phd in sport performance analysis

PURPOSE (Goals and Objectives): This doctoral program is designed to produce leaders in sport science research and research-driven coach education. 

Contact: Mike Stone Ph.D. Professor Graduate Program Coordinator for Sport Physiology & Performance Ph.D. Phone: 423-439-5796 Office: E113 Ballad Health Athletic Center (Mini Dome) Email:  [email protected]  

More information about what we do can be found on the Center of Excellence for Sport Science and Coach Education webpage

Specific objectives for the program are to:

• Produce transformational sport science research and coach education/research;
• Produce pioneering research applied to coaching;
• Provide a background of knowledge of sport physiology that translates into quality coaching;
• Advocate for using a scientific approach to address issues surrounding athletics performance;
• Emphasize that a coach's primary responsibilities are for athletes' well-being and achievement, becoming the best that he or she can be;
• Reorganize perceptions to understand that research is a part of coaching; and
• Elevate the academic status of coaches in the educated community.

IMPACT:   This Ph.D. program is ground-breaking and distinctive in the US and will impact education and research for two professions:  sport scientists and coaches.   ETSU expects that this program will contribute to national interest and awareness of the need to academically educate sport scientists and coaches and to target athletic performance rather than participation .  This single refocus is expected to lower the incident of sport injuries and increase levels of performance achievement for athletes, thereby supporting sport through research and education. 

The doctoral program is integrated with the ETSU Center of Excellence for Sport Science and Coach Education (CESSCE).  The students will have the opportunity to be involved in clinics for coaches, continuing education programs, and activities that permeate the sports community, from the elite athlete to the grade-school child who participates in school or recreational sports.  Objectives of the CESSCE include improvement of athlete performance as well as how to better understand the role of sport and sport performance in the health and well being of the nation as a whole and the impact of disability, injury and disease on sport participation and performance.   The specialized research possibilities could easily yield findings that would impact quality of life of athletes and the general public.

CURRICULUM: The program requires a minimum of 72 semester hours, distributed as follows:

Concentrations(s) and Associated Electives:  There are two concentrations:  Sport Physiology and Sport Performance.

• The Sport Physiology concentration has 15 required semester credit hours and a minimum of 9 credit hours of guided electives . 
• The Sport Performance concentration has 15 required semester credit hours and a minimum of 9 credit hours of guided electives .

Sport physiology is concerned primarily with how underlying mechanisms can be manipulated by variations in training to produce specific performance enhancements.  For example, testosterone (an anabolic hormone) and cortisol (a catabolic hormone) are known to impact physiological variables such as lean body mass and body composition, strength, explosiveness, and psychological variables such as arousal.  A student may investigate the effects of manipulating training variables (e.g., volume of work and intensity of work) so that the T:C ratio is maximized at appropriate time, such as a conference or national championship. 

Sport performance is concerned primarily with ways in which individuals and teams can enhance competitive performance that may include nutrition, technique analysis, sport psychology, strength and conditioning training, and long-term athlete monitoring.  For example, a student in the Sport Performance concentration might investigate the acute and chronic effects of whole body vibration on the flexibility and competitive performance of elite gymnasts.

Credit Hour Distribution Summary:

All Students are required to take these Core courses.  

The following tables identify the required courses and potential guided electives for each concentration.

Sport Physiology

Guided Elective(s)  Based on the needs of the student (examples)

Sport Performance

Dissertation

The focus of a dissertation for the Ph.D. in Sport Physiology and Performance depends on the concentration: Sport Physiology or Sport Performance. Students in both concentrations use knowledge of physiology and research to better understand and enhance sport performance. However, students in the Sport Physiology concentration focus on translational research concerning how alterations in physiology impact sport performance, whereas the students in the Sport Performance concentration studies primarily how to maximally enhance performance using a research-based approach.

Admission Requirements:

Applicants, including international students, seeking admission to the Ph.D. in Sport Physiology and Performance degree program must fulfill all the requirements for admission to the ETSU School of Graduate Studies and adhere to other school processes, procedures, and requirements as delineated in the catalog. Presented in the Table PS1 are the School of Graduate Studies admission requirements and the additional requirements for the Ph.D. in Sport Physiology and Performance program. School of Graduate Studies Admission Requirements and Additional Requirements for the Ph.D. in Sport Physiology and Performance

Program Admission Requirements Admission to the Ph.D. degree program in Sport Physiology and Performance is competitive and based on scholarship, letters of recommendation, and evidence of potential success. Students seeking admission to the program must meet the general admission requirements of the Graduate School. In addition, the following specific admissions criteria apply:

• Vita or resume
• Personal essay detailing career and educational goals and potential area of interest for the dissertation.
• Official scores on the general test of the Graduate Record Examination (GRE).  Preferred scores are above the 50% percentile for verbal and quantitative sections.
• Four letters of recommendation from individuals who can address the applicants academic and professional achievements.  At least two recommendations must be from former college instructors.
• Masters degree (thesis preferred) or bachelors degree (strong research component) in Biology, Exercise Science, or related discipline from an accredited university with an overall GPA of 3.4 for applicants with a masters degree or 3.0 for applicants with a bachelors degree on a 4.0 scale. It is recommended that entering students have an undergraduate background in statistics, general chemistry, general biology, human anatomy and physiology. Students admitted with a B.S. or M.S. degree are expected to meet all doctoral requirements, including course prerequisites or equivalencies.* Thus, the program of study for a student entering with a B.S. degree will exceed the 72 credit hour minimum and extend the program of study.
• A personal or phone interview with members of the admission committee. Factors to be considered in the interview include academic success, evidence of leadership skills, writing skills, computer skills, and oral communication skills.

*Course prerequisites or equivalencies needed for the Ph.D. in Sport Physiology and Performance are:

• PEXS 3610 Exercise Physiology I,
• PEXS 4620 Exercise Physiology II,
• PEXS 5655 Sports Nutrition and Ergogenic Aids
• PEXS 5670 Research Design and Analysis.

Once all pertinent application materials are complete, the School of Graduate Studies forwards the application package to the program. Applications are not evaluated until all materials have been received. The program admissions committee reviews the materials, interviews the student, and completes an overall evaluation of the applicants ability to complete advanced study. Recommendations regarding admissions to the program are made to the Dean of the School of Graduate Studies who makes final decisions on admissions. The program can recommend conditional admission to promising applicants not meeting minimum requirements for GPA and prerequisites.

For students seeking a funded doctoral fellowship, completed applications should be submitted by February 15 for competitive review.  The program decisions for financial support are usually made in March or April.  Students not seeking funding need to apply by June 1 for admission for the fall semester.  Applications can be made electronically via the Web at http://goldlink.etsu.edu .

Sport, Exercise and Performance Psychology, Ph.D.

Degree requirements.

For the Ph.D. in Sport, Exercise, and Performance Psychology, students will work directly with their plan of study committee to determine the specific courses included. Doctoral plans of study are differentiated based on the student’s academic background, work experience, research interests, and career goals. Students must also complete a series of research benchmarks beyond the required coursework: essential readings, qualifying project, dissertation proposal and defense, and multiple peer-reviewed manuscript submissions and/or presentations. It is expected that all students will meet their respective research benchmarks in accordance with the timelines described by their doctoral advisor (chair) and plan of study committee. 

Curriculum Requirements

SEP 647 repeated for 3 to 9 credits; SEP 690 repeated for 3 to 6 credits.

A first-author data-based article submitted prior to the student’s first year can count towards this benchmark only if the submission occurred after their official admission into the program and is approved by the doctoral chair as meeting minimum quality standards.

Program Standards

Student research will be graded by program faculty each semester. Research grades will be awarded satisfactory or unsatisfactory (S/U). Additionally, doctoral student performance will be evaluated annually. Students who do not meet their research benchmarks by the prescribed deadlines could receive probation notification due to lack of progress. Failure to meet benchmark requirements beyond that point could result in suspension or dismissal from the program.

Major Learning Outcomes

Sport, exercise and performance psychology ph.d..

Following the completion of this program, graduates will be able to:

Adhere to the principles and standards for ethical research in the social sciences.

Critique and synthesize the literature in their primary field of study for the purpose of identifying gaps in the knowledge base and formulating new research questions.

Apply theories, methodologies, and data analysis approaches to answer research questions of conceptual significance.

Demonstrate skills in oral and written communication enough to publish and present peer-reviewed research in their primary field of study.

Initiate an independent line of research that represents a significant contribution to the literature base in their primary field of study.

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Sports Performance Analysis

​The Sports Performance Analysis research group is the largest such group in the UK including seven members of academic staff, postgraduate research students and members of staff lecturing at partner colleges.  The research done includes technique analysis, tactics in sport, work-rate analysis, effectiveness of performance analysis support in practice, performance analysis in media and judging contexts, momentum in sport, measurement issues in sports performance and professional practice in sports performance analysis.  The group run the International Journal of Sports Performance Analysis which is the only research journal in the area.

Research / Innovation Areas

Match analysis.

There is a branch of this research that analyses the technical and tactical aspects of individual and team games that are associated with successful performance.  There is another branch of this research which analyses how the process and outcome of sports performance is influenced by positional role, level of play, rule changes as well as situational variables such as venue effects, opposition style and quality, score-line effects and numerical superiority.

Physical demands

This research is concerned with the physical demands of sports performance and injury risk.  The intermittent nature of high intensity activity in game sports helps understand the energy systems used.  Detailed analysis of movement involves direction changes, accelerations, decelerations, jumps, straight line and arced movement.

Data Science in sports performance 

There are large volumes of sports performance data being analysed that are analysed using traditional statistical methods, modelling techniques, machine learning and artificial intelligence.

Visual awareness and decision making 

This research is concerned with the ability of performers to respond to visual cues, employing appropriate pattern recognition strategies. The research is also concerned with the way in which performers move in response to visual cues.

Group Members

Collaborators.

The university receives around £10,000 per year for editing the International Journal of Performance Analysis in Sport (Taylor and Francis)

Analysis and evaluation of individual performances in basketball, Collaborative research with Beijing Sports University

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Sports Performance Analytics Specialization

Predictive Sports Analytics with Real Sports Data. Anticipate player and team performance using sports analytics principles.

Taught in English

Some content may not be translated

Instructors: Stefan Szymanski +4 more

Instructors

Financial aid available

12,710 already enrolled

Specialization - 5 course series

(201 reviews)

Recommended experience

Intermediate level

Learners should have some familiarity with Python before starting this course. We recommend the Python for Everybody Specialization.

What you'll learn

Understand how to construct predictive models to anticipate team and player performance.

Understand the science behind athlete performance and game prediction.

Engage in a practical way to apply their Python, statistics, or predictive modeling skills.

Skills you'll gain

• Data Analysis
• Python Programming
• sports analytics

Details to know

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• Learn in-demand skills from university and industry experts
• Master a subject or tool with hands-on projects
• Develop a deep understanding of key concepts
• Earn a career certificate from University of Michigan

Earn a career certificate

Add this credential to your LinkedIn profile, resume, or CV

Share it on social media and in your performance review

Sports analytics has emerged as a field of research with increasing popularity propelled, in part, by the real-world success illustrated by the best-selling book and motion picture, Moneyball. Analysis of team and player performance data has continued to revolutionize the sports industry on the field, court, and ice as well as in living rooms among fantasy sports players and online sports gambling.

Drawing from real data sets in Major League Baseball (MLB), the National Basketball Association (NBA), the National Hockey League (NHL), the English Premier League (EPL-soccer), and the Indian Premier League (IPL-cricket), you’ll learn how to construct predictive models to anticipate team and player performance. You’ll also replicate the success of Moneyball using real statistical models, use the Linear Probability Model (LPM) to anticipate categorical outcomes variables in sports contests, explore how teams collect and organize an athlete’s performance data with wearable technologies, and how to apply machine learning in a sports analytics context.

This introduction to the field of sports analytics is designed for sports managers, coaches, physical therapists, as well as sports fans who want to understand the science behind athlete performance and game prediction. New Python programmers and data analysts who are looking for a fun and practical way to apply their Python, statistics, or predictive modeling skills will enjoy exploring courses in this series.

