The Sports Office to supply Kazakhstan’s Kairat F.C.

Kairat F.C.:

The Sports Office is to supply ‘The Football Squad’, its performance management system for elite football, to leading
Kazakh Premier League team, Kairat F.C.

Client Managers Stephen Young and Dan Jackson have already worked closely with the Almaty-based club to deliver a full system implementation. This took place during a pre-season training camp in Turkey. Kairat F.C. will now continue their preparations for the Kazakh Premier League which begins on March 8th.

Stephen Young commented: “We are delighted to be working with Kairat F.C. and we look forward to seeing them progress as the Kazakh Premier League gets underway.

“Kairat join a growing number of leading clubs, competing in the world’s best Leagues, which have opted to use The Football Squad. We believe the system’s powerful functionality offers unrivalled support to optimise all aspects of preparation and performance.”

System Implementation:

The Sports Office team spent a week meeting with Kairat F.C staff from all departm Kairat FC The Football Squad implementation ents including the Sporting Director and Head of IT. They ensured all personnel gained maximum benefit from the system. Meetings with Coaches, Medical, Sports Science and Scouting staff shortly followed.

All medical personnel including club doctors, physios, and masseurs were introduced to the system. They were guided through aspects of medical data logging, including injury monitoring processes and the full use of SOAP Notes.

Time was also spent configuring Maintenance Treatments. Kairat staff plan to make extensive use of this element of the system. Each Medical User is now able to add their individual interventions. This allows them to cohesively report on active treatments, by department and staff member.

The Kairat coaching staff received a full overview of the system’s capabilities. Including demonstrations of the Coaches Dashboard as well as the functionality for adding training and gym sessions. GPS imports and exports were also demonstrated to Sports Science staff.

The Report Hub on The Football Squad

Stephen Young and Dan Jackson also demonstrated the Reports functionality to staff. This included Medical Reports, GPS Reports and Individual Reports. Bespoke reports were also set-up for the club’s various departments. Ongoing support will be provided to Kairat F.C. remotely and The Sports Office Client Managers will visit the club again later in the year.

Kairat F.C. squads have also been set up using The Sports Office App to enhance communication between the club and player.

Alongside this, the staff users have been set up with The Manager’s App to keep key personnel connected with the latest player data.

If your club could benefit from an Athlete Management System like The Football Squad, please contact The Sports Office for more information.

28th February 2019 /

FA WSL: Performance, The WPS & The Sports Office

The FA Women’s Super League (FA WSL):

The Sports Office provides league-wide performance management and monitoring solutions for elite sports. This includes at the highest league of Women’s Football in England, the FA Women’s Super League (FA WSL).

A centralised agreement with the FA gives each WSL club and the national team access to The Sports Office’s Athlete Management System referred to in this case as the Women’s Performance System (WPS). This provides modules for each department, including Coaching, Sports Medicine and Sports Science. Also, Recruitment, Administration, Finance and more to support the women’s professional game.

Each club has the option to further upgrade their systems to the full WPS.

A team from The Sports Office travelled to St. George’s Park to interview key FA staff involved with the women’s game. Ryan King, Head of Performance Services, Caroline White, FA Lead Physiotherapist and Pippa Bennett, Medical Lead Women’s Pathway gave their views on the WPS and the Women’s Game.

25th February 2019 /

Video Case Study: Aberdeen FC

Aberdeen FC Academy:

Coaching, Scouting and Operations staff from Aberdeen FC explain their experiences with The Sports Office’s Athlete Management System. The Club has used the system since 2014 at Academy level and has since rolled out the system to the first team.

Director of Football Operations, Steven Gunn said, “Another key area where we have utilised The Sports Office to its full capacity is our Medical and Sports Science provision. We now have a universal platform to collate, store and share data.”

For more information on how we can assist your club, contact The Sports Office now.

6th February 2019 /

TSO CLIENTS Atlanta United ARE MLS CHAMPIONS 2018:

The Sports Office client Atlanta United FC have been crowned MLS Champions 2018.

Atlanta – who also won the Eastern Conference – secured the title with a two-nil win against Portland Timbers. The MLS club has used The Sports Office performance management system for elite football (The Soccer Squad) for two seasons. The system supports United’s First Team and Academy and helps the organisation optimise all aspects of performance and preparation.

The Sports Office Client Manager, Carl Pomfret, works closely with Atlanta United. He said: ”We congratulate Atlanta United on their Championship victory. We are incredibly proud of the support we provide them.”

Lucy Rushton, Atlanta United’s Head of Technical Recruitment and Performance Analysis said: “ The improvement in our data management has allowed us to identify patterns and trends in our performances and coaching.”

Atlanta United FC Celebrating Major League Soccer 2018 as they are crowned champions

Photo Source: Twitter

The Sports Office systems for elite football provide a range of functions to support performance management; with extensive modules for coaching, medical, conditioning, scouting and administration.

The centralised system includes features to support all departments within a professional club. Features also include video analysis, depth charts and session planning.

The Sports Office’s Soccer Squad successfully supports senior management and players through a centralised hub. It allows for enhanced communication and athlete management through the use of The Manager’s App and The Sports Office A.P.P.

