Highlights: International News: Manchester United Performance Analysis: Nationality Trends Analysis Product Development: From Desktop to iPod
Newsletter – Summer 2009
DELIVERING PERFORMANCE INSIGHTS
PAGE TWO
CONTENTS P3 P4-5 P6-7 P8-9
FOREWORD PERFORMANCE ANALYSIS Research: Nationality Trends in the EPL Analysis: U’21 European Championship Analysis Prozone’s Performance Analysis Centre INDUSTRY EVENTS PGMOL Conference 2009 LeadersInPerformance Conference 2009 CLUB FOCUS UK: Manchester United choose Prozone Global: Business Update
P10-12 PRODUCT RESEARCH & DEVELOPMENT From Desktop to iPod Online Portal TREND: Upgraded Behavioural Modelling
Cover image: Action Images / Carl Recine
PAGE THREE
FOREWORD During the 08/09 European season we analysed over 2500 games across 43 leagues and cup competitions on 6 continents, and this season we anticipate even more growth for Prozone. Becoming our 15th Premier League installed club, we’re delighted to announce a new agreement with Premier League champions Manchester United Football Club. In addition we’re happy to announce extended contracts with many UK customers including Arsenal, Everton, and Blackburn Rovers as well as welcoming Panathinaikos and Al Ain to our increasing network of International clubs. We’re currently launching a host of new interactive performance analysis solutions. These include an all-in-one desktop application that makes using our full suite of analysis products much simpler and easier to use. We’ve also enabled the export of data, animation and video clips direct to a range of handheld devices including iPods and Blackberries. To make sure we’re up to these challenges we’ve strengthened our team for the season ahead. Darren Royle has joined us as European Business Manager to focus on account management and business development across Europe while Chris Kennelly, a Durham MBA student, has joined us to look into opportunities for us to engage performance analysis across a variety of sports at the 2012 Olympics. Testament to the quality of the Prozone team, Paul Graley was recruited by Everton FC as a 1st Team analyst and has been replaced in Prozone’s performance analysis centre by Ben Knapper. We’d like to wish you both continued success in your new roles. With so many positive developments, I guess all that remains is to wish you the very best of luck for the season ahead.
Barry McNeill Managing Director
PAGE FOUR
PERFORMANCE ANALYSIS RESEARCH: NATIONALITY TRENDS IN THE EPL
W
ith the League Managers Association coming out in support of a potential National Football Centre and the proposed ‘6+5 Rule’ being accepted as a resolution by FIFA, the spotlight is firmly on the development of home-grown players. With this in mind our Performance Analysis Centre has begun research into the technical characteristics of different players in the Premier League according to nationality. We’ve analysed every match, every team and every player and the depth of data available allows us to analyse a whole range of technical aspects, including distribution, attacking and defensive play. Here’s an insight into the findings… Graph 1 illustrates the passing frequency and success rates of home grown (HG) players compared to overseas (OS) and we can see that overseas players are generally attempting more passes than home-grown players with a higher success rate. This could be reflective of the type of overseas players now gracing the Premier League and perhaps the style adopted by the home grown players.
Graph 2 shows how players from different continents perform in terms of 1) passes received, 2) tackles made, 3) shots on target, 4) goals per game (all presented as an average per game). We can see that South American and European players tend to receive more passes per game, and that European players are most likely to attempt a tackle, but when it comes to goal scoring it is the home-grown midfielders who are the most prolific finishers. Of course, this is a mere snapshot of the findings, but the research offers an insight into how the multi-cultural nature of world football may affect playing styles in the Premier League. With FIFA’s 6+5 rule meaning that every British team would need to start 6 home-grown players in every match by the start of the 2012-2013 season, our ongoing research could become even more relevant. PASSING ANALYSIS 50 45 40 35 30 25 20 15 10 5 0
86 84 82 80 78 76 74 72 CB
FB
CM
WM
Graph 1: The average passing frequency and success per game of home-grown and overseas players of different positions in the 2008/09 FAPL season KEY: HG Passing Frequency HG Passing Success OS Passing Frequency OS Passing Success CB: Centre Back FB: Full Back CM: Centre Midfield WM: Wide Midfield ATT: Attacker
ATT
REGIONAL BREAKDOWN
0.41
0.42
40.59
1
0.38
Graph 2: Continent-specific technical data for central-midfield players during the 2008/09 FAPL season KEY: 1
35.27
Shots on target
2 Passes received
2
3 4
29.64
29.62
3.15
3 Tackles made 4 Goals per game
3.05
0.18 2.92 0.9
0.7
2.50
0.3
Home grown
European
African
0.5
South American
PAGE FIVE
Image Credit: Action Images / Andrew Boyers Livepic
ANALYSIS: U’21 EUROPEAN CHAMPIONSHIPS ANALYSIS
Throughout the championship there were a total of 376 shots at goal, with 124 (32.9%) on target. With 72, Italy had the most shots at goal, but their low conversion rate meant that these chances lead to just 4 goals (Graph 1).