Applied Learning Project

Learners will apply methods and techniques learned to sports datasets to generate their own results rather than relying on the data processing performed by others. As a consequence the learner will be empowered to explore their own ideas about sports team performance, test them out using the data, and so become a producer of sports analytics rather than a consumer.

Foundations of Sports Analytics: Data, Representation, and Models in Sports

Use Python to analyze team performance in sports.

Become a producer of sports analytics rather than a consumer.

Moneyball and Beyond

Program data using Python to test the claims that lie behind the Moneyball story.

Use statistics to conduct your own team and player analyses.

Prediction Models with Sports Data

Learn how to generate forecasts of game results in professional sports using Python.

Wearable Technologies and Sports Analytics

Understand how wearable devices can be used to help characterize both training and performance.

Introduction to Machine Learning in Sports Analytics

Gain an understanding of how classification and regression techniques can be used to enable sports analytics across athletic activities and events.

The mission of the University of Michigan is to serve the people of Michigan and the world through preeminence in creating, communicating, preserving and applying knowledge, art, and academic values, and in developing leaders and citizens who will challenge the present and enrich the future.

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Frequently asked questions

How long does it take to complete the specialization.

The courses in this series range from 4 to 6 weeks worth of effort.

What background knowledge is necessary?

This Specialization does not carry university credit, but some universities may choose to accept Specialization Certificates for credit. Check with your institution to learn more.

Do I need to take the courses in a specific order?

We recommend you take the courses in order if you plan to complete the course series in full.

Will I earn university credit for completing the Specialization?

This Specialization doesn't carry university credit, but some universities may choose to accept Specialization Certificates for credit. Check with your institution to learn more.

Is this course really 100% online? Do I need to attend any classes in person?

This course is completely online, so there’s no need to show up to a classroom in person. You can access your lectures, readings and assignments anytime and anywhere via the web or your mobile device.

What is the refund policy?

If you subscribed, you get a 7-day free trial during which you can cancel at no penalty. After that, we don’t give refunds, but you can cancel your subscription at any time. See our full refund policy Opens in a new tab .

Can I just enroll in a single course?

Yes! To get started, click the course card that interests you and enroll. You can enroll and complete the course to earn a shareable certificate, or you can audit it to view the course materials for free. When you subscribe to a course that is part of a Specialization, you’re automatically subscribed to the full Specialization. Visit your learner dashboard to track your progress.

Is financial aid available?

Yes. In select learning programs, you can apply for financial aid or a scholarship if you can’t afford the enrollment fee. If fin aid or scholarship is available for your learning program selection, you’ll find a link to apply on the description page.

Can I take the course for free?

When you enroll in the course, you get access to all of the courses in the Specialization, and you earn a certificate when you complete the work. If you only want to read and view the course content, you can audit the course for free. If you cannot afford the fee, you can apply for financial aid Opens in a new tab .

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Lead at an Elite Level

PhD Leadership: Sports Leadership

•   NEXT START DATE: May 6, 2024
•   APPLICATION DEADLINE: April 29, 2024
•   DEGREE COMPLETION TIME: 3 YEARS (ESTIMATED)
•   DELIVERY FORMAT: 100% ONLINE

Apply Now More Info FAQ

Pursuing your PhD Leadership: Sports Leadership is a serious endeavor, requiring an uncompromising desire to push your knowledge beyond many of your peers.

We are here for it.

Our 100% online PhD program is set up for your success.

Take the Next Step in Your Sports Career Development

When Toronto Raptors Head Coach Nick Nurse wanted to increase his knowledge of sports leadership, he came to CUC.

The PhD Leadership: Sports Leadership program at Concordia University Chicago, in conjunction with Sports Management Worldwide , fit his busy schedule – just like it will fit yours. And while you may not coach a team to an NBA Championship, you will reach new heights in your sports career.

Many of our students are actively working in the NFL, NHL, NBA, MLS, MLB, and minor leagues as they pursue their doctorate online. These pillars of the sports community aren’t interested in giving up their career to pursue a degree. Instead, they’ve married both concepts – allowing them to apply their new knowledge to the workplace in real-time.

• The program is offered 100% online
• Interdisciplinary degree programs
• Nationally recognized faculty
• No residency or on-site visit requirements
• Concordia Tuition Guarantee
• Fall, Spring, and Summer start dates available
• $711 per credit hour, plus the cost of books

• Application for admission: apply online
• Writing sample that demonstrates your ability to write in a scholarly manner at a level typical of graduate work. A paper from your master's program would be most appropriate. This sample should approach, but not exceed, five pages in length.
• Resume/Curriculum Vitae
• Letter of application, including statement of career goals and research interests.
• Transcripts: provide one official, sealed transcript from each institution through which a degree was earned.
• International transcripts: any foreign transcripts must be evaluated by a Concordia-approved international credentialing service, such as WES (World Education Services) or ECE (Educational Credential Evaluators).
• Two letters of recommendation. Letters should be from individuals able to comment on the applicant's academic proficiency, personal character, competence, and effectiveness in professional work.
• Concordia University Chicago
• College of Graduate and Innovative Programs
• Addison Hall, Office 158
• 7400 Augusta Street
• River Forest, Illinois 60305-1499
• Application documents for the PhD Sports Leadership program may also be emailed to [email protected] or faxed to (708) 209-3454.

• Master's Degree in Health Science, Exercise Science, or related field with a minimum of 3.0 GPA on 4.0 scale.
• No GRE required.

PhD Sports Leadership Curriculum

Understanding the Costs of an PhD Leadership: Sports Leadership

• Only 1.68% of the U.S. population over age 25 has their doctorate degree. Let that sink in a moment. Just 1.68%!
• A PhD is the differentiator you’ve been looking for, a way to stand out in the competitive sports landscape and show that you have taken your career preparation seriously. By receiving your Doctorate, you are showing a dedication to you craft that not many others can boast.
• Concordia University Chicago is committed to providing students with a high-quality education at a reasonable cost. Our Doctoral degree program costs an unheard of $695/credit hour, which is 1/3 the cost of competitors programs. Because our programs are online we can save on many operational costs – allowing us to pass those benefits on to you.
• Our PhD Leadership: Sports Leadership program is a win for your career and your wallet.

What Can You Do With a PhD Leadership: Sports Leadership?

The sports industry needs more business leaders – you can fill that need.

As a student in the PhD Leadership: Sports Leadership program, you will be trained to use the latest technology and research tools to develop forward-thinking explorations and analysis of the sports industry – whether it be in organizational management, health and wellness, public health, economics of sport, legal issues in sports, sports leadership, or something else yet to be considered.

With required coursework in sports administration, various aspects of sports leadership and strategic forecasting and planning you will be qualified to lead any sports organization as they develop into the future. Electives can take you down many paths — legal, financial, economics, diversity, promotion – allowing you to customize your education in the direction you want to take flight.

After completing your final dissertation, you will be trained to craft research to help yourself and others better understand and evaluate logical steps toward thoughtful business decision making. You will become the asset that sports organizations need, qualified to lead and manage teams through the intricacies of the sports business landscape.

This degree program will qualify you for roles in:

• University Faculty
• Education, Health, and Human Performance Research
• University Leadership Positions
• Education Administration
• Non-profit and Private Sector Liaisons
• Entrepreneurs
• Training and Development
• Sports Agency
• Player Personnel
• Business Operations
• Media, PR, and Communications
• Community Relations
• Front Office Management
• Sports Marketing
• Athletic Director
• Sports Information Director
• Compliance Officer
• NCAA Academic Advisor
• Director of Fundraising and Development
• Professor of Sports Management

Lucky for you, you’ll also learn from Dr. Lynn Lashbrook, who is one of the most connected men in the sports industry and is dedicated to helping you find the right career opportunities after you complete the program.

Our online PhD Leadership: Sports Leadership program will open doors for your sports career – make your move today and invest in yourself!

Let’s Get Started

STEP 1 OF 2

Tuition Guarantee

CU Chicago's tuition guarantee program is an important way we help keep tuition affordable and predictable, so you know what the total cost of your education will be. We guarantee your tuition will remain the same and never increase while earning your degree.*

Accelerated Program

Complete your Doctorate courses in as little as 3 years .

100% Online

All of our graduate Sports Leadership programs are completely online and do not require any campus visit.

Transfer - Friendly

Up to 50% of the required course work may be transferred from another institution. Coursework from another institution will be reviewed on a case-by-case basis by graduate admission office.

• EdD, Kinesiology. University of Northern Colorado
• MEd, Health and Physical Education. Springfield College
• BS, Health and Physical Education. Fort Hays State University
• PhD, Educational Psychology. University of Iowa
• MA, Guidance and Counseling. University of South Florida
• BA, English and History. University of Tampa
• BS, Advertising and Marketing Specialization. University of Florida
• PhD, Administration & Supervision, Concentration in Church Organizational Leadership. Fordham University
• Professional Diploma, Pastoral Counseling. Fordham University
• MA, Theology. St. John’s University
• MA, Clinical Psychology. St. John’s University
• BA, Psychology. St. John’s University
• PhD, Organizational Leadership Concordia University Chicago, Organizational Leadership
• EdD, Educational Leadership Northcentral University, Educational Leadership
• MEd, School Supervision and Administration Bank Street College of Education
• MS, Reading, State University of New York at Albany
• BA, State University of New York at Albany
• PhD Leadership in Higher Education
• MS Education, Queens College
• BA Physical Education
• EdD Educational Leadership, Northcentral University
• MA Educational Policy and Leadership, The Ohio State University
• BGS, Literature, Science and Art, The University of Michigan
• PhD — Motor Learning/Orthopedic Sports Medicine, The University of Toledo
• MS – Strength Training and Athletic Conditioning, The Ohio State University
• MBA — Healthcare Administration, Baker College, Flint Michigan, MI
• BA – Physical Education, The Ohio State University
• A native of Rochester New York, Michael Heifferon completed his Bachelor of Education and Master of Science at The Ohio State University. He earned his Doctorate of Science from The University of Toledo and Masters in Business Administration from Baker College. Over the past 29 years as an athletic trainer, Michael has worked with the New York Yankees, The Ohio State University, The United States Olympic Committee and United States Anti-Doping Agency. Additionally, during that period of time Michael was selected to participate as a Doping Control Officer for the 1996 Atlanta Olympic Games and the 2010 Vancouver Winter Olympics.
• Additionally, from 1992 until present Michael has remained a health care administrator with a career in strengthening and leading all areas of operations within ambulatory, orthopedic, primary care, occupational, pain management and sports medicine practices. His diverse healthcare management experience includes achieving bottom line objectives, improving organization communication, and negotiator with success in securing advantageous contracts with strategic business partners, professional staff, insurance providers, and vendors. Other areas of interest and strengths include marketing, financial budgets, joint ventures, benchmarking and strategic planning and implementation.
• MBA, Marketing, University of New Orleans
• MS, Agricultural Economics
• BS, Agricultural Economics

Interested in Learning More?

•   NEXT START DATE: AUGUST 24, 2020
•   COURSE LENGTH: 8 WEEKS
•   DEADLINE: AUGUST 14, 2020

Apply Now Call (503) 719-7805

When Toronto Raptors Head Coach Nick Nurse wanted to increase his knowledge of sports leadership, he came to CUC. The PhD Leadership: Sports Leadership program at Concordia University Chicago, in conjunction with Sports Management Worldwide , fit his busy schedule – just like it will fit yours. And while you may not coach a team to an NBA Championship, you will reach new heights in your sports career. ...

• Game Day Operations
• NCAA Academic Advising
• Ticket Operations
• Fund raising & Development
• Sports Management Education
• Fan & Event Management

CU Chicago's tuition guarantee program is an important way we help keep tuition affordable and predictable, so you know what the total cost of your education will be. We guarantee your tuition will remain the same and never Increase while earning your degree.*

Transfer Friendly

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Master's in Sports and Exercise Analytics

Step up your game in the sports and exercise field, apply classroom knowledge with an industry internship..

