INTERVIEWS

Patrick recognised that the PlayerMaker system was the right tool to help him achieve this goal and started working with the PlayerMaker team to embed the technology at the club.

The PlayerMaker support team worked with every coach to show them how to make the most of the data that PlayerMaker captures and now the system is used across the club at every training session.

Ilan Richardson, Head of Sports Science, oversees the data collection and analysis. Using a mix of PlayerMaker’s own software and its integration capabilities with other systems, Ilan is able to see how players are progressing over time as well as a get a more complete understanding about whether teams are hitting their goals for training sessions.

As every player is examined individually and all of their physical and technical data is captured through the motion sensors, Ilan is able to set benchmarks for each team based on average player performance. If a player is struggling to reach the benchmarks, coaches are able to quickly recognise where they are having issues and work with them to correct and improve. When the brightest players exceed the benchmarks, they can be identified and moved on a level, ensuring their progress through the club towards the first team.

For a professional academy, we need to rely on more than just the views of the coaching staff. When you play at the top level, you need additional data and PlayerMaker ensures we have all the physical and technical data we need.

Patrick van Leeuwen

Performance Director, Maccabi Tel Aviv FC

For Patrick, PlayerMaker goes a step beyond just aiding in player development. It helps give him a holistic view about how the academy is performing, allowing him to make sure that the footballing philosophy of Maccabi Tel Aviv is being embraced by his entire staff.

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