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Technology the key to success
In modern football the single point differences in the final league table can relate to £millions. And that is why the business of performance (the identification, measurement and management of individuals and teams) has become the new growth area in football.
Performance Directors are now scouring the globe to find that all-important competitive advantage. The margin between champions and mediocrity is so small that any advantage, however slight, might be the key that unlocks the riches.
This new profession and the key success principles that drive it will be covered in some depth by the world's elite performance directors and coaches at Leaders in Performance at Chelsea FC on 8th October. One of the main speakers at the event is Mike Forde, Performance Director at Chelsea FC and a driving force behind innovation in this area.
Like all Performance Directors, Mike's role requires a strategic approach to player recruitment, analysing significant amounts of data on players within the Chelsea FC set up and beyond at potential transfer targets. This is achieved with the help of specialist service providers like Prozone, who supply the raw tracking data on professional players for Mike's team to interpret allowing a more accurate and scientific approach to, for example, recruitment.
Forde breaks his performance strategy down into 3 key elements; players, management team and environment. The secret to his success is always looking towards tomorrow. 'Learning from yesterday is important, but you have to plan for tomorrow more than anything else in this job. The best advice I was ever given was that you must always think bigger, be better, aim higher- nothing is impossible!'
Perhaps this explains his success. "Ninety-eight percent of scouting is who you don't sign," Forde explains. "We use science to make sure we are appraising players in the right way. Science should be integrated in the process of soccer but we certainly never look to replace the art of it. The art of coaching, the emotion of the game - that's the heart of the game, and what makes it successful."
In Forde's opinion, football has reached a critical point of development. It must take its economic advantage and turn it into future insights, and create a legacy of cross-sport interactivity and professionalism. It is this attitude that is at the heart of 'Leaders in Performance which aims to provide a greater understanding of how elite sports can cross-fertilize; to engender greater co-operation; and to show that football can reach out from its position of financial strength and help other sports- and learn from new areas of best practice at the same time.
Prozone are pleased to become the official 'Technical Partner' of the Leaders in Performance event and we look forward to supporting the event and providing valuable insights to the many professionals attending.
For more information on the event please visit www.leadersinperformance.com
Article courtesy of Andy Rice at LeadersinPerformance
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