Passing Analysis Spain averaged the greatest number of passes per game with 429 followed by beaten finalists England with 355. Interestingly Germany had the second lowest average with just 315 passes per game. This possibly indicates a more direct approach and more efficient and effective use of possession. Graph 2 illustrates the passing frequency and success rates in comparison with previous tournaments and the trend in improved passing success from U’19s to senior level becomes apparent. “The players are still young and inexperienced enough to be making regular mistakes, which results in very entertaining viewing for the neutral. The games were closer to youth football than full international football, and it’s very interesting to see how the Prozone analysis compares.” Jim Hicks, Senior Executive Head of Coaching - PFA This summer Prozone have analysed the following tournaments; • UEFA European Championship (both U’19s and U’21s)
10 15
8 6
10
4 5
2 0
0 Sweden Germany England KEY: TOTAL SHOTS ON TARGET
Italy
Spain
Belarus Finland Serbia
TOTAL GOALS SCORED
GRAPH 2: PASSING ANALYSIS 350
85
300
84 83
250
82
200
81
150
80
100
79
50
78
0
Success Rate
Unsurprisingly perhaps, the teams with the highest conversion rate progressed further in the competition; England, Sweden and eventual winners Germany.
12
20 Shots in Target
Over the course of the championships 38 goals were scored, an average of 2.53 a game. Interestingly this figure is much higher than at Euro 2008, with the senior competition producing a mere 0.7 goals per team per game. This could suggest that the U’19 competition was more ‘open’ or that goal scoring opportunities are harder to come by at senior level.
14
25
Total Goals Scored
Attacking Analysis
GRAPH 1: ATTACKING ANALYSIS
Passing Frequency
T
his summer saw Prozone team up once again with partners the Professional Footballers Association (PFA) to analyse team and player performance at the 2009 UEFA European U’21 Championship in Sweden. Together, we’ve analysed key areas of performance and benchmarked this summer’s tournament against previous championships. A summary of the analysis is provided below…
77 U’21’s - European Seniors - European U’19’s - European Championships 2008 Championships 2009 Championships 2008
KEY: NO. PASSES
SUCCESSFULL %
PROZONE PERFORMANCE ANALYSIS CENTRE
• FIFA Confederations Cup • CONCACAF Gold Cup • Toulon Tournament
At Prozone we are committed to ensuring that our services help supplement the analysis being undertaken at clubs through delivering unique insights. Our dedicated Performance Analysis Centre provides a range of service (e.g. weekly goals analysis) together with bespoke research projects. We work in collaboration with leading industry partners, universities and sports professionals to ensure that we remain at the forefront of the performance analysis industry. For further information email insight@prozonesports.com
PAGE SIX
INDUSTRY EVENTS
Elconocimientoeslarespuest “Thanks to Prozone for putting on an excellent and professional conference. Keep up the good work. You make life so much simpler for all of us.” Alan Kaye, Referee Coach - PGMOL
PAGE SEVEN
PGMOL ANNUAL CONFERENCE 2009
Proud sponsors of LeadersinPerformance 2009
P
rozone were pleased to organise the ninth PGMOL Annual Conference following a request by PGMOL General Manager, Keith Hackett. Our referee department worked tirelessly to deliver and manage a quality event that builds upon the organisations many recent successes.
