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Perceptions of professional soccer coaches, support staff and players toward virtual reality and the factors that modify their intention to use it (2021)
Journal Article
Greenhough, B., Barrett, S., Towlson, C., & Abt, G. (2021). Perceptions of professional soccer coaches, support staff and players toward virtual reality and the factors that modify their intention to use it. PLoS ONE, 16(12), https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0261378

A small evidence base supports the use of virtual reality in professional soccer, yet there is a lack of information available on perceptions and desire to use the technology from those employed at professional soccer clubs. Therefore, the aim of the... Read More about Perceptions of professional soccer coaches, support staff and players toward virtual reality and the factors that modify their intention to use it.

The effect of bio-banding on academy soccer player passing networks: Implications of relative pitch size (2021)
Journal Article
McLaren-Towlson, C., Abt, G., Barrett, S., Cumming, S., Hunter, F., Hamilton, A., …Swinton, P. (2021). The effect of bio-banding on academy soccer player passing networks: Implications of relative pitch size. PLoS ONE, 16(12), https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0260867

The primary aims of this study were to examine the effects of bio-banding players on passing networks created during 4v4 small-sided games (SSGs), while also examining the interaction of pitch size using passing network analysis compared to a coach-b... Read More about The effect of bio-banding on academy soccer player passing networks: Implications of relative pitch size.

The effect of bio-banding on technical and tactical indicators of talent identification in academy soccer players (2021)
Journal Article
McLaren-Towlson, C., Abt, G., MacMaster, C., Gonçalves, B., Sampaio, J., Toner, J., … Myers, T. (in press). The effect of bio-banding on technical and tactical indicators of talent identification in academy soccer players. Science and Medicine in Football, https://doi.org/10.1080/24733938.2021.2013522

The aim of this study was to examine the effect of bio-banding on technical and tactical markers of talent identification in 11- to 14-year-old academy soccer players. Using a repeated measures design, 92 players were bio-banded using percentage of e... Read More about The effect of bio-banding on technical and tactical indicators of talent identification in academy soccer players.

A Brief Review of Methods to Quantify High-Speed Running in Rugby League: Are Current Methods Appropriate? (2021)
Journal Article
Bennett, T., Marshall, P., Barrett, S., Malone, J., & McLaren-Towlson, C. (2021). A Brief Review of Methods to Quantify High-Speed Running in Rugby League: Are Current Methods Appropriate?. Strength and conditioning journal, https://doi.org/10.1519/SSC.0000000000000693

High-speed running (HSR) has been documented within rugby league to differentiate playing standard, position and often precedes pivotal match events. Practitioners and researchers place importance on HSR due to its inclusion in assessing the demands... Read More about A Brief Review of Methods to Quantify High-Speed Running in Rugby League: Are Current Methods Appropriate?.

Measurement properties of external training load variables during standardised games in soccer: Implications for training and monitoring strategies (2021)
Dataset
McLaren-Towlson, C., Barrett, S., & Clubb, J. Measurement properties of external training load variables during standardised games in soccer: Implications for training and monitoring strategies. [Dataset]

The aim of this study was to assess the measurement properties of external training load measures across three formats of standardised training games. Eighty-eight players from two English professional soccer clubs participated in the study spanning... Read More about Measurement properties of external training load variables during standardised games in soccer: Implications for training and monitoring strategies.

Monitoring practices of training load and biological maturity in UK soccer academies (2021)
Journal Article
Salter, J., De Ste Croix, M. B., Hughes, J., Weston, M., & Towlson, C. (2021). Monitoring practices of training load and biological maturity in UK soccer academies. International journal of sports physiology and performance : IJSPP, 16(3), 395-406. https://doi.org/10.1123/IJSPP.2019-0624

Purpose: Overuse injury risk increases during periods of accelerated growth, which can subsequently impact development in academy soccer, suggesting a need to quantify training exposure. Nonprescriptive development scheme legislation could lead to in... Read More about Monitoring practices of training load and biological maturity in UK soccer academies.

