ATLANTA, Sept. 12, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- In a first for Major League Soccer (MLS), Atlanta United FC has partnered with sports technology company PlayerMaker to boost player and team development with a focus on their academy. Atlanta United is one of the most respected teams in the MLS, having been the most recent winner of the MLS Cup, U.S. Open Cup, and Campeones Cup.
The PlayerMaker device collects datapoints based on a discrete boot-mounted gyroscope and accelerometer, which are then processed in the cloud and analyzed against the largest dataset of football movements in the world. The system then creates dashboards to highlight technical, tactical and physical indicators for evaluation by players, coaches, managers and even scouts.
With Atlanta United paving the way for other MLS clubs, they have identified and implemented new innovative methods for using the technology that have not yet been applied by any other team around the world. The academy team will be benchmarking indicators such as pace, pass completion, ball touches (by right/left foot), and passing network across individual positions, comparing like for like against the first team to highlight where special attention is needed. This training technique is only possible through the analysis of the various indicators that the PlayerMaker device highlights and is likely to be mirrored by other clubs worldwide.
Tony Annan, Academy Director at Atlanta United FC said, "The PlayerMaker system has given us tremendous insight into the performance of our players, and the ability to benchmark their metrics against our first team allows us to zero in on specific areas for improvement. Some of the players were initially skeptical of wearing a device on their boots, but they simply don't notice it - there has been no interference with our training, and the results are already showing in individual and team performance."
Gal Barak, General Manager, Americas at PlayerMaker said, "The ingenuity shown by the coaches at Atlanta United is impressive. Utilizing our device in this way will go a long way to demonstrate to players where they need to focus their attention to prepare themselves to move to the first team. This sort of resourcefulness is what stands out when working with teams such as Atlanta United."
PlayerMaker and Atlanta United FC have created this video based on their work together, which demonstrates the ways in which the academy are using the device.
About PlayerMaker
PlayerMaker is a sports technology company revolutionizing the way football teams use data. Utilizing cutting-edge motion sensors and advanced machine learning algorithms, their device tracks all technical, tactical, biomechanical and physical movement on and off the ball, giving managers and coaches a granular understanding of their players' and team's performance. Used by elite level clubs worldwide, the PlayerMaker device delivers a competitive advantage to some of the most forward-thinking coaches. To find out more, visit www.playermaker.com.
