Football Science and Performance

About the group

The Football Science and Performance Research Group emerges out of the BSc (Hons) Football Studies and MSc Football Science courses. One of the core objectives of this group is to identify and develop real-world research that is relevant within the dynamic football industry domain.

The Football Science and Performance Research Group aims to align each individual staff strengths, to produce contemporary research. We employ a collaborative approach to the development of research opportunities and projects, involving members of staff across our Football provision.

One of our targets is to enable and support staff to publish relevant research as first author and develop collaborative networks to produce research-related activities, including publications, funding applications and provision of relevant workshops/symposiums, and to host an annual conference focused on the latest research in football science.

This will create a database of relevant research to course development and underpins our research led teaching approach, providing first-hand research to Solent University stakeholders. The published research will align to Solent’s Human Function and Health, and Social Research and Policy research themes.

Each key theme is also relevant to the curriculum, providing opportunities for students’ development through research (eg, to investigate relative age effect and biobanding, as part of the contents for Elite Youth Development; and the constraint-led approach for Applied Coaching in Football). We seek to include students in the different themes, as per individual preferences and under specialised staff guidance. The aim being to introduce and develop understanding of research, which may include joint publication with students, placing them at the forefront of employability upon completion of their degrees, and potentially the attainment of postgraduate opportunities.

Regarding the community, we will work collaboratively with other areas and disciplines within Solent University to strengthen the long relationship with Southampton Football Club, by providing new opportunities to contemporary research, relevant to their academy and aligned with the Club’s ethos - in particular, the development of research based on ecological dynamics. This is a strength of Solent University football staff, that aims to create research projects through funding opportunities, bridging the need for Southampton FC’s coaching staff with Solent’s lecturing team, and increasing the visibility of our own team into the sports science scientific community.

We will provide opportunities for staff to develop their own research ideas, collaborating with other UK universities, and potentially creating international links with work placements and staff visits, to increase Solent’s visibility worldwide and recruit new international students.

External partners

• Southampton Football Club
• Professional Football Scouts Association
• Hampshire Football Association
• Professional Football Clubs – English Football League
• England Futsal

Current projects

• Performance Demands in Football
• Coaches’ and Players’ perceptions of training and match performance 
• Long-Term Periodisation of Game-Related Activities
• Evaluation of The Elite Player Performance Plan (EPPP)
• Analysis of the Post-16 Football Academies
• Women in Football: Exploring 'lone woman' coach's experiences and opportunities in male football settings
• “The Chat Club” implications to Higher Education
• Set pieces performance analysis of international football competitions
• Relative Age Effects on different geographics
• Supporting the development of female students as future leaders in football
• Solent Futsal Series
• Attribution Retraining in Sport: a pilot study with Solent University Futsal
• Testing the validity of 360° footage for visual-perceptual training of goalkeepers during penalty kick
• Research into the difference between male and female footballers' psychological experiences and access
• Analysis of the main football competitions: FIFA World Cup, UEFA European Championship, UEFA Champions League

Postgraduate areas

• Ecological dynamics
• Constraints manipulation in the training environment
• Relative age effect on football performance
• Bio-banding and skill-banding
• Football periodisation
• Long-term player development
• Coaching and players perceptions on training environment
• Key performance indicators for performance analysis
• Female coaching pathway – barriers and challenges to development
• Female participation in football
• Futsal development in England
• The impact of the post-16 football development programs to education and work progression
• Futsal development
• Disability football