Experts in Sport: The power of performance analysis

Martin Foster is joined by performance analysis expert Mike Hughes and Donald Barron, Applied Performance Analysis Lead at º¬Ðß²ÝÊÓƵ to discuss the growth of performance analysis and the key role that data plays in influencing decisions both on and off the field of play.

Performance analysis has grown immensely in sport with data now playing a key role in influencing decisions both on and off the field of play.

In this week’s episode, Martin Foster (Applied Sport Management Lead) is joined by performance analysis (PA) expert Mike Hughes and Donald Barron, Applied Performance Analysis Lead at º¬Ðß²ÝÊÓƵ to delve a little deeper into the subject.

Mike has extensive experience in PA, having worked for England Squash, the English Institute of Sport, British Cycling (including at the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games) and the RFU.

Donald ­– who leads the Applied Sport Performance Analysis MSc programme at the University – boasts an equally impressive CV. Before joining º¬Ðß²ÝÊÓƵ, he held various roles in the Premier League and Football League with Leicester City, Coventry City and Norwich City respectively.

During the podcast, the panel discuss how performance analysis can differ from sport to sport and club to club, the different roles within PA, how data can improve performance, and what advice they would offer to those starting out in the industry.

This week's episode

Mike explained how different sports may well require different data:

“The way I present data to a cycling coach may be different to how I present to a rugby coach…historically, a cycling coach may be very comfortable with data whereas a rugby coach may want images, video, clips, not too much data but interactivity.

“The relationship with coaches is the absolute crux of what you deliver.”

Mike also speaks about the varied job roles of performance analysts and how a new framework he’s developing may benefit the industry.

“The role of an analyst in performance sport is really broad now,” he explained.

“Individuals have different skill sets and it’s really hard to pigeonhole what analysts do as they fulfil multiple roles.

“I’ve been working with ISPAS (International Society of Performance Analysis of Sport) on developing frameworks to try to accurately describe what each of these roles are and what skills are needed to profile them in the same way you would elite athletes.”

More about the Expert in Sport podcast

The Experts in Sport podcast is a regular series that brings together experts from across º¬Ðß²ÝÊÓƵ with external thought leaders to discuss the latest research and hot topics in sport and academia with new episodes launched every two weeks.

Listeners can subscribe to the podcast and download the latest episode by visiting iTunes, Spotify, and TuneIn. All subscribers will receive an alert once new episodes are published. 

For more information about º¬Ðß²ÝÊÓƵ’s Applied Sport Performance Analysis MSc programme visit the prospectus.