4 key benefits of performance monitoring in youth football

Measuring performance in football has been a necessity for years. In its beginnings, the devices were used only in the major categories but with the course of time the importance of performance monitoring in youth  divisions it's being known  that  GPS trackers are quickly becoming an indispensable tool for clubs.

For youth football in particular it is more than valuable to have the information that the GPS provides: distances covered, sprints, ball interactions, etc.

A young player is in constant athletic and football development, so understanding their first steps, planning improvement goals and being able to measure them is fundamental.

In addition to the above, we can define four key benefits that game and training monitoring provide to boost the work of the entire team in youth divisions:

Register the player's potential

Before the GPS, the technical staff could only estimate the performance of the player. Today, however, all aspiring pro players have quantifiable, measurable and comparable metric records. This record is essential for

• Know the players’ rhythm of evolution.
• Understand their athletic and football skills.
• Focus on specific work routines to reinforce innate abilities or strengthen weak points.
• Facilitate the sale process of youth players on the basis of specific information.

Edmilson De Moraes (Sports Director of Ská FC and ex FC Barcelona) says: “GPS trackers like OLIVER allow us to have the player´s manual. For example: I´m working with a 15 year old player, which in 3 years is going to be sold to a big football team, and with the collected data all over the years, we can show his evolution through time.. They are a big support”

Increased knowledge about physical condition, helping to prevent injuries

The measuring tech allows the player to get into their physical condition and better understand their improvement margins in athletic terms. Here are some of the key data collected and its use:

• Overtraining: When the player exceeds the "safe zone" they are more likely to get injured. The metrics extracted by the device, plus the relational data of perceived effort allow to know when the player is reaching its limit.
• Undertraining: Data such as speeds, intensities and session volume, provide insights that let you know when the player has room to increase loads without exposing himself to injury risks by increasing his athletic intensity.
• RPE (Rating of Perceived effort): Players can charge their fatigue level on a scale of 1 to 10, as well as their emotional state. This allows the coaches to control the player’s internal loads.
• Session intensity: It is calculated taking into account the values of speed and acceleration over time according to the maximum values reached by each player. The intensity in speed and acceleration is a great help in drawing conclusions about training.

Reach professional metric parameters

In the transition from youth to major category, the player can face a huge abyss if not worked out in advance. Many youngsters when they reach professional leagues find that they are not at the physically required level.

The possibility offered by GPS devices to obtain physical and football metrics such as speeds, distances with the ball, ball touches, and insights allow the coach to adapt and plan trainings based on elite athletes records,  so that when the footballer becomes senior, their physical conditions are more equal to those of a first-rate adult player. 

Motivation for the player

At the start of any athlete’s career, building confidence is a fundamental aspect. Both psychologically, since the head is where any activity we perform affects, many insecurities that we can have when we grow are reflected in our physical performance, and also can affect the future development as a professional. Working on aspects of confidence and motivation is another benefit of measuring performance with technology. 

Besides, the fact that the coaching staff plans based on professional technical parameters, is an incentive for the player, since it is something that almost any young footballer aspires to; to reach professional football. 

In addition to the daily training, players can see the data of the performance, allowing them to set goals and overcome themself day by day in a playful way, having more awareness about their  game.

Professionalizing grassroots football and evolving talents of young promises is a fact in teams that are using OLIVER. Through sports science, a mobile app and a GPS device that is placed on the calf-sleeve, we are committed to continue democratizing access to advanced technology for all sectors of football.

More info in: www.tryoliver.com