Use and application of wearable technology in football further education settings in the UK

Tierney, Peter and Clarke, Neil and Roberts, Simon (2024) Use and application of wearable technology in football further education settings in the UK. Sport, Education and Society. pp. 1-14. ISSN 1357-3322

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Abstract

The increase in the number of football-specific industry-related qualifications offered by the post-16 education sector has grown exponentially in recent years. Due to technological advancements and access to enhanced equipment, these courses tend to include wearable technology in their curricular to support student cohorts understanding of specific internal and external load patterns. Despite these technological and education developments, there is a dearth of pedagogic research on the application of various wearable technology in post-16 football education. Using a mixed-method research design, we established the type of technology, and how it is being employed across a range of post-16 educational settings. Survey responses suggested that Global Positioning System (GPS) vests and heart rate chest strap were the most prominent wearable technology. Qualitative findings suggested that there are pedagogic challenges and barriers to using this kind of technology, a lack of understanding, and poor feedback and communication strategies. Having established some preliminary findings, a series of 1–1 interviews with identified practitioners working in post-16 educational settings explored these barriers and challenges within contextualised settings in more depth. The results identified disconnect between coaching performance and coaching education, suggesting a lack of knowledge surrounding the uses and capabilities of wearable technology used in football-related FE settings. These findings can help sport, academia and the technology industry to better align and understand in order to meet the educational needs of students seeking to enter a career in sports such as football that use wearable technology.

Item Type:	Article
Identification Number:	10.1080/13573322.2024.2404896
Dates:	Date Event 10 September 2024 Accepted 20 September 2024 Published Online
Uncontrolled Keywords:	Further education, wearable, technology, football, education
Subjects:	CAH03 - biological and sport sciences > CAH03-02 - sport and exercise sciences > CAH03-02-01 - sport and exercise sciences
Divisions:	Faculty of Health, Education and Life Sciences > College of Life Sciences
Depositing User:	Gemma Tonks
Date Deposited:	05 Feb 2025 10:34
Last Modified:	05 Feb 2025 10:34
URI:	https://www.open-access.bcu.ac.uk/id/eprint/16121

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