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ANALYSIS FEATURE PETER CL ARk

When the destination of a single pass or the coverage of an additional yard can

be the difference between winning titles and losing them, elite sport now leaves no stone unturned.

In such analytical fields, Leicester City have taken giant strides in recent years, particularly during Nigel Pearson’s time as manager. The investment in sports science and performance analysis has been considerable, as the Foxes turn to the very latest in research and technology to push the boundaries of what the players can deliver on the pitch.

One of the latest recruits is 23-year-old performance analyst Peter Clark, whose expertise in analysis technology was honed while studying for an MSc in Performance Analysis at Cardiff Metropolitan University – one of the country’s most reputable educational establishments in such fields. Following a one-year internship with the Leicester City last season, the 23-year-old from Cambridge joined

ANALYSING THE BEAUTIFUL GAMEthe Club’s established analysis team full-time this summer.

“Post-match analysis and feedback on individual performances form a major part of my role,” Pete explains. “This involves re-watching games to compile individual reports and video packages on each player, which are then studied by coaching staff and the players themselves and supplemented by statistical support.

“One of the areas the analysis team at Cardiff Met prides itself on is the knowledge of a range of software, which allows efficient workflows to be developed not only after the game, but during it. Using these methods, we’ve been able to introduce the ability to review performance live, which can assist with decisions made by the manager and coaching staff during games.”

As most players will tell you, no two managers are the same, but use of performance analysis is now almost universal in the game’s upper reaches.

But the preferred learning styles of

individual players will always test the skills of their staff and, with that in mind, Pete’s education at the Cardiff School of Sport in South Wales should stand him in good stead.

“The access to specialist, often pioneering, software, combined with the expertise and multiple years of experience amongst the staff at Cardiff Met was the best way to prepare for working in football,” Pete says.

“It was never about being told how to analyse because every manager and team will be different, but we learned how to find the best methods and use the best software so that we would be flexible to adapt.

“Cardiff Met are constantly trialling the latest technology and software that is used in elite performance analysis and are often ahead of the curve in finding ways to improve.”

In the quest to get ahead of their Championship rivals, City are making strategic investments to give themselves a similar advantage.