Search
  • Videos
  • 5G
  • Windows 10
  • Cloud
  • Innovation
  • Security
  • Tech Pro
  • more
    • Apple
    • ZDNet Academy
    • Microsoft
    • Mobility
    • Hardware
    • Executive Guides
    • Best VPN Services
    • See All Topics
    • White Papers
    • Downloads
    • Reviews
    • Galleries
    • Videos
    • TechRepublic Forums
  • Newsletters
  • All Writers
    • Log In to ZDNET
    • Join ZDNet
    • About ZDNet
    • Preferences
    • Community
    • Newsletters
    • Log Out
  • Menu
    • Videos
    • 5G
    • Windows 10
    • Cloud
    • Innovation
    • Security
    • Tech Pro
    • Apple
    • ZDNet Academy
    • Microsoft
    • Mobility
    • Hardware
    • Executive Guides
    • Best VPN Services
    • See All Topics
    • White Papers
    • Downloads
    • Reviews
    • Galleries
    • Videos
    • TechRepublic Forums
      • Log In to ZDNET
      • Join ZDNet
      • About ZDNet
      • Preferences
      • Community
      • Newsletters
      • Log Out
  • us
    • Asia
    • Australia
    • Europe
    • India
    • United Kingdom
    • United States
    • ZDNet around the globe:
    • ZDNet China
    • ZDNet France
    • ZDNet Germany
    • ZDNet Korea
    • ZDNet Japan

Photos: How FC Barcelona uses football player data to win games

5 of 8 NEXT PREV
  • Five key areas

    Five key areas

    Soccer clubs are using more and more data, and those in the Spanish professional league are no exception. Most teams have realized the importance of performance analysis and learned how to utilize data to win games and make more money.

    With that goal in mind, FC Barcelona has created its Barça Innovation Hub, a project aimed at "contributing to transform the world through sports excellence", according to club president Josep Maria Bartomeu.

    FC Barcelona president Josep Maria Bartomeu and his team say the key pillars of the project are developing five essential areas, consisting of medical services and nutrition, sports performance, technology, team sports, and social sciences, which include social networks, a significant revenue opportunity. The Catalan team has 167.3 million followers on social media across Facebook, Instagram and Twitter.

    Published: June 22, 2017 -- 09:36 GMT (02:36 PDT)

    Photo by: FC Barcelona

    Caption by: Anna Solana

  • Video analysis

    Video analysis

    Applying science to a football club's playing style is not an easy task. Marc Subirà, seen here, from FC Barcelona's IT department, explains that in the past 20 years the club has collected more than four million minutes of video analysis. App FCBMe, which has been especially created for the players, is designed to help them achieve major changes in their sporting performance.

    Published: June 22, 2017 -- 09:36 GMT (02:36 PDT)

    Photo by: FC Barcelona

    Caption by: Anna Solana

  • Structured training

    Structured training

    The way FC Barcelona plays determines the way it trains. The club calls its training model Structured Training and it takes a holistic approach to the performance of players such as Denis Suárez and Sergi Busquets, seen here during a training session.

    Francesc Cos from FC Barcelona's Sports Performance area says GPS trackers have helped a lot in understanding how to adjust training sessions. The club introduced the technology in 2011 and today has 215 devices recording data, such as acceleration, deceleration, and total distance, during training sessions and matches. Combined, the devices produce over 72, 000 hours annually for analysis.

    Published: June 22, 2017 -- 09:36 GMT (02:36 PDT)

    Photo by: FC Barcelona

    Caption by: Anna Solana

  • Sensor vest

    Sensor vest

    Data helps determine which training tasks are set before a match, and also answer questions such as how to build more balanced athletes or what technologies are going to make players recover faster, according to Francesc Cos.

    That is why the club is working hard on knowing more about the metabolic and kinetic demands of each training task. The vest with sensors worn by club captain Andrés Iniest provides up to 120 different variables.

    Published: June 22, 2017 -- 09:36 GMT (02:36 PDT)

    Photo by: FC Barcelona

    Caption by: Anna Solana

  • Hydration programs

    Hydration programs

    FC Barcelona is working with US sports drinks firm Gatorade to develop personalized hydration programs based on the metabolic profile, heart rate and preferences of each player. The bottle includes a smart cap to monitor the fluid intake of a player, such as midfielder Sergi Roberto, seen here, and record the rate of hydration in real time. The ultimate aim is to create a marketable product for athletes.

