In the field of football training and development, the pursuit of excellence is ceaseless. As the sport evolves, so too must the methods of training and player development. In this article, we explore how Wisesport is revolutionizing football training at Eerikkilä National Training Center and beyond. The fully automated analytics platform empowers coaches and players with real-time insights and data-driven strategies.
Eerikkilä National Training Center in Finland is renowned for its role in nurturing young football talent with hundreds of played matches a year. With a commitment to progress, Eerikkilä has embraced data-driven approaches to elevate player performance and refine coaching methodologies. The integration of Wisesport’s fully automated real-time sports analytics platform into the training center’s arsenal represents a significant leap forward in the quest for better coaching and sports development.
Data and facts for knowledge-based management
Erkki Valla, the Director of Training at Eerikkilä, finds the impact of advanced sports analytics on football training transformative. In his job, he routinely uses the Wisesport analytics platform to help the training center’s partner clubs excel. At this point, the platform has been used there in over 1500 games.
In Eerikkilä, every junior team regularly receives valuable data-based support. “The key is to provide data and facts about the game for knowledge-based management. We use Wisesport a lot for this purpose,” Valla says. “In all our events, we offer every team 45 minutes of operations management, where we review the team’s play in that event. For this, we use Wisesport’s downloadable PDF reports, shot statistics and player movement data like traveled distance and speed zones.”
Match videos provided by Wisesport are also a crucial part of this work. “For instance, we can examine how a goal was scored or prevented. It is quick and easy to find the important parts such as shots and goals,” Valla says. The Wiseplayer video feature automatically tags relevant game events that one can simply watch or share with others as a video playlist.
Eerikkilä has been an important partner in the development of the Wisesport analytics platform since 2020. Erkki Valla expresses his gratitude for the collaboration. Whenever there have been challenges, like improving the accuracy of shot detection, there has also been progress.
Valla’s example shows how real-time data enhances training methodologies and drives player development. From providing real-time insights during matches to enabling comprehensive post-match analysis, Wisesport empowers coaches to make informed decisions and optimize player performance.
Cutting-edge analytics automatically and in real time
Wisesport offers a comprehensive platform for fully automated real-time sports analytics. The platform provides coaches and players with invaluable insights into performance metrics. These vary from game events such as shots, goals, and passes to more advanced statistics like expected goals (xG) and other tactical data.
Leveraging cutting-edge tracking technology, the system collects accurate positioning data from players and the ball during games and training sessions with tracking chips. The data is processed in a cloud environment automatically and in real time. Because of the advanced automation, all statistics are available and visualized instantly during the match, which is a great advantage over other analytics platforms.
Useful statistics and video for training juniors
Jouko Turunen is a dedicated director of coaching and coach working with U8–U15 boys of the Ilves football club. The Wisesport platform is one of his key instruments.
“I have often used Wisesport’s data about ball contests, offensive zone time, shots and shot maps, high intensity runs, forward pass distance, and traveled distance while controlling the ball,” Turunen says. He finds the Wiseplayer video feature useful as well. He watches certain events such as goals and shots from automatically tagged events.
Turunen is also looking forward to better tagging tools to mark game events and situations on video. He is in luck: Wisesport has already launched a flexible video tagger tool for the Wisehockey hockey analytics platform, and a similar feature for football is already in the demo phase.
Wisesport is now part of everyday routines
Eerikkilä’s officials who operate the Wisesport analytics system during match days attest to its ease of use. Providing a comprehensive set of visualized statistics and match videos, Wisesport streamlines the coaching process, enabling coaches to focus on what they do best—developing talent and refining strategies.
Operating the analytics platform is simple. All players are wearing individual tracking chips attached to a vest. The chip itself is the size of a coin and weighs only six grams. There is also a similar chip inserted safely into the ball.
“When the tracking chips and the chipped balls are okay, our work mostly consists of sitting and watching,” one of the officials chuckles.
Using the platform on a daily basis, Eerikkilä staff is also used to complications. “The success of using this platform also depends on the users themselves. One may be subject to human error, for example, by failing to assign the chips to the correct players in the system. Fortunately, the Wisesport support team is always available to assist remotely,” one member of the team remarks.
Take your game to the next level
The benefits of Wisesport extend beyond individual training centers to encompass sports organizations, leagues, and coaches at large. By offering unparalleled insights into player performance and strategic analysis, Wisesport enhances decision-making processes and elevates team performance. With Wisesport, success on the field becomes not just a goal but a game-changing reality.
To sports organizations, leagues, and coaches seeking to unlock the full potential of their teams, we offer an effortless solution. Take sports training and development to the next level with Wisesport – contact us.
