Skip to main content

Research Repository

Advanced Search

Dr Christopher McLaren-Towlson's Outputs (12)

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), Article e0261378. 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 technical and tactical indicators of talent identification in academy soccer players (2021)
Journal Article
Towlson, C., Abt, G., MacMaster, C., Gonçalves, B., Sampaio, J., Toner, J., MacFarlane, N., Barrett, S., Hamilton, A., Jack, R., Hunter, F., Stringer, A., & 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

Aim: 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. Methods: Using a repeated measures design, 92 players were bio-banded using p... Read More about The effect of bio-banding on technical and tactical indicators of talent identification in academy soccer players.

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., Lowthorpe, A., Goncalves, B., Corsie, M., & Swinton, P. (2021). The effect of bio-banding on academy soccer player passing networks: Implications of relative pitch size. PLoS ONE, 16(12), Article e0260867. 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 the anthropometric, physical fitness and functional movement characteristics of academy soccer players (2021)
Journal Article
MacMaster, C., Portas, M., Parkin, G., Cumming, S., Wilcox, C., & Towlson, C. (2021). The effect of bio-banding on the anthropometric, physical fitness and functional movement characteristics of academy soccer players. PLoS ONE, 16(11), Article e0260136. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0260136

The study examined if maturity status bio-banding reduces within-group variance in anthropometric, physical fitness and functional movement characteristics of 319, under-14 and under-15 players from 19 UK professional soccer academies. Bio-banding re... Read More about The effect of bio-banding on the anthropometric, physical fitness and functional movement characteristics of 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. (2022). A Brief Review of Methods to Quantify High-Speed Running in Rugby League: Are Current Methods Appropriate?. Strength and conditioning journal, 44(3), 69-79. https://doi.org/10.1519/SSC.0000000000000693

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

Examination of differential ratings of perceived exertion (dRPE) during bio-banded small-sided games - Anonymised dataset (2021)
Data
McLaren-Towlson, C., Abt, G., & Toner, J. Examination of differential ratings of perceived exertion (dRPE) during bio-banded small-sided games - Anonymised dataset. [Data]

The aims of the current study were to investigate the use of dRPE with academy soccer players to: 1) examine the effect of bio-banded and non-bio-banded maturity groups within SSG on players dRPE; 2) describe the multivariate relationships between dR... Read More about Examination of differential ratings of perceived exertion (dRPE) during bio-banded small-sided games - Anonymised dataset.

Measurement properties of external training load variables during standardised games in soccer: Implications for training and monitoring strategies (2021)
Data
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. [Data]

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.

Leveling 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., & Towlson, C. (2021). Leveling the Playing Field: A New Proposed Method to Address Relative Age- and Maturity-Related Bias in Soccer. Frontiers in Sports and Active Living, 3(24), Article 635379. 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 the first phase, we sampled 302 under 7–21 academy soccer players from two Belgian pr... Read More about Leveling the Playing Field: A New Proposed Method to Address Relative Age- and Maturity-Related Bias in Soccer.