Quantifying technical actions in professional soccer using foot-mounted inertial measurement units (2021)
Journal Article
Marris, J., Barrett, S., Abt, G., & Towlson, C. (2021). Quantifying technical actions in professional soccer using foot-mounted inertial measurement units. Science and Medicine in Football, https://doi.org/10.1080/24733938.2021.1910333

Objectives: This study aimed to (i) establish the concurrent validity and intra-unit reliability of a foot-mounted inertial measurement unit for monitoring soccer technical actions, (ii) quantify the within-microcycle inter-positional differences in... Read More about Quantifying technical actions in professional soccer using foot-mounted inertial measurement units.

Levelling the Playing Field: A New Proposed Method to Address Relative Age- and Maturity-Related Bias in Soccer (2021)
Journal Article
Helsen, W., Thomis, M., Starkes, J., Vrijens, S., Ooms, G., MacMaster, C., & McLaren-Towlson, C. (2021). Levelling the Playing Field: A New Proposed Method to Address Relative Age- and Maturity-Related Bias in Soccer. Frontiers in Sport and Active Living, 3(24), https://doi.org/10.3389/fspor.2021.635379

Despite various solutions proposed to solve the Relative Age Effect (RAE), it is still a major problem confounding talent identification and selection processes. In a first phase, we sampled 302 under 7 to 21 academy soccer players from two Belgian p... Read More about Levelling the Playing Field: A New Proposed Method to Address Relative Age- and Maturity-Related Bias in Soccer.

The effect of bio-banding on physical and psychological indicators of talent identification in academy soccer players (2020)
Journal Article
Towlson, C., MacMaster, C., Gonçalves, B., Sampaio, J., Toner, J., MacFarlane, N., …Abt, G. (in press). The effect of bio-banding on physical and psychological indicators of talent identification in academy soccer players. Science and Medicine in Football, https://doi.org/10.1080/24733938.2020.1862419

The aim of this study was to examine the effect of bio-banding on indicators of talent identification in academy soccer players. Seventy-two 11 to 14-year-old soccer players were bio-banded using percentage of estimated adult stature attainment (week... Read More about The effect of bio-banding on physical and psychological indicators of talent identification in academy soccer players.

Understanding the influence of the head coach on soccer training drills—an 8 season analysis (2020)
Journal Article
Barrett, S., Varley, M. C., Hills, S. P., Russell, M., Reeves, M., Hearn, A., & Towlson, C. (2020). Understanding the influence of the head coach on soccer training drills—an 8 season analysis. Applied Sciences, 10(22), 1-13. https://doi.org/10.3390/app10228149

Soccer players perform a variety of training drills to develop the physical, technical and tactical qualities required for match‐play. The role of coaches in prescribing training suggests that players may not always meet physical targets set by condi... Read More about Understanding the influence of the head coach on soccer training drills—an 8 season analysis.

Maturity-associated considerations for training load, injury risk, and physical performance in youth soccer: One size does not fit all (2020)
Journal Article
Towlson, C., Salter, J., Ade, J. D., Enright, K., Harper, L. D., Page, R. M., & Malone, J. J. (in press). Maturity-associated considerations for training load, injury risk, and physical performance in youth soccer: One size does not fit all. Journal of Sport and Health Science, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jshs.2020.09.003

Biological maturation can be defined as the timing and tempo of progress to achieving a mature state. The estimation of age of peak height velocity (PHV) or percentage of final estimated adult stature attainment (%EASA) is typically used to inform th... Read More about Maturity-associated considerations for training load, injury risk, and physical performance in youth soccer: One size does not fit all.

