Beyond Stats and Microsoft launch a case study initiative with clubs

LALIGA, in collaboration with Microsoft as part of the Beyond Stats advanced statistics project, has launched an exciting initiative highlighting how club technical staff across the league use and apply Mediacoach performance metrics to prepare their team best every day.

·       How does the data help fitness coaches optimize performance and prevent injuries?

·       How does it help coaches make substitution decisions during matches?

·       How does it help analysts prepare comprehensive opponent reports to devise effective game tactics?

Over the planned seven (7) pieces of content featuring CA Osasuna, UD Las Palmas, RCD Mallorca, Deportivo Alaves, Villareal FC, and Girona FC, club staff will attempt to answer these questions and dive deeper into the importance of technology for on and off the pitch preparation. Girona FC, the first club to be featured, will highlight the role of data to maximize physical performance throughout the season.

Beyond Stats, powered by Microsoft and LALIGA, has two main components:

1.     Fan Engagement: Through on-screen graphics, social content, and a statistics portal, fans gain deeper insight into the game they love.

2.     Performance Enhancement for Clubs: The integration of the Microsoft Surface Pro tablet, provided to all 42 LALIGA clubs, enables real-time access to Mediacoach data to help make decisions – ultimately enhancing team and league competitiveness.

For over a decade, LALIGA has been the only major European league with an in-house performance metrics tool provided to all clubs: Mediacoach. More than 1,000 users, ranging from LALIGA coaches, analysts, commentators, and reporters, are using the information and insights it contains. A total of 112,000 reports and over 1 billion data points are generated each season. This democratization of information ensures that all LALIGA clubs, whether LALIGA EA SPORTS or LALIGA HYPERMOTION, have equal access to performance insights.

Girona FC, first feature of the Use Case series

The first episode of the Surface Pro case study highlights Girona FC’s David Porcel, the club’s fitness coach. David speaks to the importance of the metrics offered by Mediacoach, the evolution of technology in the world of football and how he uses all the advanced data provided by Beyond Stats to get the most out of the squad who have experienced an unprecedented season.

David Porcel, Girona FC fitness coach: “We find ourselves in a situation nobody expected, but we're ambitious and want to keep winning every Sunday”. Regarding physical preparation, he added: “The team is looking sharp and it's a joy to watch them come in because they are flying. We're among the three or four best teams in terms of high intensity. Physically, we've evolved a lot over the season”.

The most notable features among the Beyond Stats metrics are “high intensity, number of sprints, and maximum speed”. He also stated: “On Microsoft's Surface Pro with Mediacoach Vision I really like to look at the sprints or, when a player reaches a high-top speed, to see what that sprint was like. Also, you have the facility to select the player, filter by speed and it gives you the sprints he's done in that match”.

Additionally, David Porcel, Girona FC fitness coach, explained: “[Microsoft Surface Pro 9] is a very powerful device that can be easily held in your hand at all times and carried in your backpack. When I started in professional football, I didn't even have a GPS for each player. If you think about what it used to be like and what it’s like now and how everything keeps being updated, things are always getting easier”.

The episode is available on the LALIGA website: https://www.laliga.com/noticias/son-las-estadisticas-avanzadas-uno-de-los-puntos-clave-del-exito-del-girona