world of elite sport, clients include clubs in North America’s NHL and professional cycling teams. Many elite rugby organisations throughout the world are also among the company’s varied client base. Including national governing bodies, teams in the SANZAR Super Rugby competition, the Australian NRL. Along with clubs in the UK’s Rugby League Super League.

Learn more about how clubs like Aberdeen FC and The Blues use our systems, and contact us to find out more!

18th October 2018 /

Video Analysis & Telestration from The Sports Office

The Sports Office development team have improved the video analysis capability within our athlete management systems. This means users no longer need to upload multiple individual videos for this important aspect of sports performance management.

We now accept XML files from third-party data sources including Opta, STATSport, Sportscode. Players can view footage and watch their tags in real time, to improve learning and personal development.

The enhancements also include a LIVE tagging tool which allows users to view tags in real time for instant analysis, via a ‘Tagging Wizard’. Use tags to highlight in-play moments, and track total player involvement.

Share video content via the Player’s App or via email, text or push notifications. Players will be able to comment both on the videos and the specified tags.

Telestration to boost video analysis:

One of the most exciting additional video analysis features to come from The Sports Office is the new ‘Telestration’ tool, and video annotation toolkit. Analysts can pause footage and annotate the screen with feedback for players and in-game video analysis. It is understood this function is not currently available from any other provider and these advanced capabilities are set to improve the communication of match analysis between staff and players.

Create and store tags within the system that provide the data to generate reports from the ‘Analytics Engine’. Also, generate data on player engagement with video footage including views, hits and viewing duration. This ‘Report Engine’ functionality will aid the objective analysis of player usage.

Further developments are underway for the video analysis functionality including video playlists, dashboard searches and multiple viewing angles.

For more information view the ‘Video Analysis’ PDF or contact us with any questions.

2nd October 2018 /

TSO TOUR #3 – Inter Milan

Carl CM at Inter Milan Youth Development centre training on bespoke developments

Carl Pomfret, Client Manager at Suning Youth Development Training Centre

Client Manager Carl Pomfret recently travelled to Italy to introduce the new automatic language translation feature to Inter Milan. The Serie A giants have used Sports Office athlete management systems for the past year.

Automatic language translation is now LIVE within all Sports Office performance management systems and is made possible by tokenisation. ‘English to Italian’ is the first pair of languages to translate. The update means clients are able to carry out all performance management activities in their native tongue.

During the visit, Carl worked closely with Inter’s Senior IT Analyst, Roberta Macchi to deliver additional training and answer queries from the club.

Roberta commented, “Abbiamo recentemente avuto la visita del nostro “client manager”, Carl Pomfret. Sempre sorridendo e con grande gentilezza, ci presenta le novità e ci supporta nel lavoro quotidiano. E’ un aiuto prezioso per tutte le nostre attività.”

Translating to, “We recently had a visit from our “client manager”, Carl Pomfret. Always smiling and with great kindness, he presents us with news and supports us in our daily work. It is a precious help for all our activities.”

In addition, Carl Pomfret met with each department including Medical, Recruitment and Sports Science. He also provided assistance to support optimal use of the system to GPS staff, Analysts and Wellbeing staff.

Bespoke Developments:

Inter Milan requested customised financial modules to fine tune this aspect of the system to their specific needs. This and automatic language translation are examples of the Sports Office’ capacity to deliver bespoke developments to performance management systems for any club or organisation.

Inter Milan currently use The Sports Office at Academy level and Academy Director, Roberto Samaden, has stated his satisfaction with the progress made to date.

If your organisation requires a centralised system to monitor performance with bespoke developments, contact our business development team.

28th September 2018 /

Sporting Director convention at Manchester Metropolitan University

Masters in Sports Directorship Convention

A team from The Sports Office have attended a high-profile networking and education event for leaders in elite sport. The Masters in Sports Directorship Convention was staged at Manchester Metropolitan University’s Business School.

