In Focus / Teamworks AMS: The Changing Data Game
In the high-stakes world of football where every decision can shape the trajectory of a season, efficiency and precision are non-negotiable. It’s no wonder that more clubs are turning to Teamworks AMS, widely regarded as the gold standard in Athlete Management Systems (AMS).
With its flexibility, customisability and ability to centralise critical information, Teamworks AMS is revolutionising how teams operate to maintain a competitive edge. fcbusiness speaks to Alistair Inglis, Senior Solutions Consultant and Todd Atkins, Product Success Manager at Teamworks to find out how the centralisation of data is helping clubs stay ahead of the game.
FC: How is the shift to digital technologies and the use of data increasing in importance in coaching and performance.
Alistair Inglis (Alistair): While data has always existed, its integration into day-to-day decision-making within clubs is what’s becoming more prevalent. This integration spans various departments. From an athlete management perspective, we emphasise the significance of data in physical performance and medical departments.
It’s essential for practitioners to have access to data on a daily basis but that data must be presented in a meaningful, consistent and accurate manner, underpinned by appropriate scientific rigor. This can significantly influence coaching decisions regarding training regimes and help identify players at increased risk of injury.
Ultimately, our goal is to provide tools that support meaningful decision-making through the effective use of data. In the realm of sports technology, where buzzwords and clichés abound, we are committed to focusing on actionable insights that truly impact performance.
FC: Who is analysing this data and then passing it onto the decision-makers?
Alistair: The Teamworks Athlete Management System (AMS) is designed for the performance department and varies slightly at each club. The structure typically starts with a Performance Director, followed by the Head of Medical, Head of Sports Science and then various practitioners such as physiotherapists, performance and rehabilitation coaches, sports scientists and strength and conditioning coaches. They are often responsible for making daily decisions that impact training schedules and methodologies, which, in turn, can lead to performance improvements.
As we experience an explosion of data collection, we are increasingly gathering information from athletes. This includes captured data from GPS vests and various wearables, as well as responses from wellness questionnaires.
Todd Atkins (Todd): We’re also seeing a shift, especially in football, where athletes are starting to utilise their data more. A few years ago, this wasn’t very common, but we’re observing a change in culture, with players becoming more engaged in providing their data. Furthermore, while our core users haven’t changed significantly, Sporting Directors are now gaining more access to this area.
Centralising data and integrating various data sets from different sources offers valuable insights for them. For instance, when considering whether to offer a professional contract to an Academy player, it’s crucial for them to review different aspects such as the player’s injury history, training load, adaptation to training and match statistics. This platform enables them to combine these different datasets for a comprehensive overview of the player’s performance.
FC: With all that data coming in, and the broad range of end users, how important is the centralisation of that data?
Alistair: It is crucial to understand that the primary purpose of Teamworks AMS is to consolidate data. We interact with various systems in our daily lives, however, the more sources you need to access information, the more time-consuming it becomes, which ultimately hinders your ability to make effective decisions.
The central aim of Teamworks AMS is to integrate everything and provide the flexibility to convert that data into actionable insights for informed decision-making. However, to ensure the reliability of the data, employing scientific rigor is essential. This can involve using techniques such as confidence intervals or z-scores to validate the insights we derive are meaningful and not influenced by external factors or misconceptions.
Moreover, it is equally important to have the flexibility to manipulate the data in ways that align with your organisation’s specific rules and objectives. This will enable you to fully harness the power of the data available to you.
Todd: One of the key motivations for people wanting to switch to Teamworks AMS is the desire to centralise their data and eliminate silos. For example, the nutrition department stores information on SharePoint, while the strength and conditioning team uses Excel.
Teamworks AMS can automatically ingest much of this data, streamlining the data entry process. This means that staff no longer have to spend time gathering information from various sources to create reports. Instead, our system automatically generates reports, allowing teams to focus on making decisions rather than copy and pasting data, and creating charts. Our goal is to facilitate quick decision-making without the heavy lifting of preparing data every time.
We often hear about the importance of reducing silos, but centralising data is crucial for providing visibility to everyone who needs it. Ultimately, we aim to automate processes to improve efficiency, giving staff more time to make informed decisions.
