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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.

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. (in press). Practitioners’ multi-disciplinary perspectives of soccer talent according to phase of development and playing position. International journal of sports science & coaching, 174795411984506. 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. doi: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.

Within-match PlayerLoad™ patterns during a simulated soccer match (SAFT90): potential implications for unit positioning and fatigue management (2016)
Journal Article
Barrett, S., Midgley, A. W., Towlson, C., Garrett, A., Portas, M., & Lovell, R. (2016). Within-match PlayerLoad™ patterns during a simulated soccer match (SAFT90): potential implications for unit positioning and fatigue management. International journal of sports physiology and performance : IJSPP, 11(1), 135-140. https://doi.org/10.1123/ijspp.2014-0582

© 2016 Human Kinetics, Inc. Purpose: To assess the acute alterations in triaxial accelerometry (PlayerLoad [PL VM ]) and its individual axial planes (anteroposterior PlayerLoad [PL AP ], mediolateral PlayerLoad [PL ML ], and vertical PlayerLoad [PL V... Read More about Within-match PlayerLoad™ patterns during a simulated soccer match (SAFT90): potential implications for unit positioning and fatigue management.

Soccer player characteristics in English lower-league development programmes: The relationships between relative age, maturation, anthropometry and physical fitness (2015)
Journal Article
Lovell, R., Towlson, C., Parkin, G., Portas, M., Vaeyens, R., & Cobley, S. (2015). Soccer player characteristics in English lower-league development programmes: The relationships between relative age, maturation, anthropometry and physical fitness. PloS one, 10(9), e0137238. doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0137238

© 2015 Lovell et al. The relative age effect (RAE) and its relationships with maturation, anthropometry, and physical performance characteristics were examined across a representative sample of English youth soccer development programmes. Birth dates... Read More about Soccer player characteristics in English lower-league development programmes: The relationships between relative age, maturation, anthropometry and physical fitness.

Individualisation of time-motion analysis : a method comparison and case report series (2014)
Journal Article
Hunter, F., Bray, J., Towlson, C., Smith, M., Barrett, S., Madden, J., …Lovell, R. (2015). Individualisation of time-motion analysis : a method comparison and case report series. International journal of sports medicine, 36(1), 41-48. https://doi.org/10.1055/s-0034-1384547

© Georg Thieme Verlag KG. This study compared the intensity distribution of time-motion analysis data, when speed zones were categorized by different methods. 12 U18 players undertook a routine battery of laboratory- and field-based assessments to de... Read More about Individualisation of time-motion analysis : a method comparison and case report series.

Warm-up strategies of professional soccer players: Practitioners' perspectives (2013)
Journal Article
Towlson, C., Midgley, A. W., & Lovell, R. (2013). Warm-up strategies of professional soccer players: Practitioners' perspectives. Journal of sports sciences, 31(13), 1393-1401. https://doi.org/10.1080/02640414.2013.792946

Recent research has challenged the typical pre-match and half-time (HT) interval warm-up (WU) routines currently used by professional soccer players. This study surveyed 2010/11 season WU strategies and their underpinning scientific reasoning and sit... Read More about Warm-up strategies of professional soccer players: Practitioners' perspectives.

Aspartame in conjunction with carbohydrate reduces insulin levels during endurance exercise (2012)
Journal Article
Siegler, J., Howell, K., Vince, R., Bray, J., Towlson, C., Peart, D., …Atkin, S. (2012). Aspartame in conjunction with carbohydrate reduces insulin levels during endurance exercise. Journal of the International Society of Sports Nutrition, 9, https://doi.org/10.1186/1550-2783-9-36

Background: As most sport drinks contain some form of non-nutritive sweetener (e.g. aspartame), and with the variation in blood glucose regulation and insulin secretion reportedly associated with aspartame, a further understanding of the effects on i... Read More about Aspartame in conjunction with carbohydrate reduces insulin levels during endurance exercise.

Sodium bicarbonate supplementation and ingestion timing: Does it matter? (2012)
Journal Article
Siegler, J. C., Marshall, P. W., Bray, J., & Towlson, C. (2012). Sodium bicarbonate supplementation and ingestion timing: Does it matter?. Journal of strength and conditioning research, 26(7), 1953-1958. https://doi.org/10.1519/JSC.0b013e3182392960

Although a considerable amount of literature exists on the ergogenic potential of ingesting sodium bicarbonate (NaHCO3) before short-term, high-intensity exercise, very little exists on optimal loading times before exercise. The purpose of this study... Read More about Sodium bicarbonate supplementation and ingestion timing: Does it matter?.