The Sports Office Partner with Irish Rugby Football Union IRFU

IRFU take on The Rugby Squad:

The Sports Office is delighted to have reached an agreement with the Irish Rugby Football Union (IRFU) to supply a Performance Management system for use by all of Irish rugby’s high-performance representative teams.

All four Provinces and National teams will benefit from ‘The Rugby Squad’, The Sports Office’s bespoke system for elite rugby organisations. Both men’s and women’s senior teams, plus all age group squads will be managed together in one centralised hub.

The full ‘Rugby Squad’ system includes modules to support coaching, sports science, medicine, finance, admin and scouting. IRFU video and performance analysis staff will also be able to combine their work with other departments to maximise the potential of all players within Irish rugby’s elite player pathway.

The Rugby Squad allows effective monitoring and management of every player’s training load plus their coaching minutes and wellbeing. It also enables the creation of Individual Development plans for each player and the ongoing monitoring of these. This will enhance player tracking and development of all IRFU teams.

The newly released Sports Office App will assist all users, including staff and players in managing their own schedules, development and wellbeing. Communication between provincial and national staff and athletes are enhanced with instant messaging functionality and documents.

The IRFU will also use ‘The Rugby Squad’ to support talent identification and to also plan for the future with the system’s detailed view of available playing resources.

The Sports Office Senior Client Support Manager Stuart Jones commented: “The IRFU recognise that player development throughout the academy to on the pitch performance is the most important thing. They have chosen our system to provide the framework to support every department in reaching their full potential.

“We are delighted to be working with them and we look forward to supporting the implementation of Rugby Squad within their teams and playing structures.”

Jones added: “Irish teams are recognised as being among the best in world rugby and we believe our system can enhance their efforts to continuously improve and optimise all aspects of performance and preparation.”

IRFU 2019 Guiness Six Nationd championship

2019 Guinness Six Nations Championship Round 3, Stadio Olimpico, Rome, Italy 24/2/2019
Italy vs Ireland
The Ireland team stand for the National Anthem
Mandatory Credit ©INPHO/Dan Sheridan

David Nucifora, IRFU Performance Director, commented, “Irish rugby have for years now placed their player management program at the forefront of their strategy for both developing and supporting our professional players. In continually looking at ways to improve our player management and player development strategies we have made a decision to align ourselves in a partnership with ‘The Sports Office’. As we strive to be world-leading in the area of Athlete Management and development we believe that our partnership with The Sports Office will enable us to achieve this ambition.”

Many elite rugby organisations throughout the world are among The Sports Office’s varied client base. These include governing bodies such as Argentina Rugby Union, teams in the SANZAR Super Rugby competition and the Australian NRL.

The Rugby Squad users also include clubs in the UK’s Rugby League Super League and teams in Major League Rugby.

The full system implementation of ‘The Rugby Squad’ will begin in March 2019.

11th March 2019 /

The Sports Office New Medical Interface Preview

NEW: Medical Enhancements

The Sports Office latest system update offers a range of new features to assist all medical practitioners.

The new easy to use interface provides access to all injury data on one page allowing users to cross-reference medical notes. This provides faster processes for accessing information and adding injuries, SOAP notes and other medical data.

An all-new charting feature provides access to a number of reports and injury data for an extensive player review.

These Medical Enhancements will improve the overall workflow for all medical users of any of The Sports Office Systems.

This update will be live across all systems early March 2019.

For more information on the upcoming medical enhancements, contact The Sports Office now.

22nd February 2019 /

The Sports Office System Updates

The latest enhancements to The Sports Office performance management systems for elite sport are now live. The new enhanced functionality provides a faster interface for coaches, scouts, administration teams and all other users.

Coaching/Fixtures:

Custom Positions:

The fixture/session planner allows users to create custom positions for players or athletes in their teams. This update allows greater flexibility for staff users to bespoke positions across the field diagram. This development compliments the new Session Planner features.

New Session Plan Features & Print Out:

Session Planner from The Sports Office to assist Coaches with fixture planning

NEW SESSION PLAN FEATURES

The Sports Office has made design improvements to the Session Planner. These have been made along with additional options. Users can print out the relevant information ready for coaching assistance and fixture planning. ( ADD EVO SPORT)

Another option includes defining a default pitch when a drill diagram is not assigned to an activity.

Further information is presented in the diagram with player availability.

Auto-Population of Position & Game Time:

This enhancement enables a quicker population of game time and position played. This improvement also allows you to assign a defined club position to each selection on all formations on all squad sizes. This functionality enables the player position to auto-populate within the game time page of a fixture.

Recruitment:

Depth Charts – New Future Squads:

The Sports Office are delighted with the significant upgrade to the displaying of future squads, offering a completely new depth chart feature. It enables Staff to view any potential gaps in future squads by creating custom depth charts. Users can overlay multiple charts for an extensive review and to also highlights current talent is within their academy structures.

These charts are available in a range of views including two single year views (horizontal/vertical), multi-year and pitch views. These are fully exportable into PDF format and can be download to Microsoft Excel.

