Women’s World Cup 2015

Hi all,

So it’s been a while since I last posted and a lot has happened in that time. I have finally seen more of Canada and been involved in something I will never forget with a bunch of inspirational people. The women’s world cup has finally been and gone. The result of 8 months hard work was a devastating loss to England in the quarter final. BUT, a nation came out and supported women’s football like never before, with crowds of 50,000 plus present at almost every Canadian game. Something NZ could learn from in supporting national sporting teams other than rugby.

First destination was Edmonton, Alberta. Other than a mall (see last post) there was not much to see. The stadium on the other hand was very cool, with 53,000 Canadians inside it was a sight to behold. We scraped through the first game against China with a penalty in the dying minutes. It was always going to be hard with the way China play, so to get the 3 points was a great way to start. We also played NZ in Edmonton, which was a much tougher game that we ended up drawing nil all. With 4 points from two games we topped Group A and were now on the way to Montreal.

Canada vs China, Edmonton, AB. 6th of June 2015

Canada vs New Zealand, Edmonton, AB. 11th of June 2015

Next destination was Montreal, Quebec, which was far nicer than Edmonton. The hotel was right in the middle of Old Montreal, with it’s old architecture it was a far more appealing place to be staying. Here we played against the Netherlands in the “Big Owe”, a stadium built for the Montreal Olympics which has cost the country a huge amount of money. After scoring early, we unfortunately let in a late goal meaning a 1 all draw. This turned out to be all we needed as NZ helped us by drawing against China. Meaning we topped the group and were now on the way back to Vancouver, a place all the players knew well for a Round of 16 game against Switzerland.

Notre Dame Basilica in Old Montreal

Canada vs The Netherlands, Montreal, QC. 15th of June 2015

Our Round of 16 game vs Switzerland was to be played at BC Place in Vancouver, home city for many players and staff. One of the exciting experiences of the whole world cup was being able to go to Official Training sessions inside the stadium. BC Place is a stadium I have now been to many times, so to be able to see the stadium from a different point of view was amazing.

BC Place stadium pitch side

The game against Switzerland was another tense game, with only a single goal separating the teams. A huge save by our goal keeper late in the match was vital to keeping the lead. Thankfully, we held on and made the Quarter Finals, another game in Vancouver, this time against England.

Canada vs Switzerland, Vancouver, BC. 21st of June 2015

Canada scores vs Switzerland

The game against England was always going to be tough, with Canada only winning once in the most recent meetings between the two teams. Unfortunately we went down two goals earlier through small defensive errors and despite having the majority of possession and chances, we ultimately lost 2-1. A disappointing end to an amazing World Cup for Canada, but none the less, the show of support from the fans to try and find that extra goal was amazing. Also to see so many fans stay behind in support was incredible.

Canada vs England, Vancouver, BC. 27th of June 2015

Canada thanking the fans

So sadly the World Cup was over, with players and staff departing the next day it was a sad way for everything to just end. After being around everyone for a few weeks non-stop, but the team being together constantly for close to 60 days altogether, it was a sad day for everyone. But looking back, it was an incredible experience.

Now with a little uncertainty as to when the teams next game will be, I have had a bit of downtime and a chance to work on my PhD. From here, hopefully I will be able to see a bit more of BC and also enter in to the States sometime soon.

That’s all for now,

Josh

So how is GPS technology used in Sport?

Hi all,

So for all that don’t know I am back in Canada already after a flying visit back to New Zealand with a few days spent in Melbourne before returning. Although the time was so short it was good to get home and see family and friends for a little while. Today I thought I would write a post that is a little more applicable to what I am doing for my PhD and learning more about on a daily basis with the Women’s National Team here in Canada, GPS technology. I’m going to touch on what it is, how the data gained is analysed and what occurs in a typical football game.

So what is GPS technology?

GPS technology was originally developed for military purposes but has been utilised in sport since 1997 (1), Since then, it’s use has increased rapidly with the majority of professional sports teams now using the technology on a daily basis. Some examples of this include, Australian football league (AFL), hockey (field not ice for my Canadian friends), cricket, football and rugby. It is generally used to quantify the movement of players in total and within specific speed thresholds (which I will touch on soon). GPS technology has improved over the years with greater data collection rates (1 to 15-Hz) and the inclusion of micro-sensors. These micro-sensors are accelerometers and gyroscopes, which help to increase the information obtained but also can quantify different movements (e.g. changes of direction) which were not possible with older versions of the technology. Further to the improvement of the technology, the reliability of the data has increased, with standard error for a 10m sprint being 32.4% (1-Hz) now being as low as 10.9% (15-Hz) for a 15m sprint. So it is great having this technology and all the data it provides, but how is it analysed and used by strength and conditioning coaches.

