Information Technology in Football Development - Essay Example

Having an understanding on what football players did in a football match, and planning on how to train the players always rested on the views of the football manager and his assistants. The various choices that these football managers made, was based on their instincts, and personal experiences. In the current years, scientific knowledge has managed to increase, and this helps in monitoring the activities of players in a football match. Football stadiums are now fitted with highly sophisticated cameras that have the capability of tracking the activities done by the 22 footballers on the playing ground (Bruce, Hilvert and Bruce, 2005). From the images caught by these cameras, experts have the capability of analyzing and measuring the running, jogging, walking and sprinting of football players in the pitch. It is important to understand that most of the 10-12 km that players normally cover in a football pitch is always low density activity, which includes jogging and walking. On the other hand, running and sprints make up a lesser of the total activity of the football players in the pitch. These are the most important activities of the players, because key activities of the game are always fulfilled when players are moving at a speed. It is important to understand that these technological gadgets also have the capability of capturing the specific skills of players (Bruce, Hilvert and Bruce, 2005). However, these skills are less important because players on most occasions spend their time trying to win the ball, or pass it over to their colleagues. These technologies are not only useful in monitoring the activities of players in the football pitch, but they can also be used in the day to day training of football players. Technological innovations like the global positioning systems help managers to identify the type and amount training that an individual player needs to accomplish (Bruce, Hilvert and Bruce, 2005). That is between their various football matches. The heart rate monitor is also an important technological gadget that football managers normally use, to monitor the heart rate of a particular player, and hence identify a particular type of training that is needed. Most football managers use the GPS system to indentify the various types of physical movements that training managers should include in their training manuals. The GPS system helps managers to have a view on the number of accelerations, decelerations, and the changes in the changes of direction that players normally complete. On the other hand, heart rate monitors are able to depict how a player’s body will respond to particular movements as a result of the trainings that players are engaged in (Tran and Finch, 2014). This is of actual important to foot managers, and this is because training sessions that are very hard, will automatically reduce the energy level of players, making them to be effective in the subsequent games that the football club will engage in. It is important to understand that almost all leading football managers in Spain, France and England normally use these information technological gadgets. Examples of clubs that have employed their use include Manchester United, Barcelona, Real Madrid, Manchester City, and even Chelsea (Tran and Finch, 2014). Winning matches is also of very great importance to football managers, and this is because it improves their image, as well as secures their jobs. Information technology is not only used for improving the performances of players, it can also be used by the managers to identify a number of players playing their trade in the world, and the progress of the football club competitors. For example, football managers can use the internet to search on the profile of leading strikers, or even defenders, in a bid to look for players who can strengthen their squad, or even replace their non performing players (Leong, 2013). There are a number of football websites that football managers normally use, and this includes websites such as the midfield dynamo, vital football, off side, etc. These websites contain a lot of information concerning football clubs, player’s profile, foot ball transfers, and any latest information regarding football. Managers normally use such kind of websites to track and get information regarding certain players that they are interested in (Tran and Finch, 2014). Famous coaches such as Jose Mourinho, Alex Ferguson, Carlos Ancelloti, and Fabio Cappello have relied on the internet in gathering information concerning their players, and other leading players in various clubs of the world. The internet is not only used by foot managers for purposes of looking for the profile of players, or even competing teams (Ross, 2012). It is also used as a source of gathering information on emerging managerial and coaching styles. An example of a coaching website that most junior level English premier managers normally use is the coaching manual, its domain name is; www.thecoachingmanual.com/. These sites normally help to improve the coaching skills of football managers, and hence they are very useful in improving the overall performance of a football team. Information Technology is also used to facilitate effective communication between players and managers of a football team (Fridell, 2009). Information technology tools such as online chats, email and documentations, instant messaging facilities would help a manager to communicate important information to his players. It is important to understand that the instant messaging system is useful to manager and players, and this is because it reduces communication time, as well as increasing the efficiency in the manner in which communication occurs. This types of messaging system can be used to give information regarding the time of training sessions, the type of training activities that players would have to conduct, and what the manager requires of the players (Jin, 2013). Effective communication is a very important factor in determining whether a manager is able to be successful in managing a football team. Take for instance the experiences of Carlos Ancelloti while managing Chelsea in the year 2009 (Jin, 2013). The manager was unsuccessful in managing the club, and this is because he was unable to connect with most players of the club. This is partly because players accused his managerial style as being dictatorial, and lack of efficient communication with players. Due