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LaLiga is launching a pilot project that will give unemployed coaches the chance to receive ongoing training through the Mediacoach performance data and video analysis platform. It will include a new service on the platform allowing these coaches to access a large portion of the performance data from LaLiga EA SPORTS and LaLiga HYPERMOTION clubs. The aim is to encourage their involvement in both competitions which prove to be particularly demanding for coaches.
A selected sample of coaches with proven track records and experience at LaLiga clubs have been chosen for the pilot project. They already have knowledge of the platform and are part of the group of coaches who could potentially take charge of a team in either competition within the next few months or seasons. Over time, the project will develop and expand its scope. Among the coaches who will test the service are Michel González, Rubi, Pablo Machín, Robert Moreno, Gaizka Garitano, Julio Velázquez, Lucas Alcaraz, Luis Miguel Ramis, Pep Lluis Martí, Aitor Karanka or Julián Calero*. Such access comes with strict legal requirements which the coaches have agreed to, to ensure that the use of the data remains within the framework of ongoing training.
As a result, elite coaches without a team will have access to regular training in the use of the Mediacoach platform and will be fully up to date when they join a team. This will shorten the adaptation period, increase the team’s competitiveness, and keep the demands and intensity of the competitions high. A study published by the CIES Observatory in 2021 ranked LaLiga first among the 31 leagues analysed (including all the major European leagues) in both distance covered and distance covered at high speed, which illustrates the physical demands, speed and pace required to adapt to the competition.
Ricardo Resta, Head of Mediacoach at LaLiga, stressed: “Spain also produces talent at the coaching level. LaLiga has always been known for the tactical level of its teams and the physical demands of the competitions, which places enormous demands on the
coaches who join the clubs. Additionally, the clubs have reached a high level of sophistication in the transversal use of Mediacoach across different areas. Therefore, we believe that giving coaches, who are potential candidates for open positions, access to a special service helps maintain the quality of the competition through ongoing training, while also retaining talent by linking it to LaLiga”.
Mediacoach: a differentiating factor in LaLiga for over a decade
Mediacoach is the competition’s secret weapon for maintaining a high level of quality and competitiveness. LaLiga is the only major European football competition with a tool created in-house, specific to the competition and with uniform scope for all clubs.
On a technical level, it collects a huge amount of data that is produced in real time during each match. This is thanks to the three tactical cameras and up to 16 different high-resolution fixed perimeter cameras for optical tracking that are installed in each LaLiga EA SPORTS and LaLiga HYPERMOTION stadium. The cameras track players, referees, and the ball across the pitch, recording each player’s position with pinpoint accuracy at an astonishing speed of 25 times per second which generates more than 3,500,000 pieces of data per match, and translates to around 2,000 metrics per player.
Data is revolutionising the football industry, with clubs using it for both match preparation and post-match analysis. Furthermore, in the context of economic control rules, this data helps clubs to identify key players within the competition, allowing them operate more intelligently in the transfer market.
Mediacoach makes LaLiga more competitive; it’s a democratising factor, as all teams have access to the data and can use it to help equalise the economic imbalance between clubs: more efficient and cost-effective transfers, use of data in training, and for match preparation… Plus, LaLiga provides clubs with a team of analysts and instructors who support the work of the technical staff and prepare weekly reports for each club.
*In fact, as a clear example of the coaches’ interest in education and the usefulness of the service, a few days after the start of the pilot project, Julián Calero had returned to coaching a LaLiga club.
