Strathclyde Business School is working with the Scottish Rugby Union (SRU) to analyse data that can predict the physical potential of each individual player, allowing tailored training regimes to be produced.
Researchers in the business school's Management Science department have been working closely with sports scientists and fitness coaches at Scotland's leading club Glasgow Warriors and have discovered a formula that could prove to be a massive boost for the coming season.
Dr Matthew Revie and Dr Kevin Wilson, of the Department of Management Science, are leading the project to help performance coaches Rob Holdsworth and Stuart Yule, utilise large quantities of data more effectively.
Dr Revie said, "Glasgow Warriors, like many sporting organisations, are beginning to gather huge amounts of data on their players; ranging from in-game data, to GPS training data and even data on sleeping habits of the players. However, to date, this has largely been underutilised.
"Through our research, we have demonstrated that simple data provided by players relating to their wellbeing can accurately predict how they would perform in different physical tests; providing coaches with valuable information on the physical potential of players.
"It is not feasible to carry out these physical tests more frequently – as such the output of the developed models is essential in predicting the physical condition of the player post-game and pre-training."
Rob Holdsworth said, "This is a good step forward for Glasgow Warriors, sometimes we can get caught up in the huge amounts of data collected that we may lose sight of significance parts of the data.
"Using the expertise of Dr Revie and Dr Wilson we have been able to gain insight into areas in which previously wouldn't have been possible." The collaboration between the University of Strathclyde and Scottish Rugby Union is set to continue with the academics keen to analyse further data held on the performance of players during training and matches.
Dr Wilson added, "The project has already proved to be a real success and we have been able to help SRU understand how to get the most from the data they hold.
"It is more important than ever that organisations like SRU take advantage of the insight that data can provide and use a scientific approach to develop the physical condition of players.
"We are looking forward to continuing to develop our relationship with Glasgow Warriors and hope to further demonstrate the benefits of using academic principles and research capabilities in this type of environment."