Monthly Archives : March 2014

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The 800 Pound Gorilla(s) of Aussie Sport

March 26, 2014No Comments

Unlike Jo, I have not been lucky enough to travel to Australia and to explore the continent. As a result, my direct exposure to Aussie sport is extremely limited. Having worked with the RFL in the UK, I’m aware of how big a part of Aussie sport NRL is. From…

Man Utd rule out genetic profiles for their players

Manchester United have ruled out commissioning genetic profiles of their players on ethical grounds, it can be disclosed. Writes MARTYN ZIEGLER in Independent.ie – PUBLISHED 18 MARCH 2014 Two unnamed Premier League clubs have been revealed as having ordered the DNA data on their senior and junior players to flag…

Interview: Ian McKeown PhD

Welcome to Sports Discovery and our first blog interview, with Dr Ian McKeown who works in AFL as Head of Athletic Development at Port Adelaide Power. Ian completed his PhD in 2013 through the AIS and University of Canberra entitled “Power development and movement ability in junior athletes” and we worked together…

Inside the GPS Unit

As many articles in this blog will discuss GPS technology, let’s start with the basics…   Most practitioners, especially those working in team sports, are exposed to GPS technology.  It can seem like a little black box that spits out streams of data; data which we are expected to translate…

Inside Rugby League: Sport and science are braced for a collision

Kevin Sinfield who has had knocks to the head playing for Leeds Rhinos. PIC: Tony Johnson     Author: Peter Smyth Published on 13th March 2014  EVERYONE LIKES to see a big hit. A defender flattening the ball carrier in a huge tackle is as much a part of rugby league as a…

How computer analysts took over at Britain’s top football clubs

How long before we look at football not as a contest between 22 players, but as a battle between the brain trusts on the two benches? Manchester City has 11 people analysing players’ data, but will a tech-driven statistical approach squeeze out intuition? Tim Lewis The Observer, Sunday 9 March 2014 Photograph: Steve…

Monitoring with GPS: Time to Slow Down?

        Team Solutions for GPS monitoring in sports first became available approximately ~15 years ago and have evolved rapidly in recent seasons. Nowadays, it has become almost inconceivable that a professional outfit does not possess “a set of units” to monitor distances travelled at various speeds, despite…

Brian O’Driscoll: Some journey, Some man

  Author: Gerry Thornley Saturday 1st March 2014 As he prepares for his final home Test next weekend, Ireland’s greatest reflects on his career, family and what the future holds He answers the phone to give directions to his house and explains that he’s in the middle of changing Sadie’s…

Science and engineering of the Olympic Winter Games 2014

The National Science Foundation has partnered with NBC Learn (the educational arm of NBC News) to release the “Science and Engineering of the 2014 Olympic Winter Games“-the latest installment in the Emmy Award-winning “Science of Sports” series. This enlightening 10-part video collection, narrated by NBC Sports’ Liam McHugh, delves into…