Keith Hackett, commented; “A new venue and new challenge for the partnership between the PGMOL and Prozone saw a record attendance at the 2009 Conference. I have organised our annual conference for many years but was blown away by the work that Prozone put in to this year’s event. This conference was taken to another level thanks to the efforts of Prozone’s continuing relationship with PGMOL. Long may it last!” The conference is a critical event in PGMOL’s calendar as it provides a unique opportunity for all assessors, coaches, referees and assistant referees to debate, discuss and share their knowledge in time for the start of the season. Newly promoted Referees and Assistant Referees attended an induction on the first day which included a fitness session and advice on diet and nutrition before covering a range of topics which included increased expectations of the officials, post-match management and the role of the fourth official. This was followed by the main conference, which was attended by all match officials and assessors from the Premier League through to the Blue Square Premier League. In the morning there were a series of lectures covering critical issues followed by motivational speakers. Throughout the rest of the day workshops were set up by Prozone that invited all attendees to debate and discuss methods of best practice for key areas of performance. Martin Bland, Prozone’s Head of Referee Services added, “Prozone have continually developed the products and services that we deliver to the PGMOL to ensure that they receive the best and most qualified support for training, developing and educating their team of match officials. Organising their annual conference is one of these new developments and I’m delighted that after being given the opportunity to organise the event it was such a success.”
Prozone are pleased to support the inaugural LeadersinPerformance event held at Chelsea FC on 8th October. LeadersinPerformance have recently announced a spectacular line up of speakers from all over the sporting arena including David Brailsford OBE, one of the world’s leading sports performance experts Valter di Salvo, Head of Performance at Real Madrid and Mike Forde, Performance Director at Chelsea Football Club. The event is being held in conjunction with LeadersinFootball, the world’s most exclusive football business event being held at Chelsea FC on 7th and 8th October 2009. For tickets and enquiries, please visit www.leadersinperformance.com
PAGE EIGHT
UK MANCHESTER UNITED CHOOSE PROZONE We’re delighted to announce that reigning Premier League champions, Manchester United Football Club have chosen Prozone to fulfil their performance analysis needs. Having installed our digital 8 Sony IP cameras at Old Trafford, we’ll be providing Manchester United with a comprehensive performance analysis service over the coming season. Prozone now work with 15 of the 20 Premier League clubs including newly promoted Burnley, Birmingham City and Wolverhampton Wanderers.
“We are delighted Manchester United FC have become our 15th Premier League club and look forward to servicing their evolving analysis needs.” Barry McNeill, Managing Director
PERFORMANCE ANALYSIS FOR THE ENGLISH GAME Prozone have been analysing Premier League performance since 2000 and the League Championship since 2004. With over 9 years of historical trends data, our clients benefit from the most comprehensive analysis database of UK football available. This season, we’ll also be supporting teams in League 1. According to Arsène Wenger, who’s been using Prozone continuously for over a decade with Arsenal...
“The benefits given to my coaching team both in terms of physical performance, work rate, tactical and game specific skills are unsurpassed. The Prozone system provides a dynamic and unique insight into the team’s performance. Prozone have continually provided Arsenal with a product and service of great reliability, consistency and expertise.”
SUPPORTING THE FOOTBALL COMMUNITY Our commitment to English football goes far beyond the Premiership and Football League. We also provide services to the Premier League Referees (PGMO), the England National Team, and work with the industry’s leading organisations including the League Managers Association (LMA) and the Professional Football Coaches Association (PFCA); a partnership agreement recently extended for a further two years.
PAGE NINE
INTERNATIONAL BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT UPDATE As we enter our second decade as the world’s leading provider of football performance analysis services, our business continues to grow. Last season saw our client base rise to over 100 teams, associations and federations across 6 continents and we analysed over 2,500 games in the process. And we’re currently working on player recruitment solutions for a host of clubs looking to put the final touches to their squads before the transfer window closes.
Our season in numbers 2,335 Games analysed world wide 56
Professional football clubs
RECENT ADDITIONS
• Al Ain • Dinamo Zagreb • Huddersfield Town • Manchester City
49% International
• Manchester United
43
League and cup competitions
• Panathinaikos
58
Countries
6
Continents
• Portland Timbers • Real Madrid • Real Salt Lake • Rochester University • Sheffield Wednesday • South Methodist University • St Mirren • Washington University • West Virginia University
Games Analyzed Worldwide 100
0
A GROWING REPUTATION Through supporting such a vast array of teams across the globe we’re continuing to enhance our reputation...
