FEATURE / DR PAUL BRADLEY, MR WONWOO JU, MR ANDY LAWS, DR ANTONIO GOMEZ-DIAZ, DR ANDRES MARTIN-GARCIA AND DR MARK EVANS

Data visualisation or what is commonly referred to as ‘data viz’ is a tool that translates trends effectively using graphics (Weissgerber et al., 2015). This is an emerging area in science as data presentation as graphical figures is the most potent mode used to interpret findings (Weissgerber et al., 2015, 2019). Other aesthetically pleasing and immersive forms of visuals are available particularly using video. These include eye-catching video telestration graphics that can selectively draw attention to relevant information. Recently these have become popular as the amount of information people are presented with daily has increased exponentially, while the time to interpret it has decreased (Lacome et al., 2018). This is especially evident in elite football, as staff are expected to collapse the time to insight after each game using data and video as their primary vehicle of analysis and communication. This represents a risk of creating the problem of information overload, thus care must be taken to prevent already busy coaches from being exposed to an avalanche of data and video to view and interpret. So the implications of informative football visuals are huge, given the added value they provide.

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