Read one student’s experience as a football data and analytics intern for the NFL .

Data analytics is transforming the world of sports and exercise. The master of science in sports and  e xercise analytics at Marquette University intersects physiology and biomechanics with data science to address specific questions regarding elite athletic, sport, exercise and human performance.   

Graduates will have the analytic skills to develop new applications and interfaces for large and complex sport and human performance data sets combined with the foundational knowledge in exercise and sport physiology by which to aid in the accurate interpretation and translation of results to consumers, end users and clients.

Total Credits

Years to Complete*

Part-time and Online Options**

*Based on full-time student  |  **Hybrid program with online and on-campus courses.

Meet Brett | Master's in Sports and Exercise Analytics from Marquette University on Vimeo .

Read an Interview with Professor Kristof Kipp

Associate Professor Kipp discusses how the Sports and Exercise Analytics program prepares students for future success in an evolving world.  

Marquette University hosts Olympic weightlifting hopefuls

View more - Fulfilling an Olympic dream takes a lot of dedication and a lot of commitment. But the attention to detail could be the X-factor – and that's where Marquette University is stepping in.

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View more - WISN 12: New camp shows kids how sports and STEM go together

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Learning Outcomes

The goal of this program will be to train  sports and exercise data analysts to:   

• Articulate changes, trends and implications using analytics tools that can be ethically addressed across data platforms.   
• Design and implement strategies for analyzing data using appropriate methods, tools and data sets.   
• Analyze data to create actionable information, and use it to establish priorities, make decisions and solve problems aligning with the ethics, needs and values of individuals, communities and stakeholders  
• Display and explain the results of analytics projects using effective written, graphic, and verbal tools and techniques.   
• Use advanced data processing tools incorporating regulatory, data governance, master data management, data profiling, parallel and distributed processing best practices.   
• Manage data analytics projects and teams throughout the analytics life cycle.   
• Interpret and translate sports and exercise performance data for targeted consumers (private, public).   

Career Opportunities

Students are prepared to pursue careers in sport and exercise performance data science, including positions at: 

• Professional sports teams
• Collegiate sports teams
• Wearable companies
• Software companies
• Human performance laboratories

Hands-on Experience with Marquette Athletics

The program intersects with Marquette Athletics and its staff to address specific questions regarding elite athletic performance with our faculty as experts to assist in those measurements but most importantly their interpretation. Students work with real data sets from   research   laboratories,   Marquette athletes   and other large datasets   including kinetics and kinematic data, performance data and physiologic data, which provides a rich learning environment with ample opportunities to network with prospective stakeholders. Students will also be trained in systems currently being used at Marquette such as   Dexalytics   and Catapult .   

Graduates will be uniquely qualified to meet the challenges we face in analysis, management and use of large data sets and trained in the ethical considerations of collecting, managing and analyzing large data sets to make human performance decisions. This program is timely as the National Institutes of Health has identified a lack of tools and insufficient training in data science as an impediment to rapid translation of impact, decreasing our ability to advance the understanding of human health and disease.   

Take the next step towards your future

• Request Information
• Admission Requirements
• Application Details
• Program Faculty
• Course Work 

Ready to learn more about Marquette's sports and exercise analytics graduate program?  

Request more information now   or   schedule an on-campus visit.

Graduate Program Recruiter

phone: (414) 288-7139

email:  [email protected]  

Email the Graduate School

To be eligible for admission to the Graduate School at Marquette University, applicants must meet the following requirements:

• A bachelor's degree from a regionally accredited institution or international equivalent must be completed prior to starting graduate school.
• A minimum grade point average (GPA) of 3.00 on a 4.00 scale.
• Demonstrated English proficiency for non-U.S. citizens.

The Sports and Exercise Analytics program can accomodate students from a wide variety of disciplies, including exercise science, kinesiology, anatomy and physiology, sports management, business management, computer science, data science, engineering and many other related disciplines. 

Completion of the following coursework is required: 

• Computer programming course (e.g. COSC 1010 Introduction to Software Development at Marquette).
• Statistics course (e.g. MATH 1700 Modern Elementary Statistics at Marquette).
• Course in exercise physiology, anatomy, or similar. 

Contact the Graduate Admissions Counselor for this program for further clarification on any of these required courses. 

Application Requirements

Read all application instructions prior to beginning an application.

• A completed online application form and fee .
• If coursework was completed within the United States, submit copies of all current and previous college/universities except Marquette 1
• If coursework was completed outside of the United States, a transcript evaluation is required. A copy of a course-by-course evaluation is approved for the application process. 2
• A curriculum vitae including work history, formal education, continuing education, licensing and certification, professional organizations, honors and awards, publications, presentations and grants.
• A personal statement of no more than 500 words addressing your purpose for applying to the program, your ability to successfully complete the program and your goals (short and long term).
• Three letters of recommendation addressing the applicant’s academic, professional, clinical, personal attributes and potential for meaningful graduate study. At least one academic reference must be included.
• GRE scores . GRE scores are only required if degree GPA is below 3.000.
• For international applicants only: a minimum acceptable score on the iBT TOEFL exam of 90 overall, with minimum section scores of 25 for listening and speaking, and minimum scores of 20 for reading and writing, or other acceptable proof of English proficiency.
• Applicants may wish to submit one example of written work, such as a class project, course assignment, first author publication, grant application, etc. (optional).
• A virtual interview with the admissions committee may be needed.

1 Upon admission, final official transcripts from all previously attended colleges/universities, with certified English translations if original language is not English, must be submitted to the Graduate School within the first five weeks of the term of admission or a hold preventing registration for future terms will be placed on the student’s record. 

2Upon admission, an official course-by-course transcript/academic record evaluation must be submitted to the Graduate School within the first five weeks of the term of admission or a hold preventing registration for future terms will be placed on the student’s record. 

Students begin their studies in the fall of each academic year. This program has rolling admission, which means you may apply and submit application materials any time before the following dates:

• Fall term admissions – August 1 (June 1 for international applicants)

Paula Papanek is the founding director of the Sports and Exercise Analytics Program and the Exercise Science Program at Marquette University, teaching and training exercise physiologists for over 20 years. Her expertise and knowledge of sports and exercise data analytics will be critical to the success of this program.  Her expertise in body composition and bone mineral physiology is linked to athletic injury and performance.  

For more information on Dr. Papanek,   please visit the Physical Therapy department page

Kristof Kipp joined the Department of Physical Therapy  Program in Exercise Science at Marquette University in the fall of 2011. He received a PhD in nutrition and exercise sciences with emphasis in biomechanics from Oregon State University and completed a post-doctoral research fellowship at the University of Michigan.

Dr. Kipp’s academic and research interests revolve around sports science and biomechanics. He also helps direct Marquette University’s Motion Analysis and Biomechanics Laboratory.

For more information on Dr. Kipp, please visit the Physical Therapy Department page

Matt Hawkey joined the Department of Physical Therapy, Sport and Exercise Science Analytics at Marquette University in the fall of 2022.

Matt has over 20 years of sport and performance analytics industry experience. He has served in a variety of roles built around the use of data analytics to help improve human performance. Hs experience spread across professional, collegiate, and youth sport and military domains includes serving as a data and sport scientist, director of performance and analysis, and coach. His PhD focused on providing a framework to support athlete selection in professional soccer.  Utilizing a wide variety of technology and data sources, Matt’s applied focus and research primarily investigates how human performance data and sport analytics can best profile, monitor, and forecast athlete performance to improve organizational decision making.

For more information on Dr. Hawkey, please visit the Physical Therapy Department page

Dr. Bialkowski is trained as a clinical epidemiologist and translational data scientist. He first worked professionally as a Project and Program Manager in resuscitation research involving out-of-hospital cardiac arrest, traumatic brain injury, and hypovolemic shock clinical trials. He later moved into a Program Director role in the field of transfusion medicine and led several projects including observational and interventional clinical studies.

As an educator, Dr. Bialkowski prioritizes applied learning of data science skills. Students in his classes, and those involved in his research program, apply data science skills through individual assignment and project work. His courses engage with students across disciplines, including sports and exercise, criminal justice, accounting, healthcare, and many professional industries.

For more information on Dr. Bialkowski, please visit the Computer Science Department page

THESIS OPTION (PLAN A)

The master's student in Plan A must complete the required courses in data science (15 credits), the required courses in human performance/exercise physiology (12 credits), and 6 credits of thesis, for a total of 33 credits.    

NON-THESIS OPTION (PLAN B)

The master's student in Plan B must complete the required courses in data science (15 credits), the required courses in human performance/exercise physiology plus electives (15 credits), and 3 credits of project, for a total of 33 credits. 

REQUIRED COURSE WORK FOR PLAN A AND PLAN B   

ADDITIONAL COURSE REQUIREMENTS PLAN A (THESIS)

Additional course requirements plan b (non-thesis).

We Are Marquette · Advancing Human Performance

Program Snapshot

Application Deadline: Rolling Admission

Program Duration: 2 years

Full-time option: Yes | Part-time option: Yes

Hybrid Program: on-campus and online options

Program Course Work

Tuition Cost Per Credit:  $1,360.00 Other costs exist, see here.

Start Your Application

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Additional graduate programs.

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Data Science Certificate

Master's in Data Science

Master's in Sports and Exercise Data Analytics

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Applied Sport Performance Analysis

Qualification(s) available: msc.

Our MSc Applied Sport Performance Analysis degree offers you an excellent platform to develop the advanced knowledge and skills required to analyse and develop performance in elite sport.

Created in collaboration with industry experts, with high-quality teaching delivered by applied practitioners and world-renowned research active academics.

The programme focuses on the science, workflows, and applied practice of performance analysis and how it interacts with and supports the coaching and decision-making process in elite sport.

You will have access to market-leading performance analysis hardware and software, used in professional sports organisations, from partners such as HUDL.

The programme will challenge you to develop your understanding of sports analytics and visualization, how to create effective learning environments, the role of high-performance cultures in sport and provide you with tailored support to maximise your development.

As part of the programme, you will immerse yourself in a performance analysis placement to develop and test your skills in an applied setting and enhance your future career prospects.

Our students have enjoyed placement opportunities with Premier League and Football League teams, Premiership Rugby teams, County Cricket clubs, Loughborough Lightning franchises and other organisations in elite sport.

The programme culminates with an independent research project, enabling you to apply the knowledge and techniques you have learned to answer an applied sport performance analysis question.

The programme is ideal for students aspiring to work in elite sport supporting athlete development, overall team performance and the identification and recruitment of athletes in high profile sport organisations.

Why you should choose us

Why you should study this degree.

• Benefit from the academic expertise and reputation among graduate employers, which has seen Loughborough ranked No.1 in the world for sport-related subjects (QS World University Rankings 2017-2024). 
• Our MSc has been developed in collaboration with industry experts and informed by 'world-leading' and 'internationally-excellent' research (REF 2021).
• You will be taught by industry experts with significant experience in performance analysis and scouting roles across elite sport, including Premier League Football, the English Institute of Sport and the Netball Superleague.
• Extensive access to leading hardware and software (Apple, Tableau, HUDL, Wyscout and SBG Focus), will give you practical skills used throughout elite sport, increasing your employability upon graduation.
• Benefit from placement providers , mentors and guest speakers, from: Premier League football clubs, national football associations, Premiership Rugby teams, County Cricket clubs and the English Institute of Sport.
• You will be taught in high-quality teaching environments and have access to world-class facilities across a wide range of sports, at the University of the Year for Sport (The Times and Sunday Times Good University Guide 2022).
• Benefit from a placement mentor and a personal tutor who will help guide you towards achieving your individual goals and developing the skills you need for your future career.
• Take the opportunity to complete applied collaborative projects and focus on the sport(s) related to your career goals while completing assignments.

I wish to gain a full-time job as a performance analyst in elite cricket. Completing this master’s degree has equipped me with the skills, knowledge and confidence required to fulfil the demands and responsibilities of becoming a full-time analyst.

