Statzpack are mentioned in this news piece in the LA Times (you can read the article in full here http://articles.latimes.com/2012/sep/22/sports/la-sp-baxter-soccer-20120923).

More statistics are being brought into the sport worldwide, but not many know what to do with them.

Westside Timbers take Statzpack to the Oswego Nike Cup

The Westside Timbers (formerly Metros) are a soccer club based in Beaverton, Oregon.  Founded in 1983, Westside Timbers, is a premier club, providing exceptional soccer programs for players aged 7-18.

In the past week their U11 Copa team attended the Oswego Nike Cup, held just south of Portland home to the new kids on the MLS block Portland Timbers.

One of the player’s fathers who travelled with the team, Philippe Thuillier, signed up to a FREE Trial on Statzpack and recorded the stats for their U11 Copa team for their 5 games held over 3 days – with a W3D1L1 standing, scoring a massive 29 goals and conceding just 7.  In just 2 weeks the team has recorded 10 games over 2 tournaments!

Here are the 5 Game summary pages produced by the team at the tournament.

1. Vs. RPSC 0-2
2. Vs. BSC Portland Black 3-3
3. Vs. Willamette United Arsenal White 8-0
4. Vs. OSA Forza 4-1
5. Vs. CRFCA Barcelona 14-1

We’d like to thank Philippe and the Timbers club for their permission to publish this short case.

We are pleased to announce that you can now download the Android version of our App in the Amazon Appstore, making it convinient for regular visitors to the Amazon website to get hold of the App, still at no charge.

Go to Amazon.com to download the App today.

This weekend we will find out who will win the UEFA 2012 European Championships.

Whatever playing style or formation is chosen it’s pretty certain the winning team will have developed a certain team culture around sustained ‘Excellence’.   The desire to create a culture would have been initiated and nurtured by the team’s Head Coach (often described in the UK as ‘Manager’).  Is it important to develop a Culture?   Patrick Lencioni in his research identified the Five Dysfunctions of a Team. You may want to use the simple questionnaire he devised here to establish how functional/dysfunctional your team, check out the video  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6dRKa700RaQ

He identified these characteristics of winning teams
1. They trust one another.
2. They engage in unfiltered conflict around ideas.
3. They commit to decisions and plans of actions.
4. They hold one another accountable for delivering against those plans.
5. They focus on the achievement of collective results.

Sir Alex Ferguson in this video here reemphasizes similar points here http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_7YmvCbbbIg

This is a case study on how Egypt has dominated soccer in Africa by creating a culture of excellence http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n5Qvrxn1L14

To develop a healthy team culture the coach must recognize his or her strengths and weaknesses as outlined in these clips from Arsene Wenger and Roy Hodgson

http://www.uefa.com/uefachampionsleague/news/newsid=1800889.html?rss=1800889+The+Coaches:+episode+seven

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YtlKTgdesOs&feature=plcp

Howard Wilkinson, former FA Technical Director and LMA Chairman poses these questions to the hypothetical manager, Jason, of the team created for the Scenarios for this course

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lkFzuT2Lv10&feature=plcp

The English League Managers Association (LMA) in 2010 launched an online course ‘Creating a Culture of Excellence’ involves 6 modules:
1. Increasing your awareness of ‘What is a Culture of Excellence’
2. Reflecting on your own Strengths and Weaknesses
3. Developing a set of values that define you
4. Establishing realistic objectives
5. Knowing how to achieve these objectives
6. Improving your communication

The course was recognized by UEFA and the Football Associations of England, Scotland, Holland and Iceland for the retention of UEFA Coaching Awards. In the first two years since the launch, over 1,000 coaches from 35 countries have enrolled including at least one coach on to the course from 60% of Premier League and Football League clubs in England

(Courtesy of Robin Russell, Sportspath)

Statzpack are proud to announce a partnership with SELECT Soccer in the US.   

SELECT Sport is one of the world’s leading manufacturers of hand-sewn balls and produces approx. 2 million balls a year. SELECT Sport is recognised as an innovator in quality.   In 1951, the company founder Eigil Nielsen introduced the world’s first laceless football, and introduced further innovations, such as the first 32-panel ball in 1952 and the first waterproof football in 1964.  All features we take for granted today.  

Scott Williams, US Director of Sales said “We are pleased to be able to work with Statzpack.  Our partnership will allow us to provide even more value to our customers.”

As a basis of our partnership Statzpack will offer Select customers preferential offers on use of our stats collection system.   The Statzpack system allows soccer coaches to track and record player and team stats as the game is played, and get instant analysis and reports, that can be shared with fans, parents and administrators.  Teams have the choice of an Apple App (for iPhone & iPad) and an Android App, that operates on over 400 smartphones and tablets.  Our customers include high school, college, academy and soccer schools.

