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 /

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 /

The Blues Case Study

Client: The Blues
System: The Rugby Squad

Tony Hanks, the Blues General Manager of High Performance, stated: “The Sports Office Client Managers are as far as you can get from us geographically. Yet, we find they are always the people to go, to provide support for the system and solve any problems.”

The Blues say The Rugby Squad has made a huge impact on everyday operations for all staff at the Super Rugby franchise. The Blues make extensive use of the Scheduling module of The Sports Office system. This provides access to all scheduling information and hence clarity and improved communication for management and players. The club say this has allowed players to access information and data that had previously not reached them. They feel better informed and aware of what they need to know.

image of high performance NRL rugby team The Blues

Source: The Blues

In addition to the Operation module, The Blues take full advantage of the Recruitment section to plan for future squads.

The Blues are now in the fourth year of using The Rugby Squad. New players introduced to the application have reported a rapid adjustment to it.

Benefits:

Improved access to all information and data.
Information provided to players now reaches them effectively and consistent
Depth Charts provide an easy view of future squad options

If you think your club could benefit from a system like The Rugby Squad, contact us now to find out more.

10th July 2018 /

St. Helens R.F.C. Case Study

Client: St. Helens R.F.C.

System: The Rugby Squad

Matt Daniels, Head of Strength & Conditioning at St Helens Rugby League Club, commented: “Our Sports Office journey has been excellent. Their knowledge of the system, alongside their understanding of our sport, has enabled Sports Office client managers to have a real and meaningful impact on our practices and the successful operation of The Rugby Squad in our organisation. Their system is multi-faceted and caters for every area of my work. It also enables a smooth processing of our analytics.”

Source: St Helens RFC

St Helens R.F.C. have been using The Sports Office performance management system, The Rugby Squad, for 8 seasons. The system provides a central point for the club’s performance and medical data to be effectively collected and analysed.

The club report that player interaction has also improved due to the nature of The Rugby Squad. Player engagement across the platform includes the input of wellbeing data, game reports and RPE during training.

St Helens also say that access to medical and performance data has improved the effectiveness of their coaching. As a result, they are now able to make better informed decisions relating to training loads and team selection.

“The Rugby Squad has proved to be an invaluable tool for us. To have one centralised system that has information on all players from scholarship to first team allows me to see what has happened and what is going to happen.” – added St Helens CEO, Mike Rush.

6th July 2018 /

Leading club praise The Sports Office system for elite rugby

Super League club Warrington Wolves has praised The Sports Office’ rugby platform, The Rugby Squad.

The Wolves use the system across their entire rugby operations, including first team and scholarship players. The club consistently competes for major honours. and recently appeared in the Challenge Cup Final at Wembley, with a squad featuring 14 home-grown players. And now a senior member of Warrington’s team management and coaching staff – who is a former Super League player and Ireland international – has underlined the Rugby Squad’s benefits.

“The Rugby Squad is a powerful tool which delivers great benefits to our organisation, across many key areas”, said Head of Rugby Operations, Karl Fitzpatrick.

“The system enhances our ability to monitor training load, manage our performance data and communicate effectively. It has increased the effectiveness and efficiency of our coaching and preparation activities across all grades.”

Karl Fitzpatrick added: “The support we received from The Sports Office Client Management team meant the implementation of the system into our coaching and performance processes was very smooth. The ongoing support they provide also enables us to maximise our use of the platform.”

The Rugby Squad supports many members of the Wolves backroom staff. This includes coaches as well as staff involved in strength and conditioning, sports science, sports medicine, performance analysis and youth development. The system is also used by operations and administration teams and club commercial staff.

The Sports Office provides Performance Management Software for many elite sporting organisations.

The system allows staff to quickly and efficiently arrange all team activities, collate all data, monitor and analyse that data and thus allow evidence based decision making on vital performance issues. Reports and information generated within the system are also provided directly to the club’s Board on a regular basis.

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, injury prevention, sports science, sports medicine, administration, coaching and sports analytics.

Among the company’s varied client base, are many elite rugby organisations. These include teams in SANZAR’s Super Rugby competition, the Australian NRL and many other Rugby League Super League clubs.