FC: The technology, therefore, must be reliable. How do Teamworks ensure the system is providing results that are correct?
Alistair: There are two main layers to this. We have a team of engineers and product managers dedicated to supporting our system. We are fortunate to have over 100 experienced engineers who work daily to ensure the performance and stability of the product.
On a more detailed level, we leverage the flexibility of our system to establish mini-checkpoints in various areas, allowing us to capture, validate and interrogate the data. This helps us maintain a close watch on its integrity. When integrating data from third-party systems, we can create specific visualisations that highlight outliers. This enables us to quickly identify inconsistencies and evaluate whether the system is accurate, helping us determine if we should use this information to inform our decision-making.
Todd: We work closely with clients to understand their needs. When it comes to reliability, our approach is never a simple “here you go.” We are on-site with our partners, helping them with test data to ensure that the output meets expectations. This is a crucial part of the process. We also stay updated with the latest trends, allowing us to provide valuable ideas and feedback to our partners. So, in addition to ensuring reliability, we have specialist teams with great expertise in the system, and they engage end users and clients in the products we are developing and delivering.
FC: What is the company’s expertise in this field?
Alistair: From the very beginning, Teamworks was founded by athletes for athletes. When we focus on our region and the Athlete Management System, it’s essential to note that everyone on our team has worked in a football club or in high-performance environments. This includes roles as sports scientists, coaches, or strength and conditioning coaches. This experience is crucial to the service we provide. We recognise that technology is not just about the software itself. You might have the best system available, but without proper implementation, engagement and trust, it won’t achieve its full potential.
FC: A club that is coming to Teamworks, what is that transition process like?
Alistair: When clubs approach us looking to make a change, there’s a substantial amount of work involved in understanding their needs and challenges. Project management and change management are both essential as we establish milestones and KPIs while setting timelines.
Todd: Initially, we focus on getting to know the organisation and how it operates. Although football is a common subject, each organisation or team is unique. We want to grasp their AMS philosophy and their goals. If we can get the club to articulate its philosophy, that’s an excellent starting point. Next, we dive deeper to discover what they hope to accomplish with the new system and what their pain points were with the previous one.
This exploration is the foundation for understanding their needs. Our approach assesses how Teamworks AMS can fit into their processes, as it is customisable and flexible—there isn’t just one way to do things. Different organisations have varying priorities.
We begin by understanding what data they currently collect and what they feel is missing. This phase may include migrating data from an existing system or from Excel documents. Importantly, we are not merely duplicating what they had before; there is usually a significant reason for the change. They may also have valuable historical data, such as player information from the past 10 years, and we want to ensure that this data is preserved. We need to determine how to fit this existing data into the new structure. Our implementation phase is where users start to engage with the system and familiarise themselves with it.
Our goal is to move them beyond this phase, although implementation may occur multiple times throughout the year as new departments, modules, or users come on board. Once the system is operational, we focus on continuous improvement and further development. This outlines a typical transition, but it’s important to note that each situation varies based on the individual club and its specific needs.
FC: What does the future look like for the company, what trends do you expect to see and where do you see the industry going?
Alistair: Many of our Premier League clubs are currently using Teamworks AMS along with other in-built tools, which is improving the ease of creating APIs. In the next few years, they may even develop APIs that incorporate AI. This connectivity enhancement will facilitate the consolidation of data, and once all the information is centralised and formatted consistently, using AI becomes far more interesting. AI itself is compelling, but to effectively leverage AI in sports or performance, you need high-quality data in significant volumes to ensure its reliability. As we work toward more consolidation and centralisation—evident in Teamworks with the launch of our new strength and conditioning tool—practitioners will find it easier to access everything in one place.
Todd: I think we’ll see a greater adoption of data. I believe it’s becoming increasingly difficult to avoid, although there are still those who may be fearful or uncertain about it. However, I anticipate that more data related roles will become available in the near future. I don’t see a world in five years’ time where data isn’t utilised in nearly every aspect of an organisation. While there will always be those who are unsure and resistant to change, I believe data will eventually become the standard. This shift is like what occurred about 15 years ago when data was first introduced. It will continue to evolve and will become an integral part of every organisation.
Find out more at: www.teamworks. com/ams/
