Playermaker Data Is Uncovering Some Interesting Trends

The data from the Playermaker wearable soccer technology we invested in last fall is proving to be quite compelling. While we are still very early with the depth of our data, a few trends are emerging. The following observations are based on data from two male and two female teams we track.

Foot Dominance is Virtually Identical Between Our Male and Female Players

The data shows that regardless of gender, our players usually lead with their dominant foot. 

Why Is This Important?

This isn’t a surprising observation, but it has implications for performance. Speed may be impacted when playing on the opposite side of the pitch to your dominant side because extra steps are required to position yourself for a confident shot.

What We Are Doing In Response

We will help our players become more ambidextrous and comfortable playing with both feet. New training techniques will be introduced, and players will be encouraged to take more chances. 

Possession Time Data Shows Women Play at a Faster Tempo than Men

We studied possession time and number of touches and found that our female athletes tend to have more single-touch possessions than our male athletes.

Why Is This Important?

Fewer touches and shorter possession times mean that our female players play at a faster tempo. More touches slow down the game, which aligns more with the men’s teams’ style. Both tactics have pros and cons.

What We Are Doing In Response

The data doesn’t yet indicate whether one style is more productive in terms of success. There has been a trend in soccer to “play out of the back,” a higher touchpoint game our men lean toward.

Play out of the back is a strategy of starting an attack from the defensive end of the field, often involving short passes, and maintaining possession to build up play gradually. The jury is still out on whether a faster game trumps the safer game that more possession time can create. In the meantime, we will continue to study the data.

From a Physical Perspective, Our Men and Women are Again Quite Equal

Playermaker measures distance traveled throughout a game, top speed achieved, and work rate. While there were differences due to physiological factors, both our men and women scored very high in these physical measurements.

Why Is This Important?

Fitness is a core focus across our Club for both men and women. The data supports that our programs effectively build strength and conditioning for everyone, regardless of gender.

What We Are Doing In Response

We will continue to study our data, but frankly, “If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it.” We are proud of the high degree of performance and fitness our programs deliver for our athletes and will continue to incorporate new technologies and practices as we have in the past.

The findings from Playermaker to date benefit our performance staff, coaches, and players. We will continue to collect, analyze, and use them to improve the experiences of our Club members. 

***

***

Play Fast, Play Strong Camp Open to All!

Our Sports Science Department is hosting a Summer Camp for U11 – U13 players, and everyone is welcome! We expect to see players from multiple clubs in the city, surrounding areas, and potentially other provinces. Learn more about our “Play Fast, Play Strong” Summer Camp here.