21st September 2016 /

The Sports Office works with Widnes Vikings

Widnes Vikings – who have recently climbed to fourth place in Rugby League’s Super League – are among the growing number of elite rugby clubs using The Sports Office performance management system.

The Vikings adopted the system in 2012 and have used it to maximise all aspects of preparation and performance, as they develop themselves as a competitive force in the 13-a-side code’s elite division.

The club’s coaching, team administration and strength and conditioning staff make use of the system’s wide range of functions, using it in areas such as sports medicine, sports science, video analysis and various coaching activities.

The Sports Office Mobile App also allows for vastly improved information management, with the Vikings’ players able to remotely submit key wellbeing data for analysis by coaches and medical personnel. Specifically in the area of sports medicine, Widnes’ use of The Sports Office system has been credited with playing a role in helping the Super League club maintain a low rate of injuryin the pre-season period.

“We are delighted to be working with Widnes Vikings and we are pleased that they are experiencing so many benefits from using our system”, said The Sports Office Client Manager Neil Holland.

“The Sports Office has the power and capability to help elite rugby clubs and organisations to improve in many areas which are critical for high performance and we look forward to seeing the club continue to develop their use of the system.”

Vikings Head Coach Denis Betts said, “The Sports Office is such a versatile piece of software that forms a big part of what we do on a daily basis here at the Vikings. From monitoring players daily wellbeing right through to match analysis tools, it allows us to cater for the high performance demands of the sport on the players.”

Betts added:”A real strength of The Sports Office is the accessibility of the information to the players through ipads, iphones and computers.

“All users are able to log in and analyse performances, have schedules synced straight to their personal calendars and many other capabilites, which allows them to plan and review often in the comfort of their own homes. We also have the ability to build in custom aspects to the software to ensure we, and the system continues to develop and improve.”

Elite Rugby Union clubs which use The Sports Office’s dedicated performance management systems include Bath, Harlequins, London Irish and Sale Sharks. They are all enjoying current success in Aviva Premiership.

The Sports Office also works with the RFU and recently supplied two teams in the 2013 Rugby League World Cup.

In both rugby and football, The Sports Office provides client support for implementation and training , meaning that clubs and organisations can easily begin using the systems without additional staff recruitment.

9th April 2014 /

The Sports Office Supports RL World Cup Teams

Papa New Guinea coaches, left to right, Mal Meninga and Adrian Lam with Sports Office MD Phil Clarke.

Two teams competing in the current Rugby League World Cup are benefiting from a performance management system provided by The Sports Office.

The system is being used by both the Papua New Guinea (PNG) and Wales squads, as they play their part in the 13-a-side code’s most important international tournament.

The Sports Office’s powerful system brings together all team operations, coaching and management functions and supports all aspects of preparation and performance. This includes key elements of video analysis, such as the delivery of preview and review video footage to players. Coaches and players can also access the system via a mobile app and use it via a range of mobile devices.

During the tournament, PNG and Wales will use the Sports Office system to monitor and collect critical data generated by their players during training and matches; such as information from heart rate and GPS monitors. The powerful software will offer both teams the ability to generate insight from this data, in order to get the most from their preparation and training activities.

“The Rugby League World Cup represents a significant challenge for both Papua New Guinea and Wales and we are delighted they have chosen our system to support their campaigns”, said The Sports Office MD Phil Clarke.

“We believe our performance management system will provide comprehensive support for all aspects of their preparation and training”.

Clarke added: ”Our systems offer many invaluable benefits for squads competing at elite, international level.

“We also work with several clubs in Rugby League’s Super League and with leading clubs in Rugby Union’s Aviva Premiership”.

The Sports Office provides performance management systems, used across elite sport, which offer a range of functionality to support coaching, athlete/player performance, administration, health and wellbeing, recruitment, squad management and a mobile app for players.

The Sports Office’s dedicated software for elite football is also currently used by leading clubs in the Barclay’s Premier League, the Sky Bet Championship and major football governing bodies including the Scottish FA.

To learn more about the power and capability of The Sports Office systems please contact a member of the Client Service team via the contact section.

4th November 2013 /