    Published: June 22, 2017 -- 09:36 GMT (02:36 PDT)

    Photo by: FC Barcelona

    Caption by: Anna Solana

  • Rehabilitation research

    Rehabilitation research

    Here, central midfielder Sergi Roberto undergoes a medical examination.

    Gil Rodas, manager of the Medical Services and Nutrition Area of FC Barcelona, says that muscle and soft tissue damage represent more than 50 percent of all injuries. So, the club is conducting research into regenerative medicine and virtual-reality rehabilitation programs, among other areas, to help players recover faster.

    Published: June 22, 2017 -- 09:36 GMT (02:36 PDT)

    Photo by: FC Barcelona

    Caption by: Anna Solana

  • The Barça style

    The Barça style

    The development of performance analysis is about how to use and act on the available data. This knowledge helps trainers and players develop new tactics and also helps to foster the Barça style, embodied in superstar striker Lionel Messi.

    Published: June 22, 2017 -- 09:36 GMT (02:36 PDT)

    Photo by: FC Barcelona

    Caption by: Anna Solana

  • Data-rich environment

    Data-rich environment

    As outgoing manager Luis Enrique, seen here, prepares to sever his ties with the club on June 30, FC Barcelona believes that the knowledge gleaned from such a data-rich environment can be shared and monetized. As part of that strategy, the club will be running its Football Master Course in September 2017 and a Performance Congress in October.

    Published: June 22, 2017 -- 09:36 GMT (02:36 PDT)

    Photo by: FC Barcelona

    Caption by: Anna Solana

5 of 8 NEXT PREV
  • Five key areas
  • Video analysis
  • Structured training
  • Sensor vest
  • Hydration programs
  • Rehabilitation research
  • The Barça style
  • Data-rich environment

FC Barcelona is focusing on data analysis to give it an edge on the soccer field and at the bank.

Read More Read Less

Hydration programs

FC Barcelona is working with US sports drinks firm Gatorade to develop personalized hydration programs based on the metabolic profile, heart rate and preferences of each player. The bottle includes a smart cap to monitor the fluid intake of a player, such as midfielder Sergi Roberto, seen here, and record the rate of hydration in real time. The ultimate aim is to create a marketable product for athletes.

Published: June 22, 2017 -- 09:36 GMT (02:36 PDT)

Caption by: Anna Solana

5 of 8 NEXT PREV

Related Topics:

Digital Transformation Robotics Internet of Things Innovation Enterprise Software CXO
LOG IN TO COMMENT
  • My Profile
  • Log Out
| Community Guidelines

Join Discussion

Add Your Comment
Add Your Comment

Related Galleries

  • 1 of 2
  • When chatbots are a very bad idea

    Not every business problem can be solved by using chatbots. Here are some inappropriate uses for the AI tool.

  • How ubiquitous AI will permeate everything we do without our knowledge.

    Most of us do not know that we are using chatbots to talk to service agents, so how will we know that AI will be seamlessly interacting in with our future lives? ...

  • Streaming becomes mainstream

    The endless streams of data generated by applications lends its name to this paradigm, but also brings some hard to deal with requirements to the table: How do you deal with querying ...

  • Heart and sleep apps that work with the Apple Watch

    If you want to track sleep and heart health, these apps will get you going.

  • Azure HDInsight click-by-click guide: Get cloud-based Hadoop up and running today

    Click by click, we'll show you how to get Microsoft's Apache Hadoop-based big bata service up and running.

  • Hands-on with Azure Data Lake: How to get productive fast

    Microsoft's Azure Data Lake is now generally available, but what does it do, and how does it work? Here's a tour around the service's tooling and capabilities, to help you understand ...

ZDNet
Connect with us

© 2019 CBS Interactive. All rights reserved. Privacy Policy | Cookies | Ad Choice | Advertise | Terms of Use | Mobile User Agreement

  • Topics
  • All Authors
  • Galleries
  • Videos
  • Sponsored Narratives
  • About ZDNet
  • Meet The Team
  • Site Map
  • RSS Feeds
  • Reprint Policy
  • Manage | Log Out
  • Join | Log In | Membership
  • Newsletters
  • Site Assistance
  • ZDNet Academy
  • TechRepublic Forums