“We’re able to deliver the most reliable and objective performance insights because of our expertise, our passion and our dedication to developing the most advanced technology and products.” Blake Wooster, Head of Business Development
PAGE TEN
PRODUCT RESEARCH & DEVELOPMENT “Our mission is to lead the way in the technological innovation of performance analysis through continual investment in our products and ongoing research and development.” Paul Neilson, Head of Business Operations
PAGE ELEVEN
FROM DESKTOP TO iPOD New Desktop Application The start of the 09/10 European season will see Prozone products accessible from a single desktop application available for both Macs and PCs. With all Prozone products now accessible from a single desktop application, using our full suite of performance analysis services will be quicker, simpler and more rewarding than ever. This new desktop software will be fully compatible with all previously archived games, and will include a direct link to our new Game Download Portal. Product Manager, Dan Mason… “By improving usability and system architecture, our analysis data will be made available more easily while providing increased product synergy and flexibility to users.” The simplified setup and navigation will improve usability and make archiving games more straightforward and to meet the needs of each individual club. These improvements go hand in hand with a thorough upgrade of our data transfer and security systems, so not only do our clients get a more flexible and accessible service but a more secure one too!
ONLINE PORTAL Search, Preview and Download Our new online portal will provide teams with the ability to both download and upload games online at prozonesports.com. Existing customers will be able to search, preview and download games through our fast and secure 100MB internet connection. This will allow our clients greater flexibility and a wider scope for team and player scouting purposes. A secure payment system also means that clubs can quickly login and acquire games in MATCHVIEWER format. Prozone’s Head of Business Operations, Paul Neilson… “By making Prozone archive game data available online, clubs can get access to the full Prozone game archive for the very first time.” This online portal will also incorporate a ‘Game Request’ service, allowing teams the opportunity to upload their own game footage for Prozone to analyse.
Export to iPod “Performance Analysis – anytime, anywhere” In line with the launch of our desktop application, all Prozone videos will be supplied in the more flexible WMV video format. While this won’t affect the quality of the footage it does reduce storage space and data transfer times considerably allowing players and staff to review animation and video footage on the training ground, in the dressing room and at pitch side. Product Manager Dan Mason… “While we strive for our products to stand-out and provide unique benefits, it is equally important that they work alongside other technologies. In particular, the new export capabilities will provide an important link to a variety of handheld media devices – enabling both video and animation to be viewed on-the-go by players and the coaching team.” This video enhancement allows clubs to download and display video clips on iPods, and iPhones as well as a whole host of other leading handheld media devices.
PAGE TWELVE
RESEARCH & DEVELOPMENT TREND: Upgraded Prozone is best used interactively. We also understand the need to produce reports quickly from the products. The latest TREND development will therefore enable users to produce enhanced, automated reports at the touch of a button. UK Account Manager, Paul Boanas commented… “We recognise the requirement for the generation of reports and this new feature will make it easier to create, catalogue and share post-match and multi-game analysis data across all levels of a club.” Including graphs and pitch maps, this reporting upgrade will further enhance the feedback and sharing of Prozone analysis, allowing full post-match team and player-by-player overviews to be compiled and compared against user-defined benchmarks. Additional features derived in consultation with leading professionals are also being added to TREND, allowing the coaching team to view an enhanced breakdown of performance. These include new player assist data, and also the ability to query data according to home and away or win, loss or draw parameters.
BEHAVIOURAL MODELLING Predicting ball movement and player behaviour Over the last 2 years, we’ve been working with the School of Computing at the University of Leeds to convert ball and player trajectory data into an accurate simple index that can be used to identify patterns in ball and player movement. The greatest benefit to a coaching team will be the ability to create specific scenarios and attempt to predict the most likely outcome. For example, how are the opposition most likely to react to a switch of play or a counter attack following a change of possession? Product Manager Dan Mason commented… “Behavioural modelling will offer an intuitive and interactive facility where coaching staff can search patterns of play across multiple games for the closest possible match giving a never before seen insight into the most likely outcomes of match incidents.”
Prozone Sports: Delivering Performance Insights
UK Office: Prozone Sports Ltd 3 Craven Court Millshaw Leeds LS11 8BN T: 0113 244 9296 E: enquiries@prozonesports.com W: www.prozonesports.com
Barry McNeill Managing Director barry.mcneill@prozonesports.com
Paul Neilson Head of Business Operations paul.neilson@prozonesports.com
Blake Wooster Head of Business Development blake.wooster@prozonesports.com
Paul Boanas UK Account Manager paul.boanas@prozonesports.com