Football pitch view of potential future squads

Recruitment: Future Squads Depth Charts

Admin:

Document Library Upload Alerts:

Alerts can now be set up to inform users of any new documents uploaded and assigned to them on the system. The email alert will provide a link for the user, allowing easy access to the assigned document.

For more information on these system updates or to arrange a webinar contact your Client Manager or The Sports Office now.

14th 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 /

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 /

PMA Club Engagement Day hosted at Old Trafford

The PMA on a MacBook at Old Trafford Stadium The Premier League performance team invited the Client Managers to Old Trafford to assist with a PMA Club Engagement Day.

The PMA is the performance management solution provided by The Sports Office and used by over 90 Premier League and Football League Academies. This provides a platform for all academy players and staff to collect performance and wellbeing data allowing coaches to conduct player reviews and reports.

The Client Management team presented on new system functionality and future developments. They joined discussion groups with Academy staff to share insights and experiences to see how they could improve their current use of the system.

TSO staff presenting on the PMA to academy staff

Staff from clubs such as Bournemouth and Manchester City gave presentations on elements of The PMA which they maximise. Sam White, Youth Development Phase Coach from Bournemouth presented on Player Reviews through The ‘Report Engine’.

Followed by Ellen Kristiansen, Academy Secretary from Manchester City who exhibited their use for event management. Coaching and games programmes were among other topics presented, focusing on how they use The PMA to assist in their daily club operations.

The Sports Office offers a range of support and services, including club visits, the support desk and training days. All clients have this available to them to ensure they maximise their performance potential.

The Sports Office would like to thank Premier League, in particular, Andy O’Boyle, Head of Elite Performance and Paul Prescott, Youth Programmes Manager for hosting the event.

22nd November 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 /

The Manager’s App Latest Update:

The Manager’s App design has been curated to support top-level executives and management. The App provides immediate touch access to the key performance data and critical management information, presenting data of the most relevance. Decision making is more informed and communication is faster.

The Manager’s App is compatible with iOS devices and can be found in the native app store.

Contact The Sports Office here, for more information on our systems including The Sports Office App.

14th 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 /

TSO Tour #1 – Toronto & New York City

Intuitive software is only half of what The Sports Office provides to the World’s Best Sporting Organisations. It is our exceptional service that has enabled our clients to quickly implement and learn how to gain maximum benefit from the performance management software.

A dedicated team of Client Managers are the main point of call for all queries. They take great pride in demonstrating each and every feature developed over the last decade. Some of this support is completed remotely, but the TSO Client Managers also love to ‘go on tour’ and visit their clients around the world from time to time.

A recent 10-day trip sent Carl Pomfret and Chris Tuson, Client Managers across the ‘Pond’, firstly to Toronto, Canada and then into the USA.

Toronto, Canada:

Chris and Carl flew out to Toronto, where they spent the first five days of the trip with two existing Sports Office Clients, Toronto FC and Toronto Maple Leafs. Toronto FC has been using the system for 4 years now, and the Maple Leafs have completed 3 full seasons maximising their use of The Sports Office software. So, the Client Managers spent their time on this trip to re-educate the clubs on various aspects of the system.

Carl and Chris at Toronto FC Academy & Training Ground

Toronto FC approach performance optimisation through one system for the entire club. This helps them to mirror essential data collection and report generation across the first team, also within their USL and the Academy programme.

Each department was shown new elements to allow them to gain maximum benefit from The Sports Office systems. Moreover, on this visit Client Manager’s demonstrated 10 new reports for Toronto FC to improve their outputs from the system.

Carl spent some time with Toronto Maple Leaf’s Human Performance department, where they got to explore some principal elements of reporting and analysis. They got to analyse fundamental data over the last season and had a look at ‘crunching’ this with previous data, to look for patterns and trends.

Toronto Maple Leaf’s Training Facilities

Using the highly sophisticated ‘Report Engine’ and automated reporting capabilities. The Sports Office are able to deliver real-time reports to key staff.

New developments from The Sports Office have also sparked interest across Toronto and Canadian Elite Sport. The Client Managers are currently answering these enquires and are demonstrating the software to prospective clients.

New York City, USA:

Following their time in Canada, Chris and Carl flew over to New York. They too were accompanied by Managing Director, Andy Clarke on their visit to New York City FC, part of City Football Group. The Client Managers got to go to the Academy at the new training facility, Orangeburg.

This visit, in particular, was a 3-day full configuration of the Football Squad system for the Academy. Chris, Carl and Andy spent time with each department as they introduced the system to staff and key personnel. They demonstrated how easily they can incorporate the system into their daily workflow.

Also, departmental and player profile data was input into the system. This starts the collection of performance data under one centralised hub.

New York City FC vs Vancouver Whitecaps FC, 2-2

NYC FC were also kind enough to invite the team to the Delta Sky 360* Suite in the Yankee Stadium. Here, they got to see NYC FC vs Vancouver Whitecaps FC. The final result was a 2-2, with New York goals from Jesús Medina and Valentín Castellanos.

The Sports Office Client Management team are willing to go the extra mile for your club and squad. To maximise you clubs potential with The Sports Office, contact our Client Management Team to arrange a visit.

28th August 2018 /