Understanding the presence of mental fatigue in English academy soccer players (2020)
Journal Article
Thompson, C. J., Noon, M., Towlson, C., Perry, J., Coutts, A. J., Harper, L. D., …Meyer, T. (2020). Understanding the presence of mental fatigue in English academy soccer players. Journal of sports sciences, 38(13), 1524-1530. https://doi.org/10.1080/02640414.2020.1746597

Research has demonstrated that induced mental fatigue impairs soccer-specific technical, tactical and physical performance in soccer players. The findings are limited by the lack of elite players and low ecological validity of the tasks used to induc... Read More about Understanding the presence of mental fatigue in English academy soccer players.

Physical development of the youth athlete: Theoretical considerations and practical implications of growth and maturation. (2019)
Book Chapter
Doncaster, G., & McLaren-Towlson, C. (2019). Physical development of the youth athlete: Theoretical considerations and practical implications of growth and maturation. In E. Cope, & M. Partington (Eds.), Sports Coaching: A Theoretical and Practical Guide (109-121). London: Routledge. https://doi.org/10.4324/9781351200035

The need to recognise and accommodate the individual athlete, when working with youth populations, is arguably more pertinent than when working with adult athletes. The application of determining athlete maturity is of relevance given that children m... Read More about Physical development of the youth athlete: Theoretical considerations and practical implications of growth and maturation..

Practitioners’ multi-disciplinary perspectives of soccer talent according to phase of development and playing position (2019)
Journal Article
Towlson, C., Cope, E., Perry, J. L., Court, D., & Levett, N. (2019). Practitioners’ multi-disciplinary perspectives of soccer talent according to phase of development and playing position. International journal of sports science & coaching, 14(4), 528-540. https://doi.org/10.1177/1747954119845061

The study aimed to establish the perceived importance that academy soccer practitioners placed on technical/tactical, physical, psycho-social player attributes during player selection and explore whether perceptions change according to Elite Player P... Read More about Practitioners’ multi-disciplinary perspectives of soccer talent according to phase of development and playing position.

Perspectives of applied collaborative sport science research within professional team sports (2018)
Journal Article
Malone, J. J., Harper, L. D., Jones, B., Perry, J., Barnes, C., & Towlson, C. (2019). Perspectives of applied collaborative sport science research within professional team sports. European journal of sport science : the official journal of the European College of Sport Science, 19(2), 147-155. https://doi.org/10.1080/17461391.2018.1492632

The purpose of the study was to examine the perspectives of both academics and practitioners in relation to forming applied collaborative sport science research within team sports. Ninety-three participants who had previously engaged in collaborative... Read More about Perspectives of applied collaborative sport science research within professional team sports.

When does the influence of maturation on anthropometric and physical fitness characteristics increase and subside? (2018)
Journal Article
Towlson, C., Cobley, S., Parkin, G., & Lovell, R. (2018). When does the influence of maturation on anthropometric and physical fitness characteristics increase and subside?. Scandinavian Journal of Medicine and Science in Sports, 28(8), 1946-1955. https://doi.org/10.1111/sms.13198

The relationships between maturation and anthropometric and physical performance characteristics are dynamic and often asynchronous; confounding the capability to accurately evaluate performance during adolescence. This study aimed to (i) examine the... Read More about When does the influence of maturation on anthropometric and physical fitness characteristics increase and subside?.

Relative age, maturation, and physical biases on position allocation in elite-youth soccer (2017)
Journal Article
Towlson, C., Cobley, S., Midgley, A., Garrett, A., Parkin, G., & Lovell, R. (2017). Relative age, maturation, and physical biases on position allocation in elite-youth soccer. International journal of sports medicine, 38(3), 201-209. https://doi.org/10.1055/s-0042-119029

This study assessed the contribution of relative age, anthropometry, maturation, and physical fitness characteristics on soccer playing position (goalkeeper [GK], central-defender [CD], lateral-defender [LD], central midfield [CM], lateral-midfielder... Read More about Relative age, maturation, and physical biases on position allocation in elite-youth soccer.