For more information about SELECT Sports visit http://www.selectsportamerica.com.

It all starts today!  It is helpful to review previous Euros and International Tournaments together as the number of games played in any single tournament may not provide a sample which is representative.

Looking at the Euros from 2008 along with the FIFA World Cup of 2006 and 2010 certain trends become apparent with regard to the first goal scored

In 2008 the team scoring the first goal had a 76% chance of winning the game and an 88% chance of avoiding losing

How did this compare with other tournaments and what were the characteristics of these ‘first goals’? 

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Jay Williams is a Professor of Exercise Science in the Department of Human Nutrition, Foods and Exercise at Virginia Tech. He teaches undergraduate and graduate courses in exercise physiology, kinesiology and muscle biochemistry. His research focuses on the responses and adaptations of muscle to activity, inactivity and disease. He also has a long history of working with athletes ranging from kindergarten soccer players to Olympic tracks and field athletes.

He runs a great blog  http://www.scienceofsocceronline.com/

Two years ago he published ‘The SCIENCE behind Soccer Nutrition’ and he has just published a follow up: The SCIENCE Behind Soccer Nutrition: Training Journal

The SCIENCE Behind Soccer Nutrition gives you the “whys” about diet and performance and provides a broad set of guidelines for eating a solid diet.    The Diet and Training Journal is a bit different.  It is designed as a tool, as a way to promote changes in nutritional habits that will instill a solid diet.  In short, this journal encourages you to examine how you prepare for a match and to take ownership of your diet and training.  By recording and reflecting on nutritional selections and performance, you will be able to raise your game to the next level.

 The Diet and Training Journal chapters include instructions on why and how to keep a diet and training journal as well as detailed information on nutritional choices:

- Why Keep a Journal?

- Making Solid Selections

- How to Keep a Journal

Also included are 12 weeks of daily journal pages – one page for each day plus a weekly reflection page.  Match-day pages are also included so that you can reflect on your match performance. Both books are available for less than $10 (£6) for further details click  here

We have a new version of our Apple iTunes App available to download.   We have made a few tiny tweaks and a name change to Statzpack Soccer.

This is NOT an update to the current Statzpack app.  It is a NEW app, with the exact same functions as the past one. 

To download it follow this link and it will open iTunes, http://itunes.com/apps/statzpack-soccer 

For a smooth transition, make sure if when you switch from the previous App to this one do the following:

1. Login and logout of your current App first.

2. Delete the current App.

3. Install the Statzpack Soccer App and log in as usual.

Guidelines to using Statzpack      

First off, if you dislike reading and prefer viewing there are tutorial videos available on each of stages are on Youtube.  Watch a couple and hear our very own Jenny, the voice of Statzpack.

SIGN UP.  First step is to sign-up to Statzpack as a Free Trial user here:  http://www.statzpack.com/soccer_web/soccer/amember/signup.php 

ORGANISATION NAME.  As you sign up when you enter your Organisation Name, use the name of your club, for example ‘Beach FC’ or  ‘Jersey United’.  Do not use for example ‘Beach FC U16 Boys’.  You can add team details later on.

SETTING UP:  After you log into Statzpack, the first thing to do is go to Team Management and add your team and player details. 

Team Level:  Teams level names are based on their level or age, for example ‘U18 Colts’.  The Team Levels are based on gender, so there is no need to add the sex of the team in the name of the Team Level, so for example if your Team Level is a girls team, there is no need to add this, for example do not add ‘U18 Colts Girls’.  The system will note that this is a female team throughout and name it accordingly.   Nor should they be named based on the year  – say 2012, or a campaign.

Adding a Campaign:  A Campaign refers to a string of related games, for example ‘Spring Season’, ‘North County League Fall 2012’ or ‘Invitational Tournament’. 

Adding Players:  This is where you add your players.  When adding your players they must be assigned to a single team.  You can add one at a time, or import a list in .csv file format.
If you get fed up with this process, email us at players@statzpack.com, attaching the player details in any format.

Adding a Game:   You cannot add a game on the website without adding the previous data.  At this stage simply follow the drop down options, adding the game date, time, opposition name and your team selection.

What stats to record?  You can record any action/stat you want, and you can make your own set of action, into a Custom Set.  For your first game stick with our ‘Default’ set.
 
You can edit this game data before a game on the website and the app.   GETTING THE APP.  Depending on what device (iPad etc) you choose to use, the Statzpack app is free to download.

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