Alongside the programme, I worked at Birmingham City FC as the Academy Data Scientist. This enabled me to put theory into practice in a real-world setting. I was able to develop several skills, which were vital in securing my graduate role.

What you'll study

The following information is intended as an example only and is typically based on module information for the 2023/24 year of entry. Modules are reviewed on an annual basis and may be subject to future changes. Updated Programme and Module Specifications are made available ahead of each academic year. Please also see Terms and Conditions of Study for more information.

The MSc Applied Sport Performance Analysis degree is designed to give you a thorough grounding and hands-on experience of the practical application and latest research in analysing and developing elite performance.

The programme will focus on the science, workflows and applied practice of performance analysis and how it interacts with and supports the coaching and decision-making process. You will develop your understanding of sports analytics and visualisation and how to tell impactful stories using complex data sets. The programme culminates in a research project that allows you to apply the skills and knowledge you have acquired.

Compulsory modules

Coaching process and applied performance analysis workflows.

The aims of this module are to provide students with a systematic knowledge, understanding and skill set to be able to design, evaluate and deliver elite performance analysis support to various audiences and stakeholders.

Applied Sports Analytics and Visualization

The aims of this module are to provide students with the knowledge, understanding and skills to design, evaluate and deliver actionable insights through the use of sports analytics and data visualisation tools.

Applied Performance Analysis Placement - High Performance Cultures

The aims of this module are to provide students with opportunities to apply their knowledge and skills in performance analysis within the applied sport setting, while developing their knowledge and understanding of high performance cultures and environments.

Applied Performance Analysis Placement - Reflective Practice and Career Development

The aims of this module are to provide students with further opportunities to apply their knowledge and skills in performance analysis within the applied sport setting while developing a detailed knowledge and understanding of reflective practice and its role in personal development.

Research Project

The aims of this module is for students to apply their research knowledge, understanding and skills in the design, conduct and report of an original project in performance analysis.

Optional modules

Quantitative research.

The aims of this module are for the student to:

• gain a critical understanding and appreciation of statistical theory and its application in psychology, sport, exercise and health sciences
• gain a working knowledge of common statistical procedures in psychology, sport, exercise and health sciences research.

Qualitative Research

• gain a comprehensive and critical understanding and appreciation of qualitative and interpretative methods, in sport and exercise research generally and in their particular field of study
• critically review and communicate how different qualitative research designs inform understanding in sport and exercise research generally and in their particular field of study
• critique the process of guided inductive analysis and the representation of interpretative data
• measure phenomena appropriately in accordance with research design.

How you'll be assessed

You will be assessed by a variety of different coursework assignments and group work.

How you'll study

Our MSc programme blends the development opportunities available from a year-long performance analysis placement in elite sport with weekly in-person taught sessions. Sessions will have an applied focus, combining research informed insights with hands-on experience using industry leading software and hardware.

• Independent study
• Practical sessions
• Online tutorials

Where you'll study

Entry requirements.

Our entry requirements are listed using standard UK undergraduate degree classifications i.e. first-class honours, upper second-class honours and lower second-class honours. To learn the equivalent for your country, please choose it from the drop-down below.

Entry requirements for United Kingdom

A 2:1 (or equivalent international qualification) in Sport Science or a related programme (sport coaching, sport performance analysis). Alternatively, a 2:1 in a mathematics, statistics or data science course with sufficient evidence of engagement and interest in sport and sports performance.

Applicants need to have prior experience in performance analysis delivery or demonstrate training and engagement with performance analysis hardware and software and/or performance analysis research.

Applicants will also need to secure an appropriate performance analysis placement to be accepted onto the programme. Students may also incur travel costs associated with travelling between the placement provider and Loughborough University. Further information about securing a placement can be found on the  Applied Sport Performance Analysis placements web page .

Afghanistan

Bosnia and herzegovina.

Students are required to have a bachelor degree (4 years) for entry to a postgraduate programme. The University uses the Shanghai Academic Ranking of World Universities to identify the required final mark, as outlined on the table below:

Affiliated colleges

The University will consider students from Affiliated Colleges in the following way:

Applicants from colleges affiliated to universities in the top 250 Shanghai rankings will be considered if they have achieved or are likely to achieve final marks of 75%-84%.

Applicants from colleges affiliated to universities which are 251-500 in the Shanghai rankings will be considered if they have achieved or are likely to achieve final marks of 80%-87%.

Applicants from colleges affiliated to universities which are above 500 in the Shanghai rankings will be considered as follows:

• School of Business and Economics: not considered
• All other programmes if they have achieved or are likely to achieve final marks of 80%-87%.

Universities given special consideration

Applicants from a small number of Chinese universities that specialise in business, management, finance or creative arts will be given special consideration by the University. The full list of these universities and the Shanghai band under which they will be considered can be found below:

‌*Special consideration for programmes in School of Sport, Exercise and Health Sciences and Institute for Sport Business only.

Czech Republic

Dominican republic, el salvador, ivory coast, myanmar (burma), netherlands, new zealand, papua new guinea, philippines, saudi arabia, sierra leone, south africa, south korea, switzerland, trinidad and tobago, turkmenistan, united arab emirates, united states of america, english language requirements.

Applicants must meet the minimum English language requirements. Further details are available on the International website .

Fees and funding

October 2024 start.

£13,000 Full-time degree per annum

International fee

£29,750 Full-time degree per annum

The fee stated is for a full-time student undertaking a master’s programme of 180 credits. Part-time students should divide the published fee by 180 credits and then multiply by the number of credits they are taking to calculate their tuition fees.

Scholarships and bursaries

There are scholarships and bursaries available to help with funding your study.

10% off tuition fees

Sport, Exercise and Health Sciences Alumni Bursary

Up to 20% off tuition fees

Creating Better Futures Masters Scholarship for African Students

Up to £5,000 per year

Loughborough Sports Scholarship

Your development

Our staff are committed to helping you develop the skills and attributes you need to progress successfully in the performance analysis industry.

You will have the opportunity to learn from staff and external speakers who have extensive experience in elite sport and high-performance environments. These opportunities will offer you the chance to broaden your understanding of elite sport, the role of the performance analyst, and how to take ownership of your own career development.

Our MSc in Applied Sport Performance Analysis is designed to:

• Enhance your career prospects in athlete development, team performance and athlete recruitment in elite sport.
• Equip you with the hands-on experience and skills to become a performance analysis practitioner.
• Provide you with knowledge of the fundamental science relevant to the practice of performance analysis.
• Develop you as a reflective and professional performance analysis practitioner.
• Allow you to develop a portfolio of work and experiences that will support your transition into the sport industry.
• Provide you with tailored mentorship and support from an experienced practitioner and personal tutor.

These outcomes will be enhanced by the opportunity to immerse yourself in performance analysis support during an extended placement with either Loughborough University performance athletes or external sport partners, including national football associations, Premier League and Football League clubs, Premiership Rugby teams, County Cricket clubs, and more.

This experience will help you develop and test your skills in an applied setting, providing additional opportunities to analyse and reflect on your own professional practice and develop robust plans for your continuing personal development. During the placement you will be supported by a placement mentor and a personal tutor who will help guide you towards achieving your individual goals and developing the skills you need for your future career.

Students have benefited from placements with Aston Villa FC, Brentford FC, Coventry City FC, Derby County FC, Leicester City FC, Leicester Riders, Leicester Tigers RFC, LU Swimming, Lightning Netball, Lightning Rugby, Liverpool FC, Manchester City FC, Nottingham Forest FC, Saracens Mavericks, Sheffield Wednesday FC and QPR FC.

Our academics

Donald Barron

Applied performance analysis lead.

Having worked in professional football in roles including Head of Performance Analysis and Head of Technical Scouting, Donald is now Programme Leader for the Applied Sport Performance Analysis MSc. His research interests focus on: performance analysis, elite performance and sports analytics.

Dr Andrew Butterworth

University teacher in applied performance analysis.

After a decade working in various international performance analysis roles, Andrew now teaches on the Applied Sport Performance Analysis MSc, alongside leading the analysis provision for 2021 Super League Champions, Loughborough Lightning Netball.

Simon Barbour

Performance analysis lead.

For the past 14 years Simon has held roles as Head of Performance analysis at Leicester Tigers and the England Rugby Men's Senior team. Simon now leads our performance analysis in the Sport Development Centre.

Dr Janine Coates

Senior lecturer in qualitative research methods.

Janine’s research focuses on social inclusion of children and young people in marginalised groups, predominantly those with SEND. She has a particular interest in inclusive education and participation in sport and physical activity for children with disabilities.

Dr Anna Fitzpatrick

Anna contributes to the delivery of the MSc in Applied Sport Performance Analysis and supervises students conducting applied research within elite sport. Her own research focuses on the effective application of performance analysis within elite sport environments and skill acquisition in sports coac

Dr Florence Kinnafick

Senior lecturer in psychology.

A Chartered Psychologist of the British Psychological Society and a Fellow of the Higher Education Academy, Florence’s research explores the social contextual and environmental determinants of physical activity behaviour change for individuals with mental health problems and mental illness.

Dr Keith Tolfrey

Reader in paediatric exercise physiology.

Keith is a Fellow of the British Association of Sport and Exercise Sciences and Director of the International Confederation of Sport and Exercise Practice. His research is in paediatric exercise, health and performance; he also has extensive experience of quantitative statistics and research design.

Your future career

Graduates of this programme will be able to apply their performance analysis knowledge and skills working with elite athletes and teams, nationally and internationally.

Related careers are also available with global sports technology companies, sports analytics providers and media broadcasters. Graduates will also be able to pursue research and consultancy opportunities.

Graduate destinations

Students from this programme have secured job roles with the following organisations: Aston Villa, Bet365, Birmingham City, Brentford FC, City Football Group, Derby County, FIFA, Huddersfield Town, Leicester City FC, Leicester Tigers RFC, Liverpool FC, Manchester City FC, Northampton Saints, Norwich City FC, PGMOL, Red Zone Analysis, Rotherham United, Sports Interactive, WBA FC and Wolverhampton Wanderers FC.

Graduates of the School of Sport, Exercise and Health Sciences have also gone on to pursue roles within a wide variety of organisations including The Football Association, Arsenal FC, Manchester United FC, Chelsea FC, the England and Wales Cricket Board, British Gymnastics, British Cycling, the English Institute of Sport and the Australian Institute of Sport.

Having access to an unbelievable placement opportunity at Leicester City Football Club probably played the biggest part in securing my full-time role, as I managed to secure a job at the club. A real highlight of the placement was working with highly trained coaches and analysts. Providing support for Premier League 2, Premier League U18 and Premier League Cup fixtures really allowed me to build up a detailed tactical and technical grasp of football.

Related master's degrees

Phd sport, exercise and health sciences.

Loughborough

MSc Strength and Conditioning

Msc physiology and nutrition of sport and exercise.

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This field of study covers all the domains in sports science such as physiology of physical activity, human biomechanics, human motor development, performance analysis in sports, exercise prescription, sports psychology, sports methodology, and assessment in kinesiology.

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MSc Sports Performance Analysis

Expand your understanding of modern sports analysis

Join us for a virtual Open Evening

Be the first to know about upcoming postgraduate open evening dates., teaching and assessment, placement opportunities, student view, course costs, entry requirements, become proficient at the delivery of coach-driven, observational, and data-driven analyses.

Our highly-vocational MSc Sports Performance Analysis programme explores the more advanced concepts, processes and techniques undertaken within industry, and is aligned to employer needs.

With an emphasis on the application of theory to practice, a key focus is the development of practical competencies and software proficiency required for a career within sport performance analysis.

Students are issued with an Apple MacBook Pro with Hudl SportsCode Elite installed to support academic and placement work. This is a novel feature of the programme, and we are the only university to offer this.

Gain vital professional experience with our network of industry links

The course includes an extensive work placement, which offers invaluable industry relevant experience to support your academic learning and increase your employability within a competitive job market.

