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Southampton FC Launches New Learning Lab

Southampton Football Club has announced the launch of Learning Lab, a pioneering research partnership between the club and a network of academic institutions and thought leaders.

 

 

Working in partnership Leeds Beckett, Gloucester, and Bournemouth Universities, the Learning Lab is aimed at developing a greater understanding of how humans learn, acquire, and use new skills.

 

Led by Malcolm Frame, Head of Psychology at Southampton Football Club, and Andrew D Wilson at Leeds Beckett University, the Learning Lab will combine a unique blend of expertise and an approach to high performance not seen before in the footballing world, bringing together cutting-edge technology and contemporary research with a goal to promote more effective and efficient development of footballing talent.

 

A key objective of the Learning Lab is to develop innovative new practices that can be used by coaches and support staff to accelerate and enhance learning in players of all ages.

 

Developing potential into excellence is a core goal of Southampton Football Club and the Learning Lab feeds directly into this aim. Though ultimately players are the end beneficiaries of the project, anyone invested in the club’s ability to develop talent, on and off the field, should gain from the Lab.

 

The club will play a central role in the Learning Lab, acting as the hub of the research and its implementation. Southampton Football Club is creating a space where research and practice come together in the life of the club and Academy. The Lab is not a room at the training ground – it is the training ground.

 

As part of the Learning Lab three PhD studies will take place:

 

– The use of virtual reality in sports coaching (John Connolly, Leeds Beckett University)

– Ecological approaches to coaching (James Grant, Gloucester University)

– The Southampton FC psychology model (Steve Rowles, Bournemouth University)

 

All have now started and are currently being undertaken out of Southampton Football Club’s training ground.

 

“We’re excited to launch the Learning Lab. This is a unique endeavour, bringing together a great set of partners,” said Director of Performance Support for Southampton Football Club, Mark Jarvis.

 

“We want to create a positive impact on practice and solve performance problems by both producing innovative tools and practices. Learning is key to the development of players.

 

“Ultimately, we hope that the Learning Lab will create a positive impact and legacy not only for people across our club but also across the wider coaching, development, and academic communities to understand how we can learn and acquire new skills.”

 

Dr Andrew Wilson of Leeds Beckett University, added: “This project is unique: we’re embedding a research culture focused on modern ecological approaches to learning in a Premier League club and academy. This creates a remarkable opportunity to effect real, positive change, and so I’m very excited about the launch of the Lab.

 

“There’s a great deal of creative and innovative work being done about learning, both in academia and in practice, but there’s been a real need for a hub that can support, promote, and develop this work. That’s what the Lab is intended to be! I’m looking forward to getting to work and expanding the network of collaborators involved in the project.”

 

Southampton Football Club will be communicating and applying the findings from the three PHD studies as they emerge.


 

 

 

 

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