Sports Office staff were among delegates from more than 250 global sports organisations. Client Manager Chris Tuson, Business Development Manager Sean Pike and Marketing Coordinator Lori Scriven showcased the company’s range of performance management systems for elite sport, including the new Manager’s App. The event also included seminars, a keynote speaker and discussion panels focusing on the role of the elite sporting director.

elite sports management software solutions

Sean Pike and Chris Tuson at TSO stall

Business Development Manager Sean Pike commented: “The event was a great success and we would like to thank all the Manchester Metropolitan University staff and all guest speakers.

“It was fascinating to discuss issues around performance management systems for elite sport and performance analysis. We look forward to continuing our dialogue with the many people we met.”

Challenge Culture:

Nigel Travis, Leyton Orient & Dunkin Donuts Chairman discussing challenge culture in Business and Sport

The event’s keynote speaker was Leyton Orient owner and Dunkin Donuts chairman Nigel Travis. His presentation focussed on successful cultures and leadership and in elite sport. The Sports Office team also attended a ‘Winning with Analytics’ seminar, hosted by former Chelsea FC statistics and analysis expert Garry Gelade.

The Sports Office has recently released The Managers App. It is a bespoke mobile application to support Sporting Directors, Managers and other top-level executives in elite football. The app gives immediate access to a highly relevant and tailored snapshot of key performance data and critical management information. This enhances executive management processes and also greatly improves effective decision making and communication at the top level.

To learn more about The Manager’s App please download the Manager’s App PDF and contact our Client Management Team.

26th September 2018 /

The Sports Office Performance Management Systems enhance player welfare in elite rugby

Player Welfare & Safety Programme:

The Sports Office has enhanced its work with the RFU and Premier Rugby to support their world-renowned player welfare and safety programme in elite rugby.

Prior to the current season, the Sports Office Client Management team visited every Gallagher Premiership club. They met with medical staff to share best practice in injury surveillance and medical monitoring; when using the company’s rugby-specific performance management system, The Rugby Squad. They also offered additional advice about using the system for many other aspects of performance, preparation and athlete monitoring.

The team met with new members of staff at each club. A written Practitioner Guide and a series of guidance videos have also been produced. These show how best to use The Rugby Squad systems in this specific injury surveillance area.

They will also ensure new staff are able to support all processes within the Professional Rugby Injury Surveillance Project.

elite rugby governing body and league work with The Sports Office

RFU, Premier Rugby & TSO

Andy Gorski, Head of Client Services at The Sports Office, commented: “Our visits to clubs in the Gallagher Premiership provided a fantastic opportunity to contribute more to this important injury surveillance and player welfare programme.

“It was the first time the Sports Office client team met with club medical staff. Which proven to be a beneficial experience for everyone. We were able to offer additional support on the best use of our systems for additional performance management activity.”

Gorski added: ”The Professional Rugby Injury Surveillance Project provides the sport with important data that can help improve standards of player welfare and medical management. We continue to work with our clients at the RFU and Premier Rugby to offer them the support they require to maintain and enhance this crucial initiative.”

Rugby Injury Surveillance Project:

The long-term Professional Rugby Injury Surveillance Project has been possible due to the bespoke performance management system, developed by The Sports Office. The study is set to improve professional player welfare and is the most comprehensive of its type.

The Sports Office worked with senior medical staff at the RFU to develop a system which allows sports medicine and coaching personnel at clubs and national teams to easily input an extensive range of medical and performance data. The system then supports extensive analysis of this. This includes sharing management information, the creation of detailed medical reports and baseline data to identify patterns and trends in injuries, via comparison with previous seasons.

The RFU, Premier Rugby and the Rugby Players Association originally commissioned the Professional Rugby Injury Surveillance project in 2002 as joint creation. It monitors player injury risk in Premiership, European club and international competition, as well as in training.

The Sports Office provides online performance management systems for elite sport, which offer a range of functionality. The systems support key performance processes including athlete monitoring and training load management. Also, injury prevention, sports science, sports medicine, administration, coaching and sports analytics.

18th September 2018 /