We are proud to have outstanding links with industry across multiple sports. Example placement organisations have included; Southampton FC, Brighton FC, AFC Bournemouth, Tottenham Hotspur FC, Harlequins RFC, Sussex County Cricket Club, Surrey Storm Netball, among others.

Prepare for your career within sports performance analysis

The outstanding links within the industry across multiple sports, cutting-edge facilities, novel assessment methods, and expert staff create an ideal learning environment for those either wishing to seek future employment in sports performance analysis, or, those currently employed within a professional club or organisation.

It caters to the rapidly developing and evolving job market within the field of sports performance analysis and is in response to the marked growth in career opportunities and proliferation of roles available to (aspiring/current) performance analysts within amateur and professional sporting organisations.

Explore the more advanced concepts and processes of contemporary sports performance analysis

You are required to complete modules in your chosen pathway plus one module in research methods and statistics, and, a research dissertation.

Advances in Performance Analysis of Sport

Applied performance analysis, computerised analysis & data visualisation, research methods for health and performance, the research dissertation, work placement.

Sports Performance Analysis is a well-established scientific sub-discipline of sport and exercise science. Sports Performance Analysis is predicated on the provision of valid, objective and reliable data to inform the coaching process and decision-making processes. Therefore, this module aims to provide you with a comprehensive and critical insight into the evolution, principles, theories and applications governing sports performance analysis. A theory to practice ethos is adopted throughout, promoting a research informed approach to applied practice.

You will develop the seminal personal skills e.g. communication, and professional skills e.g. technical skills, sport-specific knowledge, observation skills, required by an applied performance analysis practitioner.

The advent and evolution of computerised performance analysis systems has enabled the sophisticated design of performance analysis templates for the assessment of technical, tactical and/or physical performance. Computerised performance analysis systems also enable users to effectively generate, synthesise and report both subjective and objective data, in accordance with the demands of the sport. Proficiency with computerised performance analysis systems is essential for applied performance analysts, and facilitates the development of effective and (time) efficient workflows. Moreover, the use of computerised performance analysis systems has rapidly accelerated the production of sports data. As such, data visualisation, defined as the graphical representation of information and data, and by extension, visual analytics, is a crucial skill to readily identify patterns and trends in data, and answer data-driven questions. Therefore, the module aims to develop proficiency and autonomy with computerised performance analysis and data visualisation software.

During this module you will learn and apply innovative and cutting-edge methods of analysis evident in physiotherapy literature.

This module is the culmination of previous learning and is the major element of your independent enquiry on your programme.  The module requires that you reflect on, and utilise the knowledge base, context, and application of taught modules, as well as placement experiences. It is designed to encourage you to generate and explore your own ‘problem’ assisted by supervision from a tutor.

This double module provides invaluable experience working as a performance analyst within a sporting organisation. It will enable you to foster an acute understanding of how performance analysis is used within sport, offer insight into organisational culture, develop essential professional knowledge and skills, facilitate reflective practice, and develop a network of professional contacts.

Discover a wide range of excellent sporting facilities that support your learning

Bishop otter campus.

Click to watch our virtual tour of our historic Bishop Otter campus in the heart of Chichester.

Sports facilities

Professor Mike Lauder guides you through our world-class facilities on our historic Bishop Otter campus.

Tudor Hale Centre for Sport

Our world-class Tudor Hale Centre for Sport acts as the focus for sports science, therapy and physiology.

Placement partners

We have developed strong connections with our partners to provide you with work placement opportunities.

Sports hall

Our specialist sports hall can be used for a wide range of indoor sports, including basketball, netball, badminton, and volleyball.

Specialist outdoor sports pitches

Alongside our grass football and rugby pitches, we also have our International Hockey Federation compliant floodlit astro turf.

Close community

Our commitment to a friendly and close-knit student community contributes to a high degree of success for our graduates.

Expert staff

Learn from experienced sports performance analysis specialists here to support you throughout your degree.

Fitness suite

We offer a variety of cardio, resistance and weight equipment, with a dedicated strength and conditioning room.

Sports Dome

The Sports Dome is a large indoor facility which can be used for sports such as cricket, football, hockey, and many more.

Sports injury clinic

Sports Therapy students use our specialist injury clinics these spaces for practical sessions and run a practice.

FA Women's High-Performance Football Centre

As one of only nine centres in the UK, we provide additional opportunities for women to develop as players and coaches.

Learning Resource Centre

The Learning Resource Centre (LRC) contains the library, a café, IT/teaching rooms, and the Support and Information Zone (SIZ).

Our campus library holds more than 200,000 books and over 500,000 eBooks.

Subject specific librarians

If you have difficulty finding material for an essay, seminar or project, subject librarians will be happy to provide assistance.

Innovative teaching methods that focus on practice

Our team of principal lecturers ensure innovation, enthusiasm and expertise combine to deliver the excellent standards that give our institution its high reputation.

When you come to Chichester, you will join a community of students and lecturers working in partnership to ensure that your learning experience reflects best practice and embraces the opportunities presented by new, interactive technologies.

Each module is delivered differently depending on its content and focus of study.

In most modules you can expect lead lectures to introduce core content, but the majority of your time will be spent working in small groups with tutor support in seminars, workshops or laboratory sessions.

Many sessions will require you to have completed some preparatory work and you will also be given structured follow-up work after a session to further progress your learning, often reading or an individual/group task. As you progress through your degree you will be expected to take more and more ownership over your learning and development, directing your study into areas of most interest to you.

The programme benefits from a wide range of summative assessments, which are both novel and vocationally relevant. Examples of assessment include; applied research projects, job application and job interview, player dossier, and, presentations in a variety of contexts.

You can monitor your own progress, allowing you the opportunity to discuss and plan your development with your lecturers throughout the course.

• To gain a Postgraduate Certificate in Sports Performance Analysis, you need to complete 60 credits.
• To gain a Postgraduate Diploma in Sports Performance Analysis, you need to complete 120 credits.
• To gain an MSc in Sports Performance Analysis, you need to 120 credits, and a dissertation of 12,000 words or a supervised experience portfolio

Gain invaluable industry relevant experience to support your learning

You will typically undertake a season-long work placement and will spend circa three to four days a week on placement (dependent on placement). Placements will typically be within an elite, high performance organisation.

We have an impressive network of placement providers from which you can benefit. You may wish secure your own work placement providing an agreement is arranged.

Work placement opportunities are available across a range of sports. Previous students have worked with the following clubs and franchises:

• AFC Bournemouth
• Brighton and Hove Albion FC
• Millwall FC
• Southampton FC
• Tottenham Hotspur FC
• Harlequins RFC
• Surrey Storm
• Sussex County Cricket Club

The work placement module provides a platform for you to get involved in performance analysis in a real world situation, working closely with coaches, players, sport scientists, medical staff and management support team.

You will be able to utilise this opportunity to obtain work-related learning and practice skills learned in the University using innovative ideas to provide advanced analysis services.

Acquire the skills and knowledge required to gain employment as a sports analyst

This course boasts outstanding employability and has a proven track record of graduates securing full-time employment.

Amongst others, our graduates have gone on to secure jobs with:

• England Basketball
• Manchester United FC
• Bristol City FC
• Paris Saint Germain FC
• New York Mets
• Lawn Tennis Association
• Surrey County Cricket Club
• UK Anti-Doping

"I’m so glad I chose this University and the MSc Sport Performance Analysis course"

Course fees 2024/25, international fee.

For further details about fees, please see our  Tuition Fees  page.

For further details about international scholarships, please see our  Scholarships  page.

To find out about any additional costs on this course, please see our Additional Costs page .

• An honours degree at 2:1 or higher in a related discipline. Applicants with lower degree classifications will be considered on a case-by-case basis.
• You will be required to attend an interview.

If English is not your first language then English language proficiency required is IELTS 6.5 (with no element less than 5.5) – or equivalent qualification.

You will be asked to attend an interview as part of the application process. The interviews allow you to showcase your relevant knowledge and passion for sports performance analysis. The interview will also start to build the personalised and individual relationship that we have with all of our students.

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Sports Analytics Certificate Program | Northwestern SPS - Northwestern School of Professional Studies

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Program Overview

Sports Analytics

Sports Analytics Certificate Program

The graduate certificate in Sports Analytics focuses on the skills necessary to work in today’s data-intensive and data-driven world. This online certificate provides the technical and leadership training required for key positions in sports team management and analytics. Building upon Northwestern University's graduate program in data science, it reviews key technologies in analytics and modeling, probability theory, applied mathematics, statistics and programming. It shows how analytic techniques may be used in evaluating player and team performance and in sports team administration. 

STACKABLE CERTIFICATE

Complete this four-course certificate and apply your credit to either the  MA in Sports Administration  or MS in Data Science program at SPS.

About the Sports Analytics Certificate Program

Graduate certificate in sports analytics learning outcomes, sports analytics curriculum, sports analytics course schedule, sports analytics faculty, admission for the sports analytics certificate program, sports analytics tuition, sports analytics registration information, applying credit to sps graduate programs, find out more about northwestern's sports analytics certificate program.

After successful completion of the certificate, students will have the knowledge, skills, and aptitude to:

•  Build and interpret mathematical models of real-world phenomena in and across multiple disciplines
• Apply statistical techniques to the processing and interpretation of data from various industries and disciplines
• Use exploratory data analysis, predictive modeling, and presentation graphics in working with player on-field and on-court performance measures
• Employ modeling methods in studying player and team valuation, sports media, ticket pricing, game-day events management, loyalty and sponsorship program development, and customer relationship management

Students are required to complete the following four courses to earn the certificate:  

• MSDS 400 Math for Data Scientists
• MSDS 401 Statistical Analysis
• MSDS 456 Sports Performance Analytics
• MSDS 457 Sports Management Analytics

Review curriculum details while you consider applying to this program. Current students should refer to the   curriculum requirements   in place at time of entry into the program.

The Sports Analytics Course Schedule page provides you with detailed information on the program's offerings.

You can find a full listing of our instructors in this certificate program on the Sports Analytics Faculty page.

A variety of factors are considered when your application is reviewed. Background and experience vary from student to student. For a complete list of requirements, see the  Graduate Certificate Admission  page.

Tuition costs can vary for each of our programs. For the most up-to-date information on financial obligations, please visit our Sports Analytics Tuition page.

Our Sports Analytics Registration Information page outlines important dates and deadlines as well as the process for adding and dropping courses.

Students that are interested in the option of applying their credit to either the MA in Sports Administration or the  MS in Data Science program at SPS must submit an online application and submit all required application materials .

Students that elect to apply to a master's program before completing a graduate certificate will be able to count completed courses toward the applicable master's degree, but there will be no certificate conferred.

If you are interested in exploring this option, please contact the SPS graduate advising team for information on how to pursue a master's degree at SPS.

• Ai and data sciences

Sports Science and Analytics

Sports analytics , data science, iot, physics-based modelling, iris webinar.

The work plan will focus on four sports - cricket, tennis, running and football - using three methodological approaches - physics-based, data-driven and sensor and IoT driven. Eight cross-cutting problems have been identified which address the science of various aspects of sporting including ball bounce and impact, machine vision technology for aiding sporting decisions, Monte Carlo and graph theoretic models of sport, understanding the role betting, reinforcement learning for aiding game time decision making and developing IoT systems for capturing real time data from match-time and practice sessions.

Finally, these work packages will be integrated into a model that can be used by athletes or sporting clubs for training as well as decision making.

Nandan Sudarsanam

Principal investigator.

Area of Interest

Management studies.

A. N. Rajagopalan

Co-principal investigator, electrical engineering.

Jordi Duch Gavaldà

Computer science.

Luis A. Nunes Amaral

Chemical and biological engineering.

Mahesh Panchagnula

Applied mechanics.

Neelesh Patankar

Mechanical engineering.

Noshir Contractor

Behavioral sciences.

Raghunathan Rengaswamy

Global engagement.

Roger Guimerà Manrique

Chemical engineering.

• Expected deliverables

Current status

Collaborations, societal impact.

