In latter 2010 Statzpack commissioned the Sports Academy at the University of Ulster to carry out a joint research project with the NSCAA (National Soccer Coaches Association of America).  The research focussed on the use and value of collecting stats in soccer coaching to the membership of the largest coaching organisation in the world.  The research was led by Dr Michael Hanlon. 

Key Findings

Some of the key summary findings are as follows:

• The project surveyed the 30,000 soccer coach membership base of the NSCAA
• 1007 US soccer coaches from the Youth, High-school and College levels completed the questionnaire.
• 61% of those surveyed stated that the recording, analysing and using of team or player statistics was of significant-major importance on player development
• Almost 75% of those coaches recording stats rely on pen and paper
• In general older coaches have a more favourable view on collecting stats.
• The most commonly tracked game features were goals and assists, shots on/off target, corner kicks, cards and goalkeeper actions

Soccer Teamwork Read More

I wanted to share an article I came across that details who must be the grandaddy of soccer analysis, Charles Reep.  As we use modern technology to help coaches and players improve their game, we are certainly not new to the task of recording stats.   Reep started to carry out match analysis in 1950 (long before many of us were born) and centrally believed that most goals were produced within 3-5 passes/moves.

“Not all revolutionaries are fondly remembered. Barney Ronay examines the controversial legacy of Charles Reep, football’s first tactical statistician.  Published in June 2003 in When Saturday Comes - which in itself is a fantastic journal for all things soccer related (be warned – visit that site and prepare to see an hour of your day leave you…)

Soccer Analyst

Wing Commander Charles Reep has been called many things. Twenty years ago the Times dubbed him “The Human Computer of the Fabled Fifties”; an obituary described him more simply as “a football ana­lyst”; while a slightly empurpled Brian Glanville once declared him a member of FA coaching director Char­les Hughes’s “band of believers and acolytes”, the arch­angel of “a fanatical credo, a pseudo-religion”.

Few figures in English football history have attract­ed as much vitriol or as much ideological zeal. The loth­ario of the long ball, Reep has remained unfathomably seductive to a roll-call of many of the most influential coaching figures in post-war domestic football. He is the national game’s deep dark secret; we know he’s bad for us, but we just can’t help ourselves.” 

Read the full article here.

Tracking a set of custom stats (or as we refer to them custom actions) allows you to build your own tailored set of stats for your players.  Statzpack lets you track a regular set of soccer stats – like goals, free-kicks, corners etc; but you can go further than this and record more performance analysis data.  When you add a game on the website you can opt to create your own set of custom actions.  We have built in a set of Default actions, but if you don’t want to track these then that’s no problem.  As you add a game just below the soccer field where you select your line-up you will see an option to create a custom set of stats. 

You can also make an action set that combines a mixture of default stats and your custom actions – say for example Goal/Attempt on Goal/Free-kick & Custom #1/Custom 2.  Make sure when add a set that you include Goal if you want to keep a score, or Substitute if you need to field different players.

You choose the soccer stats coach

 If you opt to add a new set of actions select the ‘Create New Set’ button. We’ve added a new set called Evaluation.   When you add a new set, you also be able to see every other custom stat statzpack users have added (Pre Defined Custom Actions) .

Read More

You can earn some cash by becoming an advertising affiliate for Statzpack.

We have an excellent product and provide A+ customer service to our clients on a global basis.  Our customers include schools, colleges, soccer clubs, scouts and leagues.   Whether you are an individual, a blogger, a soccer club, league or team placing our adverts on your website can generate you extra cash. 

Soccer Affiliate

We pay high commissions for the sale of our products. For every new paying customer you provide, we pay $30.  Sign up to be a Statzpack Affiliate.  If you have any specific questions send them to affiliates@statzpack.com.

In the beginning, there were no jersey numbers.  Simple.  In today’s game from the U10 youth level (or even below) to the FIFA World Cup that would seem extraordinary.  Numbering allows for better game and player management, quick identification and coach communication. Its part of the modern game.  

Though there was some use of numbering in the early 1900s, it was the English 1933 FA Cup final which is marked the real debut  of the use of shirt numbers.  Everton were numbered 1-11, and Manchester City were given the numbers 12-22.  In a strange twist, City decided to give goalkeeper number 22, and assigned the numbers in descending order.  In 1939 numbers on the back of players’ shirts became mandatory in the English Football League although many teams had used them before.

The move to a fixed number being assigned to each player in a squad was initiated for the 1954 FIFA World Cup in Switzerland, where each man in a country’s 22-man squad wore a specific number for the duration of the tournament.  Thus creating the relationship between a player and a roster number.  Previous to this the jersey number had a specific relation to the position on the pitch – the obvious being the Goalkeeper was always assigned the No 1.

