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"I code as much as I can because you never know what they might ask for”. The role of the coach in Performance Analysis: The view of the analyst

Mulvenna, Claire
; 
Bloyce, Daniel
; 
Twist, Craig
; 
Thomson, Edd
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Affiliation
Edge Hill University; University of Chester; Liverpool John Moores University
EPub Date
Publication Date
2024-08-16
Submitted Date
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Sport and Exercise Sciences
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Abstract
Performance Analysis (PA) is viewed as an integral feature of soccer; however, the processes underpinning such practice are often described as simple, linear procedures. This fails to acknowledge the dynamism of PA and given increased investment and employment of analysts in professional soccer, scrutiny of the current processes and duties associated with the role would seem timely. To this purpose, eight full-time analysts in the English Football League (EFL) and English National League (National League) participated in in-depth semi-structured interviews and transcripts were subjected to inductive reflective thematic analysis. The data analysis revealed two higher-order categories (Flying solo / Coach control) and four themes classified as lower-order (PA pragmatism / Identifying indicators / The reticent coach / Autocratic presentations). The findings of this study highlight that the responsibilities of the performance analyst range from acting on their own initiative to responding to requests and instructions from the coach. Subsequently, the responsibility for individual actions/activities related to PA is dependent on what aspects of analysis are to be used, who is the recipient of the data/video/presentation, when in the relationship between analyst and coach the activities are developed and when in the match-play process they are carried out.
Citation
Mulvenna, C., Bloyce, D., Twist, C., & Thomson, E. (2024). "I code as much as I can because you never know what they might ask for”. The role of the coach in Performance Analysis: The view of the analyst. International Journal of Sports Science & Coaching, 19(6), 2345-2355. https://doi.org/10.1177/17479541241270426
Publisher
SAGE Publications
Journal
International Journal of Sports Science & Coaching
Research Unit
URI
http://hdl.handle.net/10034/628932
DOI
10.1177/17479541241270426
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PubMed Central ID
Type
Article
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Description
This document is the Accepted Manuscript version of a published work that appeared in final form in [International journal of Sports Science & Coaching]. To access the final edited and published work see http://dx.doi.org/10.1177/17479541241270426
Series/Report no.
ISSN
1747-9541
EISSN
2048-397X
ISBN
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Additional Links
https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/full/10.1177/17479541241270426