• Technical Progress

Relationship

The primary goal of this center is to bring the rigor of scientific approach to sport from physics as well as data analytic perspectives. the specific objectives of the center are:.

• to be an intellectual hub for sports analytics and science that is first of its kind.
• to use the insights gained for improving athlete performance as well as fan engagement.
• to use experimental resources for primary ground-truth validated data generation.
• to work with the sporting clubs, media and sports encouragement community to create an ecosystem encouraging sports-tech research and start-ups.

This CoE proposal is on the development of a Center for Sports Science and Analytics at IIT Madras. Sports as a field has undergone significant changes with increasing adoption of technology cross-cutting all aspects of sports such as:

• Player performance analysis and improvement.
• Team performance analysis and improvement.
• Rule enforcement.
• Sports administration.
• Fan engagement.
• Human endurance and limit.
• Sales, marketing and advertising.
• Betting and its influence on sports.

A list of project areas:

1. first principles modelling:.

• Develop a fluid mechanics model to calculate spinning ball trajectory
• Develop a model for bounce of a ball on a general surface to characterize pitch performance.
• Develop an experimental apparatus in IIT Madras’ sports facilities to accurately measure the spatiotemporal ball flight in football, tennis and cricket. Both visual and IoT based measurements of ball flight shall be made for establishing ground truth.
• Validate computer vision and image processing models against ground truth data.
• Validate the fluid mechanics model against the experimental measurements.

2. Data Science:

• Develop interpretable models for sports data. This is important for both fan engagement as well as player performance improvement.
• Develop Monte Carlo models of sports performance to understand the minimal parameter set that has a strong bearing on the end result.
• Develop network-based models of sports performance.
• Develop hybrid models, combining data science and first principles models. This class of models are important to developing explainable models.
• Develop a model to propagate uncertainty through both physics based, Monte Carlo as well as data based models.
• What can sport betting markets teach us about factors determining team performance?
• Prediction of extreme events in a game
• Player, State and Action evaluation through Reinforcement Learning

3. Internet of Things (IoT):

• Develop a set of smart sports equipment using implantable sensors and IoT devices, which are capable of generating data streams during a game.
• Player position data using beacons coupled with visual imaging to map out a rich data stream of a football or tennis match.
• Shot mechanics data from tennis and cricket shall be analyzed from textile implant sensors
• Computer Vision in Sports

4. Data Repository:

Another under-served need in sports analytics is the collection and curation of datasets for multiple sports that are relevant and reproducible. For sure, many organizations are likely to have data that is collected on-field and/or during training. However, this data hardly ever finds its way into the public domain due to many reasons such as competitive pressures, sensitive nature of the data and so on. As a result, while there are algorithms that are published and papers presented in conferences, the research can never be reproduced and objectively evaluated as the underlying data is not available.

Expected deliverables of the research

Publications and visible output:.

• High impact publications and top notch conference presentations
• Prototypes, technologies and start-ups

Manpower development:

• Minor course and IDDD programs:
• Associate Faculty from other institutes
• Outreach and capacity building

International Collaborations

• The Center is being jointly in partnership with Northwestern University which is one of the strongest sports science groups in the world.
• Two Co-PIs of the proposal are faculty at Universitat Rovira I Virgili, Tarragona, Spain
• A collaborative project on experimentation in sports is currently underway with faculty at Massachusetts Institute of Technology.

International Education Programs

• The Centre envisages joint degree programs between IITM and NU in this field leveraging academic programs that are already in place in NU in the field of sports analytics.
• Two international workshops and one Showcase Colloquium is planned to be conducted with quality speakers.

Industrial Collaborators

• IPL Team-Royal Challengers Bangalore
• Tamil Nadu Olympic Association
• Aspire Tennis Academy- Aspire boasts of most of the top professional players in India as users of its services.

Sports, especially Cricket in India carries the aspirations of 1.3 billion people. The social impact of this center is natural to the very purpose of the center - to bring a scientific paradigm to coaching and analysing sport, thereby improving outcomes. While we are initially focused on four sports, it is our desire to impact the outcomes in the Olympics. We have initiated a partnership with Olympic Gold Quest, an organization in the space of impacting Olympic outcomes in India.

The heady mix of sports and technology areas that are in the public radar (AI, IOT) can inspire K-12 students to get exposed to the STEM areas. The Center will catalyze this through regular outreach programs.

Activities related to “training to promote rural sports, nationally recognised sports, paralympic sports and olympic sports” is permissible under the Corporate Social Responsibility mandate of the Companies Act. Several start-ups that are likely to emerge from the Center could be funded initially through CSR grants. It is envisaged that CSR will form a significant source of support to sustain the Center’s activities, once it has established its credibility as a serious player in this space.

The center, through its AI/ML driven gamified activities will weave itself into the fabric of sporting growth in India. There is no entity that is ready to do this currently in India. We feel that the center will spin out a whole ecosystem of start-ups that will leverage technology developed in the Center for translating into products and games that various sports can use and benefit the country. A primary social objective of the center is to therefore sow the seeds of creating such an ecosystem in India.

Sustenance Statement

IIT Madras, with the RBC-DSAI, has a culture of translating high quality analytics research in India. Some of the Center faculty members have had funded research projects with ESPN, which has agreed to explore future opportunities as well. In addition, we have already had interest expressed from Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) to work with the Center.

The Center will develop a consortium model to onboard industry interest. This will allow all sports corporate entities to gain visibility of the research in the Center at a non-compete level. Subsequently, it is conceivable that the corporate partners would develop IP-guarded relationships with the Center faculty through sponsored consultancy projects.

The Center will position itself to attract CSR funds from a wide variety of corporate organizations, which has already been enabled legally. Therefore, sustainability plan will involve some funds secured from CSR which will continue to fund the translational aspects. In addition, the prospect of converting this Center into a named CoE with donor funds shall be explored. The Center will own equipment for gathering data from sports videos and other data. This equipment will be used by various sporting organizations, but operated by Center personnel for gathering high resolution spatiotemporal data. This data will be of value to the sporting clubs and therefore, they will pay for gathering the data. This will form one source of revenue for supporting Center equipment. Besides, the Center equipment will also be used for research.

Technical/ Scientific Progress

New works done in the project, infrastructure development.

• Purchase of Clusters, High speed cameras and Servers are in progress
• Sports Science Club has been started and regular meetings have been conducted. This initiative as inter-club will be managed by the CFI. Nearly 50 students are actively participating in this club. Problem statements will be shared to the students of the club.

Workshops, Papers, Webinars, Media coverage etc

IRIS Webinar was conducted on 22 July 2021. Prof Mahesh Panchgnula, Prof Raghunathan Rengaswamy, Prof A N Rajagopalan and Prof Nandan Sudarsanam gave away lectures. Title was Sports Science Analytics – AI and Data Science.

International Collaboration, Visits planned for PIs and Co PIs

• MoU is in progress with Kansa University, KS with Dr. Bala Natarajan Clair N. Palmer and Sara M. Palmer Professor, Steve Hsu Keystone Research Faculty Scholar Director, CPSWin group Dept. of Electrical and Computer Engineering Kansas State University, Manhattan, KS

International faculty visit and collaboration with Prof Noshir Contractor, He visited IITM on Dec 7-8, 2021. Dr. Noshir S Contractor, Jane S. & William J. White Professor of Behavioral Sciences, Northwestern University President-Elect, International Communication Association

Industrial Engagement

• IIS – Prof. Babji Srinivasan & Dr Ranganathan Srinivasan along with post graduate students visited IIS, Bellary on 8-9 Dec 2021. Prof Ravi Hegde, Professor of IIT Gandhinagar, also joined the IIS Visit. IIS Shared their problem statements with our team. Now our sports science team have been working on it. We will be having a long term future collaboration with them and benefit mutually.

• Royal Challengers Bangalore – We have initiated MoU with RCB, Bangalore. The following criteria will be.

Carried out in the collaboration.

• Development of course material to go on the RCB Innovation Labs platform. These courses will vary in size from 2 hours to 20 hours and be on topics that are relevant to sports in general - sports analytics etc.
• R&D to develop a data analytics tool to provide insights from the sensor data streams on the athlete management system. This tool will be developed by IITM using data provided by RCB.
• New sensor development: New sensor technologies developed by IITM will be piloted by RCB on their platforms. Rajesh V Menon, VP & Head RCB, Royal Challengers Sports Pvt Ltd has promptly agreed to have MOU with IITM.

University Engagement

• Prof Ravi Hegde, Electrical Engineering, IIT Gandhinagar

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Sport psychology and performance meta-analyses: A systematic review of the literature

Marc Lochbaum

1 Department of Kinesiology and Sport Management, Texas Tech University, Lubbock, Texas, United States of America

2 Education Academy, Vytautas Magnus University, Kaunas, Lithuania

Elisabeth Stoner

3 Department of Psychological Sciences, Texas Tech University, Lubbock, Texas, United States of America

Tristen Hefner

Sydney cooper.

4 Department of Kinesiology and Sport Management, Honors College, Texas Tech University, Lubbock, Texas, United States of America

Andrew M. Lane

5 Faculty of Education, Health and Well-Being, University of Wolverhampton, Walsall, West Midlands, United Kingdom

Peter C. Terry

6 Division of Research & Innovation, University of Southern Queensland, Toowoomba, Queensland, Australia

Associated Data

All relevant data are within the paper.

Sport psychology as an academic pursuit is nearly two centuries old. An enduring goal since inception has been to understand how psychological techniques can improve athletic performance. Although much evidence exists in the form of meta-analytic reviews related to sport psychology and performance, a systematic review of these meta-analyses is absent from the literature. We aimed to synthesize the extant literature to gain insights into the overall impact of sport psychology on athletic performance. Guided by the PRISMA statement for systematic reviews, we reviewed relevant articles identified via the EBSCOhost interface. Thirty meta-analyses published between 1983 and 2021 met the inclusion criteria, covering 16 distinct sport psychology constructs. Overall, sport psychology interventions/variables hypothesized to enhance performance (e.g., cohesion, confidence, mindfulness) were shown to have a moderate beneficial effect ( d = 0.51), whereas variables hypothesized to be detrimental to performance (e.g., cognitive anxiety, depression, ego climate) had a small negative effect ( d = -0.21). The quality rating of meta-analyses did not significantly moderate the magnitude of observed effects, nor did the research design (i.e., intervention vs. correlation) of the primary studies included in the meta-analyses. Our review strengthens the evidence base for sport psychology techniques and may be of great practical value to practitioners. We provide recommendations for future research in the area.

Introduction

Sport performance matters. Verifying its global importance requires no more than opening a newspaper to the sports section, browsing the internet, looking at social media outlets, or scanning abundant sources of sport information. Sport psychology is an important avenue through which to better understand and improve sport performance. To date, a systematic review of published sport psychology and performance meta-analyses is absent from the literature. Given the undeniable importance of sport, the history of sport psychology in academics since 1830, and the global rise of sport psychology journals and organizations, a comprehensive systematic review of the meta-analytic literature seems overdue. Thus, we aimed to consolidate the existing literature and provide recommendations for future research.

The development of sport psychology

The history of sport psychology dates back nearly 200 years. Terry [ 1 ] cites Carl Friedrich Koch’s (1830) publication titled [in translation] Calisthenics from the Viewpoint of Dietetics and Psychology [ 2 ] as perhaps the earliest publication in the field, and multiple commentators have noted that sport psychology experiments occurred in the world’s first psychology laboratory, established by Wilhelm Wundt at the University of Leipzig in 1879 [ 1 , 3 ]. Konrad Rieger’s research on hypnosis and muscular endurance, published in 1884 [ 4 ] and Angelo Mosso’s investigations of the effects of mental fatigue on physical performance, published in 1891 [ 5 ] were other early landmarks in the development of applied sport psychology research. Following the efforts of Koch, Wundt, Rieger, and Mosso, sport psychology works appeared with increasing regularity, including Philippe Tissié’s publications in 1894 [ 6 , 7 ] on psychology and physical training, and Pierre de Coubertin’s first use of the term sport psychology in his La Psychologie du Sport paper in 1900 [ 8 ]. In short, the history of sport psychology and performance research began as early as 1830 and picked up pace in the latter part of the 19 th century. Early pioneers, who helped shape sport psychology include Wundt, recognized as the “father of experimental psychology”, Tissié, the founder of French physical education and Legion of Honor awardee in 1932, and de Coubertin who became the father of the modern Olympic movement and founder of the International Olympic Committee.