Catapult Minimax GPS unit

How is GPS technology analysed using speed thresholds?

Software developed by manufacturers allows for specific speed thresholds to be set, allowing for analysis of the data to be a lot more applicable. Generally, thresholds are set the same for all players and are generally in the following categories (2):

1. Standing or walking: 0-7.1 km/h
2. Jogging: 7.2-14.3 km/h
3. Running: 14.4-19.7 km/h
4. High-speed running: 19.8-25.1 km/h
5. Sprinting: >25.1 km/h

These thresholds are generally set for male football, and sometimes set the same for the female game. However, due to different physiological make-up it’s not applicable to use the same thresholds across genders. Males will be able to achieve a greater running speed than females, meaning that if you were to compare the two genders during a match, that males would look as though they worked significantly harder which is generally not the case. So the use of individualised thresholds, either for the team or each player individually, has been suggested (3). These generally are set using fitness tests done in the field, or a laboratory setting. Laboratory settings are not the most accessible for elite players, meaning the use of field tests is more appropriate. These tests are generally sprint tests over 40m to find maximum velocity and a 30-15 intermittent fitness test to assess aerobic speed of players, defined as the final level they achieve. These adjust the running, high-speed running and sprinting thresholds to be more applicable for the team of interest.

1. High-speed running: 15.5-19.9 km/h
2. Sprinting: >20 km/h

Those are two examples of possible thresholds for the two highest speed brackets. However, these can differ between teams, sports and genders. So with these thresholds set, how does this give us information relating to how players move in a game?

What is the general movement of elite male football players during a game?

So how much do players move within a game and what can it be affected by?

This question is a large part of my PhD, however, rather than focussing on male’s I will be exploring uncharted territory and looking at female players. In general though, male’s tend to cover approximately 9 – 12 km (4-5). This is highly dependant on position, with midfield players generally covering the greatest distance. High-speed  and sprinting movement is generally greatest in wide players, such as midfielders and full backs, covering approximately  2.6 – 3.1 km at high speed and around 300 m sprinting (6).

It has been suggested that team formations, score-lines, opposition rankings and environmental conditions can influence the amount of and type of running. This is true to some extent, however, for some factors the influence is minimal or related to specific positions rather than the team as a whole.

So this gives you a brief overview of how GPS is used in football (soccer). In the future, I will make further posts like this touching on aspects like how we can make it applicable to coaches, monitor and limit player fatigue and also transition players back to playing post injuries. I’m still learning a lot of this as I go but that’s the joy of being young, I’m like a sponge!

If anyone wants me to write more things like in the future, let me know. I don’t really get much feedback so if you have any, feel free to leave it under this post or Facebook.

Till next time….

Josh

Reference List

1. Cummins C, Orr R, O’Connor H, West C. Global Positioning Systems (GPS) and Microtechnology Sensors in Team Sports: A Systematic Review. Sports Med. 2013;43(10):1025-42.

2. Bradley PS, Carling C, Archer D, Roberts J, Dodds A, Di Mascio M et al. The effect of playing formation on high-intensity running and technical profiles in English FA Premier League soccer matches. J Sports Sci. 2011;29(8):821-30.

3. Abt G, Lovell R. The use of individualized speed and intensity thresholds for determining the distance run at high-intensity in professional soccer. J Sports Sci. 2009;27(9):893-8.

4. Carling C. Influence of opposition team formation on physical and skill-related performance in a professional soccer team. Eur J Sport Sci. 2011;11(3):155-64.

5. Di Salvo V, Gregson W, Atkinson G, Tordoff P, Drust B. Analysis of High Intensity Activity in Premier League Soccer. Int J Sports Med. 2009;30(3):205-12.

6. Bradley PS, Sheldon W, Wooster B, Olsen P, Boanas P, Krustrup P. High-intensity running in English FA Premier League soccer matches. J Sports Sci. 2009;27(2):159-68.