Though there are differing versions of number assignment, the traditional use of the numbers in a 11 a side team (on a 5-3-2 formation and we are talking in the 1960s) went something like this:

1 = Goalkeeper
2 = Right Fullback
3 = Left Fullback
4 = Centre Half/Back
5 = Centre Half/Back
6 = Centre Half/Back
7 = Right Wing/Midfield
8 = Centre Midfield.
9 = Centre Forward
10 = Centre Forward
11 = Left Wing/Midfield

In the 1978 and 1982 FIFA World Cups Argentina decided to allocate jersey numbers on an alphabetical basis to their players. This resulted in the great playmaker Osvaldo Ardiles donning the No 1 jersey, Maradonna ended up with No 10.   Superstition

In 1993, England’s Football Association switched to persistent squad numbers, abandoning the mandatory use of 1–11 for the starting line-up.  It became standard in the FA Premier League in the 1993-94 season, with names printed above the numbers. Most European top leagues adopted the system over the next five years and today few soccer teams from 10 year old up don’t have assigned jersey numbers to players.

Fancy getting rewarded?  You can get extra time added your subscription when you refer Statzpack to a friend (or foe!).  When they sign up, you get extra time on your subscription period.

How do you do this?  Easy.  When you are logged in to the Manager website click on the Profile tab, drop down and click on Refer. From there you can invite friends by email or by facebook. Simple.

HOW  =  Log in to Statzpack, go to the PROFILE tab, select REFER and add your friends email addresses – start getting FREE Statzpack.

Any Questions?

• > Do I have to be a paying user to make a referral and get a bonus?  No.
• > Does my friend have to purchase Statzpack? No.
  > What do I get? You can very quickly add a lot of time to your subscription. If a friend signs up to an annual service you will get 2 extra months added to your subscription – even if you are only a Trial user.

To coincide with the 2011 NSCAA Annual Convention we are proud to announce the release of the latest version of Statzpack v2.0 with the following features.

• works on iPhone/iPod/iPad
• 5 -7-9-11 a side team size
• in flight game stats as you record
• revised pricing service range
• improved website dashboard analysis
• improved game scheduling interface 

So if you are a current user, or want to take a trial download the FREE Statzpack app from the iTunes store today.   Plus, this does not mean we will slowing up our development of the system.  We have much much more in the pipeline for 2011.And, if you sign up before end of January, you can avail of a 30% discount.

Statzpack will be at the NSCAA Convention at Baltimore, Md.   We are supporting an educational session on the NSCAA schedule. ‘Collecting Stats in Youth Soccer. Is there any value?’

Dynamo Select were looking for a way to track team statistics and analyze those stats post-match to develop their players and plan training sessions. The club also needed to track playing time for each individual player to ensure equal playing time for the coach, and to communicate this data to the player’s parents. Andrew Naudin is the manager of Dynamo 95-96, a Division 2, U15 boys soccer team from Houston, Texas. He came across Statzpack at the end of 2009 and hasn’t looked back.

“As well as tracking performance measures, a very simple output that the system gives us is a record of the amount of time each player has on the field. It’s calculated automatically. It’s very important for me as a coach, the players and the parents that we have this information and with Statzpack it’s all there for you, you don’t need to manually input the info, no pen and paper, or spreadsheets.” says coach Andrew.

For the 2009-2010 season, Andrew purchased an iPhone and subscribed to StatzSoccer. According to Andrew, Statzsoccer, with it’s easy to use interface and ability to customize stats collection based on Dynamo Select 95-96’s needs, made it easy to track and share data with individual players and easy to show parents stats and information on their child’s progress as a player.   

“After a few practice sessions with the App we quickly became familiar with the user interface. The support team at Statzpack dealt with all our questions, and importantly listened to our ideas for the App. With the data being sent up to the website done in the background, it was pretty cool to see the data build up on the website. We have saved hours with this system.”

Not only does StatzSoccer enable Andrew to track the teams stats live on the field, it also automatically syncs with the Statzpack.com website where the data is presented in charts and tables, making it easier for players and their parents to understand. All the tables and charts are produced for you.   With StatzSoccer each individual player can be given a login and the Dynamos intend to use this feature next season so that players can log in and see their own stats.  For Andrew and the Dynamos team, StatzSoccer not only addressed their issues regarding stats recording, the automatic syncing of the data with the website also allowed players and parents to become more involved with and gain a deeper understanding of player performance. 

So we asked Andrew what his most favorite features of Statzpack were:

1) Ability to use the product on the field in real time.
2) Records playing time for each individual player
3) Individual player login allows players to view their own stats
4) You can create custom actions, allowing him to record whatever stats they want.

Statzpack wishes the Dynamos 95-96 U15’s Div. II team the best of luck for the upcoming soccer season!

Statzpack are proud to announce ourselves as corporate members of the NSCAA - National Soccer Coaches Association of America. The largest association of coaches in the world is well known for it’s coaching education and annual national convention, attended by Statzpack in Baltimore last year.  The Soccer Journal is an official publication of the NSCAA, produced exclusively for soccer coaches. Keep your eyes peeled for Statzpack in The Soccer Journal in coming months.