Sport psychology flourished in the early 20 th century [see 1, 3 for extensive historic details]. For instance, independent laboratories emerged in Berlin, Germany, established by Carl Diem in 1920; in St. Petersburg and Moscow, Russia, established respectively by Avksenty Puni and Piotr Roudik in 1925; and in Champaign, Illinois USA, established by Coleman Griffith, also in 1925. The period from 1950–1980 saw rapid strides in sport psychology, with Franklin Henry establishing this field of study as independent of physical education in the landscape of American and eventually global sport science and kinesiology graduate programs [ 1 ]. In addition, of great importance in the 1960s, three international sport psychology organizations were established: namely, the International Society for Sport Psychology (1965), the North American Society for the Psychology of Sport and Physical Activity (1966), and the European Federation of Sport Psychology (1969). Since that time, the Association of Applied Sport Psychology (1986), the South American Society for Sport Psychology (1986), and the Asian-South Pacific Association of Sport Psychology (1989) have also been established.

The global growth in academic sport psychology has seen a large number of specialist publications launched, including the following journals: International Journal of Sport Psychology (1970), Journal of Sport & Exercise Psychology (1979), The Sport Psychologist (1987), Journal of Applied Sport Psychology (1989), Psychology of Sport and Exercise (2000), International Journal of Sport and Exercise Psychology (2003), Journal of Clinical Sport Psychology (2007), International Review of Sport and Exercise Psychology (2008), Journal of Sport Psychology in Action (2010), Sport , Exercise , and Performance Psychology (2014), and the Asian Journal of Sport & Exercise Psychology (2021).

In turn, the growth in journal outlets has seen sport psychology publications burgeon. Indicative of the scale of the contemporary literature on sport psychology, searches completed in May 2021 within the Web of Science Core Collection, identified 1,415 publications on goal setting and sport since 1985; 5,303 publications on confidence and sport since 1961; and 3,421 publications on anxiety and sport since 1980. In addition to academic journals, several comprehensive edited textbooks have been produced detailing sport psychology developments across the world, such as Hanrahan and Andersen’s (2010) Handbook of Applied Sport Psychology [ 9 ], Schinke, McGannon, and Smith’s (2016) International Handbook of Sport Psychology [ 10 ], and Bertollo, Filho, and Terry’s (2021) Advancements in Mental Skills Training [ 11 ] to name just a few. In short, sport psychology is global in both academic study and professional practice.

Meta-analysis in sport psychology

Several meta-analysis guides, computer programs, and sport psychology domain-specific primers have been popularized in the social sciences [ 12 , 13 ]. Sport psychology academics have conducted quantitative reviews on much studied constructs since the 1980s, with the first two appearing in 1983 in the form of Feltz and Landers’ meta-analysis on mental practice [ 14 ], which included 98 articles dating from 1934, and Bond and Titus’ cross-disciplinary meta-analysis on social facilitation [ 15 ], which summarized 241 studies including Triplett’s (1898) often-cited study of social facilitation in cycling [ 16 ]. Although much meta-analytic evidence exists for various constructs in sport and exercise psychology [ 12 ] including several related to performance [ 17 ], the evidence is inconsistent. For example, two meta-analyses, both ostensibly summarizing evidence of the benefits to performance of task cohesion [ 18 , 19 ], produced very different mean effects ( d = .24 vs d = 1.00) indicating that the true benefit lies somewhere in a wide range from small to large. Thus, the lack of a reliable evidence base for the use of sport psychology techniques represents a significant gap in the knowledge base for practitioners and researchers alike. A comprehensive systematic review of all published meta-analyses in the field of sport psychology has yet to be published.

Purpose and aim

We consider this review to be both necessary and long overdue for the following reasons: (a) the extensive history of sport psychology and performance research; (b) the prior publication of many meta-analyses summarizing various aspects of sport psychology research in a piecemeal fashion [ 12 , 17 ] but not its totality; and (c) the importance of better understanding and hopefully improving sport performance via the use of interventions based on solid evidence of their efficacy. Hence, we aimed to collate and evaluate this literature in a systematic way to gain improved understanding of the impact of sport psychology variables on sport performance by construct, research design, and meta-analysis quality, to enhance practical knowledge of sport psychology techniques and identify future lines of research inquiry. By systematically reviewing all identifiable meta-analytic reviews linking sport psychology techniques with sport performance, we aimed to evaluate the strength of the evidence base underpinning sport psychology interventions.

Materials and methods

This systematic review of meta-analyses followed the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) guidelines [ 20 ]. We did not register our systematic review protocol in a database. However, we specified our search strategy, inclusion criteria, data extraction, and data analyses in advance of writing our manuscript. All details of our work are available from the lead author. Concerning ethics, this systematic review received a waiver from Texas Tech University Human Subject Review Board as it concerned archival data (i.e., published meta-analyses).

Eligibility criteria

Published meta-analyses were retained for extensive examination if they met the following inclusion criteria: (a) included meta-analytic data such as mean group, between or within-group differences or correlates; (b) published prior to January 31, 2021; (c) published in a peer-reviewed journal; (d) investigated a recognized sport psychology construct; and (e) meta-analyzed data concerned with sport performance. There was no language of publication restriction. To align with our systematic review objectives, we gave much consideration to study participants and performance outcomes. Across multiple checks, all authors confirmed study eligibility. Three authors (ML, AL, and PT) completed the final inclusion assessments.

Information sources

Authors searched electronic databases, personal meta-analysis history, and checked with personal research contacts. Electronic database searches occurred in EBSCOhost with the following individual databases selected: APA PsycINFO, ERIC, Psychology and Behavioral Sciences Collection, and SPORTDiscus. An initial search concluded October 1, 2020. ML, AL, and PT rechecked the identified studies during the February–March, 2021 period, which resulted in the identification of two additional meta-analyses [ 21 , 22 ].

Search protocol

ML and ES initially conducted independent database searches. For the first search, ML used the following search terms: sport psychology with meta-analysis or quantitative review and sport and performance or sport* performance. For the second search, ES utilized a sport psychology textbook and used the chapter title terms (e.g., goal setting). In EBSCOhost, both searches used the advanced search option that provided three separate boxes for search terms such as box 1 (sport psychology), box 2 (meta-analysis), and box 3 (performance). Specific details of our search strategy were:

Search by ML:

• sport psychology, meta-analysis, sport and performance
• sport psychology, meta-analysis or quantitative review, sport* performance
• sport psychology, quantitative review, sport and performance
• sport psychology, quantitative review, sport* performance

Search by ES:

• mental practice or mental imagery or mental rehearsal and sports performance and meta-analysis
• goal setting and sports performance and meta-analysis
• anxiety and stress and sports performance and meta-analysis
• competition and sports performance and meta-analysis
• diversity and sports performance and meta-analysis
• cohesion and sports performance and meta-analysis
• imagery and sports performance and meta-analysis
• self-confidence and sports performance and meta-analysis
• concentration and sports performance and meta-analysis
• athletic injuries and sports performance and meta-analysis
• overtraining and sports performance and meta-analysis
• children and sports performance and meta-analysis

The following specific search of the EBSCOhost with SPORTDiscus, APA PsycINFO, Psychology and Behavioral Sciences Collection, and ERIC databases, returned six results from 2002–2020, of which three were included [ 18 , 19 , 23 ] and three were excluded because they were not meta-analyses.

• Box 1 cohesion
• Box 2 sports performance
• Box 3 meta-analysis

Study selection

As detailed in the PRISMA flow chart ( Fig 1 ) and the specified inclusion criteria, a thorough study selection process was used. As mentioned in the search protocol, two authors (ML and ES) engaged independently with two separate searches and then worked together to verify the selected studies. Next, AL and PT examined the selected study list for accuracy. ML, AL, and PT, whilst rating the quality of included meta-analyses, also re-examined all selected studies to verify that each met the predetermined study inclusion criteria. Throughout the study selection process, disagreements were resolved through discussion until consensus was reached.

Data extraction process

Initially, ML, TH, and ES extracted data items 1, 2, 3 and 8 (see Data items). Subsequently, ML, AL, and PT extracted the remaining data (items 4–7, 9, 10). Checks occurred during the extraction process for potential discrepancies (e.g., checking the number of primary studies in a meta-analysis). It was unnecessary to contact any meta-analysis authors for missing information or clarification during the data extraction process because all studies reported the required information. Across the search for meta-analyses, all identified studies were reported in English. Thus, no translation software or searching out a native speaker occurred. All data extraction forms (e.g., data items and individual meta-analysis quality) are available from the first author.

To help address our main aim, we extracted the following information from each meta-analysis: (1) author(s); (2) publication year; (3) construct(s); (4) intervention based meta-analysis (yes, no, mix); (5) performance outcome(s) description; (6) number of studies for the performance outcomes; (7) participant description; (8) main findings; (9) bias correction method/results; and (10) author(s) stated conclusions. For all information sought, we coded missing information as not reported.

Individual meta-analysis quality

ML, AL, and PT independently rated the quality of individual meta-analysis on the following 25 points found in the PRISMA checklist [ 20 ]: title; abstract structured summary; introduction rationale, objectives, and protocol and registration; methods eligibility criteria, information sources, search, study selection, data collection process, data items, risk of bias of individual studies, summary measures, synthesis of results, and risk of bias across studies; results study selection, study characteristics, risk of bias within studies, results of individual studies, synthesis of results, and risk of bias across studies; discussion summary of evidence, limitations, and conclusions; and funding. All meta-analyses were rated for quality by two coders to facilitate inter-coder reliability checks, and the mean quality ratings were used in subsequent analyses. One author (PT), having completed his own ratings, received the incoming ratings from ML and AL and ran the inter-coder analysis. Two rounds of ratings occurred due to discrepancies for seven meta-analyses, mainly between ML and AL. As no objective quality categorizations (i.e., a point system for grouping meta-analyses as poor, medium, good) currently exist, each meta-analysis was allocated a quality score of up to a maximum of 25 points. All coding records are available upon request.

Planned methods of analysis

Several preplanned methods of analysis occurred. We first assessed the mean quality rating of each meta-analysis based on our 25-point PRISMA-based rating system. Next, we used a median split of quality ratings to determine whether standardized mean effects (SMDs) differed by the two formed categories, higher and lower quality meta-analyses. Meta-analysis authors reported either of two different effect size metrics (i.e., r and SMD); hence we converted all correlational effects to SMD (i.e., Cohen’s d ) values using an online effect size calculator ( www.polyu.edu.hk/mm/effectsizefaqs/calculator/calculator.html ). We interpreted the meaningfulness of effects based on Cohen’s interpretation [ 24 ] with 0.20 as small, 0.50 as medium, 0.80 as large, and 1.30 as very large. As some psychological variables associate negatively with performance (e.g., confusion [ 25 ], cognitive anxiety [ 26 ]) whereas others associate positively (e.g., cohesion [ 23 ], mental practice [ 14 ]), we grouped meta-analyses according to whether the hypothesized effect with performance was positive or negative, and summarized the overall effects separately. By doing so, we avoided a scenario whereby the demonstrated positive and negative effects canceled one another out when combined. The effect of somatic anxiety on performance, which is hypothesized to follow an inverted-U relationship, was categorized as neutral [ 35 ]. Last, we grouped the included meta-analyses according to whether the primary studies were correlational in nature or involved an intervention and summarized these two groups of meta-analyses separately.

