What do athlete's really think? Athlete perceptions and attitudes towards athlete monitoring in professional soccer

Woolmer, Elliott and Morris, Rhys and Noon, Mark and Tallis, Jason and Clarke, Neil and Eyre, Emma (2025) What do athlete's really think? Athlete perceptions and attitudes towards athlete monitoring in professional soccer. International Journal of Sports Science & Coaching. ISSN 1747-9541

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Abstract

Over the past 20 years, monitoring in soccer has become increasingly popular for managing training loads, preventing injuries, and optimizing performance. However, implementing sophisticated systems demands substantial investment in equipment, staff training, and athlete time. The present study aimed to evaluate player's perceptions around a comprehensive athlete monitoring programme used within a professional English men's soccer team. A mixed-methods sequential explanatory design was employed across two phases. In Phase one, 20 professional male soccer players completed a ‘Modified Athlete Attitudes and Beliefs Questionnaire’. The results from Phase 1 informed Phase 2, where a subset of participants (n = 10) engaged in semi-structured interviews to gain deeper insights into their attitudes and perceptions of athlete monitoring. Analysis revealed that GPS monitoring was the most favoured tool, while power monitoring (countermovement jump; CMJ) was the least preferred. Thematic analysis of interview data identified an overall theme of importance, broken down into four key themes: education, feedback, adjustment period, and specific monitoring tools. To enhance athlete engagement, practitioners should emphasize the relevance of each monitoring strategy to the athletes’ performance. Streamlining monitoring strategies and providing more comprehensive feedback can foster greater athlete buy-in and adherence to monitoring programmes.

Item Type:	Article
Identification Number:	10.1177/17479541251318846
Dates:	Date Event 22 January 2025 Accepted 24 February 2025 Published Online
Uncontrolled Keywords:	Association football, feedback, global positioning system, power, saliva testing, wellness
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:	04 Mar 2025 14:31
Last Modified:	04 Mar 2025 14:31
URI:	https://www.open-access.bcu.ac.uk/id/eprint/16197

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