to his experiences at the club, Carlo Ancelloti is quoted as saying that the key to a better performance as a manager is on how to handle players of a clu Fuss (Fuss, 2014). This includes initiating an efficient flow of communication, through the tools of information technology. It is important to denote that managers of a football team can also use information technology to manage their first, reserve and youth teams (Dellaserra, Gao and Ransdell, 2014). Almost all football clubs in Europe have a first, reserve and a youth team. For example, Barcelona has a football academy whereby it develops its talents, and uses the talents to feed the first team. A good example of a player who emerged from the youth academy of Barcelona is Lionel Messi, a former world football player (Tran and Finch, 2014). The football striker is one of the best in the world, and this is thanks to the football academy of Barcelona. Clubs such as Chelsea, Manchester United, Liverpool, Ac Milan, Inter Milan, etc also have reserve teams, and youth academies (Lowrance, Hayt, Hayt and Terrell, 2005). To effectively manage these teams, there is a need of an information database that is regularly updated for purposes of creating the profiles of players. This is useful to managers, and this is because they will have the capability of making short and long term plans for the club, based on the analysis of the performances of the players under consideration (Tomecek, 2010). These profiles will help a manager to identify a player who has greatly improved, and deserves to be in the first team, and a player who is struggling, and his position needs to be replaced (Dellaserra, Gao and Ransdell, 2014). Training coaches normally use the tools of information technology to record and upload data on the progress of a player, and their attributes. Based on this type of information, managers will choose players who need to play in certain matches, and players who should not play in certain matches. On this basis, information technology plays a great role in helping managers to identify talent, and players whose contracts need to be improved, or even revoked. It is important to denote that the future role of information technology is changing. There are advances in the field of information technology regarding the use of software’s in managing football clubs and players. For instance, English football clubs use software referred to as Amisco, for purposes of analyzing the performances of the football club as a whole, and that of players. For instance, in 1999, Manchester United was the first club to use the software developed Amisco, the software developed by Prozone for purposes of analyzing various matches and that of the performances of its players (Fan, 2014). Other clubs that uses this software includes Barcelona, Chelsea, Manchester City, etc. The technology provided by Prozone has the capability of tracking the performances of players, and this includes their runs, shoots on goals, skills displayed on a match, etc. This type of technology is very useful to football managers, and this is because it provides an idea on the quality of their players and on the areas that they need to improve on, for purposes of winning games and matches. The Prozone technology is not only used in football matches, but it is also used in Rugby matches, and other ball games. On this basis, a situation is going to arise whereby information technology will be used by football managers in trying to depict the behavior of players in regard to matches. For instance, after using the Prozone technology to analyze the capability of players, managers would use the same technology to analyze the capability of their opposing players, and hence develop a set of predictions that opposing players might try to behave in certain circumstances, when they are on the pitch (Liebowitz, 1999). This is for purposes of preventing these players from scoring, or getting balls to their opponents. Another future use of information technology by manager is the development of computer software that will have the capability of automatically searching for the profiles of all players in the world, their playing histories, their skills and capabilities (Tomecek, 2010). This computer software would work as the internet search engine Google, whereby all that a manager needs to do, is to type the kind of skills required, after which the profiles of all players possessing the skill under consideration will be placed on the site (Liebowitz, 1999). This type of software will make it easier for football managers to monitor their target players, as well as find the necessary skills needed to boost their squad, as well as replace their players who do not possess the necessary skills needed by the managers (Tran and Finch, 2014). In conclusion, information technology is a very important tools that football managers must use, in order to achieve success in the manner in which they manage their clubs. Information technology helps football managers to make crucial decisions that are of utmost importance to the club. For example, the decision to field a certain player rests on the physical ability of the player under consideration. This physical ability is measured through theb use of heart rate monitors and the GPS systems that managers normally use in the training sessions. Information Technology also plays a great role in determining the type of exercises that players of a club should conduct. Just as noted earlier, heavy exercises might impact negatively to the players, resulting to a loss of energy and stamina in their next games. On this basis, information technology plays a great role in helping a team manager avoid the loss of stamina for his players. It is therefore important for all team managers to embrace the use of information technology, while managing their teams. Bibliography: Bruce, L., Hilvert, J., & Bruce, A. (2005). Sports technology. South Yarra, Vic.: Macmillan Library. Dellaserra, C. L., Gao, Y., & Ransdell, L. (2014). Use of Integrated Technology in Team Sports. Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research, 28(2), 556-573. Fan, C. (2014). Biomechanical Study of Jump Ability for Aerobics Sports Based on Single Chip Technology. Applied Mechanics and Materials, 484-485, 408-412. Fridell, R. (2009). Sports technology. Minneapolis, Minn.: Lerner Publications. Fuss, F. (2014). Routledge handbook of sports technology and engineering. 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