11th 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 /

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 /

TSO TOUR #2 – Japan

Yokohama, Japan:

A recent trip to Japan saw Carl Pomfret and Stuart Jones spend 5 days with staff at Yokohama F. Marinos. As part of the City Football Group, it was a continuation of the roll-out of The Football Squad. Other clubs within the group to benefit from the system include Manchester City, Melbourne City, and New York City FC.

As part of this full system roll-out, the Client Managers spent time with Sporting Director, Isac Doru. Along with other key personnel within each department. The training sessions delivered on The Football Squad were to aid their performance data management.

Isac commented, “I would like to thank The Sports Office staff for creating this beautiful pearl for football modern management.”

Carl, Isac, & Stuart watching Yokohama F Marinos

The Client Managers were fortunate enough to attend a Yokohama F. Marinos vs. Vegalta Sendai game. Also, they had an exclusive tour around the Nissan Stadium, home of the 2002 World Cup Final.

Following this, the trip took them to the heart of Tokyo, where Carl and Stuart went to meet and visit the Japanese FA at their Headquarters, There were initial introductions made with hopes to introduce the system across the organisation.

Stuart Jones stated, “The trip itself was a very interesting experience, it was amazing to see a completely different culture. I’ll never forget the pufferfish I tried in Tokyo.”

Stuart & Carl experiencing a traditional Japanese meal

Club visits and system implementations are all part of the life at The Sports Office. We offer club assistance through our support desk and visits when required. Read the first TSO Tour here, for more insight into The Sports Office operations.

So, to learn more about the software, or to see if The Sports Office systems are what your club needs, then contact us to discuss how you too can maximise your organisations potential.

4th September 2018 /

Automatic language translation introduced to Sports Office performance management systems

Automatic language translation is now available within all Sports Office performance management systems for elite sport.

The new feature uses the computer programming process known as tokenisation to ensure the accuracy and speed of all translation. It is accessible in Sports Office desktop systems and mobile Apps.

The Sports Office will be introducing English to Italian as the first translation. English to Spanish will also be available in due course. Other languages are available upon request. The Sports Office Client Management team are also undertaking additional language training, to help users to gain maximum benefit from the new functionality and support implementation.

Craig Bailey, Sports Office Development Director said: “We believe this new automatic translation feature will be invaluable in elite football, and many other high-performance sports. It will allow colleagues of different nationalities to work together more efficiently.

“Our systems are now more accessible to diverse groups of coaches and practitioners with different first languages. The new feature will assist them to optimise collaborative working and enhance their collective efforts to deliver excellence.”

Craig Bailey added: “We have already received a number of enquiries about translations to a range of languages including Japanese. We will also continue to consult with current and potential clients to understand their needs.”

The development of the new automatic language translation update went underway following discussions between Sports Office Client Managers and Serie A and UEFA Champions League giants, Inter Milan. The nature of the tokenisation process means that new performance and sports science-related terms can be quickly uploaded to mirror the natural evolution of any language and the lexicon of elite sport.

30th August 2018 /

New video features are ‘game-changers’ for analysts and coaches

The Sports Office staff have been radically enhancing the systems use of video for performance analysis and coaching. A series of new features will maximise player/athlete engagement and personal development.

The enhancements mean videos, with added visuals and notes, can be quickly and effectively generated to create high-impact learning resources.

“We believe these enhancements will be game-changing for the use of video in high-performance sport”, commented Chris Tuson, from The Sports Office.

“These updates now offer coaches and analysts many new features which will significantly augment their work and mean their players and athletes experience is hugely enriched.”

More details of the updates are as follows:

Video tagging wizard

Users can now tag videos as they view footage in real time, for instant analysis. Easily create tags for highlights and crucial moments. Also, quickly generate metrics including total player involvement. The tagging wizard offers the option to upload multiple tagging files against videos. This allows both staff and players to use third-party data such as OPTA, STATSport, Sportscode. Tags can be seen while viewing footage in real time.

Video tagging report

As video tags are created they become metrics in the system’s analytics engine. This means reports can be generated to provide both holistic and more granular performance summaries.

Video drawing/annotation tool

It is now possible to add text and other visual annotations to pinpoint key moments in videos and gain the most from the analysis process. A toolkit of options makes it easy to add both text and symbols. It is also possible to overlay annotations on LIVE video content for rapid performance analysis.

Video analytics

This is a multi-faceted update. To enhance player/athlete engagement, performance data can be added and visualized alongside video content. Also, precisely measure and analyse video engagement. This allows staff to monitor player’s usage in great detail. This includes the number and duration of video views. Also, analyse trends in video content including total hits.

All these latest video enhancements utilise the power of cloud computing offered by The Sports Office systems. This ensures a smooth and streamlined user experience. The enhancements will also complement the new Player’s App.

This native app integrates with Sports Office performance management systems and third-party social media platforms. It provides a comprehensive range of personalised support and creates a powerful link between club and player.

Further updates to video functionality in Sports Office systems are planned to include the creation of playlists, clipping, dashboard searches and further tagging options. Other features including multiple viewing angles and commentary on uploads are also being developed.

For more information or additional training on these new features, please contact The Sports Office Client Management team.

13th August 2018 /