Study characteristics

Table 1 contains extracted data from 30 meta-analyses meeting the inclusion criteria, dating from 1983 [ 14 ] to 2021 [ 21 ]. The number of primary studies within the meta-analyses ranged from three [ 27 ] to 109 [ 28 ]. In terms of the description of participants included in the meta-analyses, 13 included participants described simply as athletes, whereas other meta-analyses identified a mix of elite athletes (e.g., professional, Olympic), recreational athletes, college-aged volunteers (many from sport science departments), younger children to adolescents, and adult exercisers. Of the 30 included meta-analyses, the majority ( n = 18) were published since 2010. The decadal breakdown of meta-analyses was 1980–1989 ( n = 1 [ 14 ]), 1990–1999 ( n = 6 [ 29 – 34 ]), 2000–2009 ( n = 5 [ 23 , 25 , 26 , 35 , 36 ]), 2010–2019 ( n = 12 [ 18 , 19 , 22 , 27 , 37 – 43 , 48 ]), and 2020–2021 ( n = 6 [ 21 , 28 , 44 – 47 ]).

As for the constructs covered, we categorized the 30 meta-analyses into the following areas: mental practice/imagery [ 14 , 29 , 30 , 42 , 46 , 47 ], anxiety [ 26 , 31 , 32 , 35 ], confidence [ 26 , 35 , 36 ], cohesion [ 18 , 19 , 23 ], goal orientation [ 22 , 44 , 48 ], mood [ 21 , 25 , 34 ], emotional intelligence [ 40 ], goal setting [ 33 ], interventions [ 37 ], mindfulness [ 27 ], music [ 28 ], neurofeedback training [ 43 ], perfectionism [ 39 ], pressure training [ 45 ], quiet eye training [ 41 ], and self-talk [ 38 ]. Multiple effects were generated from meta-analyses that included more than one construct (e.g., tension, depression, etc. [ 21 ]; anxiety and confidence [ 26 ]). In relation to whether the meta-analyses included in our review assessed the effects of a sport psychology intervention on performance or relationships between psychological constructs and performance, 13 were intervention-based, 14 were correlational, two included a mix of study types, and one included a large majority of cross-sectional studies ( Table 1 ).

A wide variety of performance outcomes across many sports was evident, such as golf putting, dart throwing, maximal strength, and juggling; or categorical outcomes such as win/loss and Olympic team selection. Given the extensive list of performance outcomes and the incomplete descriptions provided in some meta-analyses, a clear categorization or count of performance types was not possible. Sufficient to conclude, researchers utilized many performance outcomes across a wide range of team and individual sports, motor skills, and strength and aerobic tasks.

Effect size data and bias correction

To best summarize the effects, we transformed all correlations to SMD values (i.e., Cohen’s d ). Across all included meta-analyses shown in Table 2 and depicted in Fig 2 , we identified 61 effects. Having corrected for bias, effect size values were assessed for meaningfulness [ 24 ], which resulted in 15 categorized as negligible (< ±0.20), 29 as small (±0.20 to < 0.50), 13 as moderate (±0.50 to < 0.80), 2 as large (±0.80 to < 1.30), and 1 as very large (≥ 1.30).

Study quality rating results and summary analyses

Following our PRISMA quality ratings, intercoder reliability coefficients were initially .83 (ML, AL), .95 (ML, PT), and .90 (AL, PT), with a mean intercoder reliability coefficient of .89. To achieve improved reliability (i.e., r mean > .90), ML and AL re-examined their ratings. As a result, intercoder reliability increased to .98 (ML, AL), .96 (ML, PT), and .92 (AL, PT); a mean intercoder reliability coefficient of .95. Final quality ratings (i.e., the mean of two coders) ranged from 13 to 25 ( M = 19.03 ± 4.15). Our median split into higher ( M = 22.83 ± 1.08, range 21.5–25, n = 15) and lower ( M = 15.47 ± 2.42, range 13–20.5, n = 15) quality groups produced significant between-group differences in quality ( F 1,28 = 115.62, p < .001); hence, the median split met our intended purpose. The higher quality group of meta-analyses were published from 2015–2021 (median 2018) and the lower quality group from 1983–2014 (median 2000). It appears that meta-analysis standards have risen over the years since the PRISMA criteria were first introduced in 2009. All data for our analyses are shown in Table 2 .

Table 3 contains summary statistics with bias-corrected values used in the analyses. The overall mean effect for sport psychology constructs hypothesized to have a positive impact on performance was of moderate magnitude ( d = 0.51, 95% CI = 0.42, 0.58, n = 36). The overall mean effect for sport psychology constructs hypothesized to have a negative impact on performance was small in magnitude ( d = -0.21, 95% CI -0.31, -0.11, n = 24). In both instances, effects were larger, although not significantly so, among meta-analyses of higher quality compared to those of lower quality. Similarly, mean effects were larger but not significantly so, where reported effects in the original studies were based on interventional rather than correlational designs. This trend only applied to hypothesized positive effects because none of the original studies in the meta-analyses related to hypothesized negative effects used interventional designs.

Note. k = number of effects, N.S. = non-significant, n/a = not applicable.

In this systematic review of meta-analyses, we synthesized the available evidence regarding effects of sport psychology interventions/constructs on sport performance. We aimed to consolidate the literature, evaluate the potential for meta-analysis quality to influence the results, and suggest recommendations for future research at both the single study and quantitative review stages. During the systematic review process, several meta-analysis characteristics came to light, such as the number of meta-analyses of sport psychology interventions (experimental designs) compared to those summarizing the effects of psychological constructs (correlation designs) on performance, the number of meta-analyses with exclusively athletes as participants, and constructs featuring in multiple meta-analyses, some of which (e.g., cohesion) produced very different effect size values. Thus, although our overall aim was to evaluate the strength of the evidence base for use of psychological interventions in sport, we also discuss the impact of these meta-analysis characteristics on the reliability of the evidence.

When seen collectively, results of our review are supportive of using sport psychology techniques to help improve performance and confirm that variations in psychological constructs relate to variations in performance. For constructs hypothesized to have a positive effect on performance, the mean effect strength was moderate ( d = 0.51) although there was substantial variation between constructs. For example, the beneficial effects on performance of task cohesion ( d = 1.00) and self-efficacy ( d = 0.82) are large, and the available evidence base for use of mindfulness interventions suggests a very large beneficial effect on performance ( d = 1.35). Conversely, some hypothetically beneficial effects (2 of 36; 5.6%) were in the negligible-to-small range (0.15–0.20) and most beneficial effects (19 of 36; 52.8%) were in the small-to-moderate range (0.22–0.49). It should be noted that in the world of sport, especially at the elite level, even a small beneficial effect on performance derived from a psychological intervention may prove the difference between success and failure and hence small effects may be of great practical value. To put the scale of the benefits into perspective, an authoritative and extensively cited review of healthy eating and physical activity interventions [ 49 ] produced an overall pooled effect size of 0.31 (compared to 0.51 for our study), suggesting sport psychology interventions designed to improve performance are generally more effective than interventions designed to promote healthy living.

Among hypothetically negative effects (e.g., ego climate, cognitive anxiety, depression), the mean detrimental effect was small ( d = -0.21) although again substantial variation among constructs was evident. Some hypothetically negative constructs (5 of 24; 20.8%) were found to actually provide benefits to performance, albeit in the negligible range (0.02–0.12) and only two constructs (8.3%), both from Lochbaum and colleagues’ POMS meta-analysis [ 21 ], were shown to negatively affect performance above a moderate level (depression: d = -0.64; total mood disturbance, which incorporates the depression subscale: d = -0.84). Readers should note that the POMS and its derivatives assess six specific mood dimensions rather than the mood construct more broadly, and therefore results should not be extrapolated to other dimensions of mood [ 50 ].

Mean effects were larger among higher quality than lower quality meta-analyses for both hypothetically positive ( d = 0.54 vs d = 0.45) and negative effects ( d = -0.25 vs d = 0.17), but in neither case were the differences significant. It is reasonable to assume that the true effects were derived from the higher quality meta-analyses, although our conclusions remain the same regardless of study quality. Overall, our findings provide a more rigorous evidence base for the use of sport psychology techniques by practitioners than was previously available, representing a significant contribution to knowledge. Moreover, our systematic scrutiny of 30 meta-analyses published between 1983 and 2021 has facilitated a series of recommendations to improve the quality of future investigations in the sport psychology area.

Recommendations

The development of sport psychology as an academic discipline and area of professional practice relies on using evidence and theory to guide practice. Hence, a strong evidence base for the applied work of sport psychologists is of paramount importance. Although the beneficial effects of some sport psychology techniques are small, it is important to note the larger performance benefits for other techniques, which may be extremely meaningful for applied practice. Overall, however, especially given the heterogeneity of the observed effects, it would be wise for applied practitioners to avoid overpromising the benefits of sport psychology services to clients and perhaps underdelivering as a result [ 1 ].

The results of our systematic review can be used to generate recommendations for how the profession might conduct improved research to better inform applied practice. Much of the early research in sport psychology was exploratory and potential moderating variables were not always sufficiently controlled. Terry [ 51 ] outlined this in relation to the study of mood-performance relationships, identifying that physical and skills factors will very likely exert a greater influence on performance than psychological factors. Further, type of sport (e.g., individual vs. team), duration of activity (e.g., short vs. long duration), level of competition (e.g., elite vs. recreational), and performance measure (e.g., norm-referenced vs. self-referenced) have all been implicated as potential moderators of the relationship between psychological variables and sport performance [ 51 ]. To detect the relatively subtle effects of psychological effects on performance, research designs need to be sufficiently sensitive to such potential confounds. Several specific methodological issues are worth discussing.

The first issue relates to measurement. Investigating the strength of a relationship requires the measured variables to be valid, accurate and reliable. Psychological variables in the meta-analyses we reviewed relied primarily on self-report outcome measures. The accuracy of self-report data requires detailed inner knowledge of thoughts, emotions, and behavior. Research shows that the accuracy of self-report information is subject to substantial individual differences [ 52 , 53 ]. Therefore, self-report data, at best, are an estimate of the measure. Measurement issues are especially relevant to the assessment of performance, and considerable measurement variation was evident between meta-analyses. Some performance measures were more sensitive, especially those assessing physical performance relative to what is normal for the individual performer (i.e., self-referenced performance). Hence, having multiple baseline indicators of performance increases the probability of identifying genuine performance enhancement derived from a psychological intervention [ 54 ].

A second issue relates to clarifying the rationale for how and why specific psychological variables might influence performance. A comprehensive review of prerequisites and precursors of athletic talent [ 55 ] concluded that the superiority of Olympic champions over other elite athletes is determined in part by a range of psychological variables, including high intrinsic motivation, determination, dedication, persistence, and creativity, thereby identifying performance-related variables that might benefit from a psychological intervention. Identifying variables that influence the effectiveness of interventions is a challenging but essential issue for researchers seeking to control and assess factors that might influence results [ 49 ]. A key part of this process is to use theory to propose the mechanism(s) by which an intervention might affect performance and to hypothesize how large the effect might be.

A third issue relates to the characteristics of the research participants involved. Out of convenience, it is not uncommon for researchers to use undergraduate student participants for research projects, which may bias results and restrict the generalization of findings to the population of primary interest, often elite athletes. The level of training and physical conditioning of participants will clearly influence their performance. Highly trained athletes will typically make smaller gains in performance over time than novice athletes, due to a ceiling effect (i.e., they have less room for improvement). For example, consider runner A, who takes 20 minutes to run 5km one week but 19 minutes the next week, and Runner B who takes 30 minutes one week and 25 minutes the next. If we compare the two, Runner A runs faster than Runner B on both occasions, but Runner B improved more, so whose performance was better? If we also consider Runner C, a highly trained athlete with a personal best of 14 minutes, to run 1 minute quicker the following week would almost require a world record time, which is clearly unlikely. For this runner, an improvement of a few seconds would represent an excellent performance. Evidence shows that trained, highly motivated athletes may reach performance plateaus and as such are good candidates for psychological skills training. They are less likely to make performance gains due to increased training volume and therefore the impact of psychological skills interventions may emerge more clearly. Therefore, both test-retest and cross-sectional research designs should account for individual difference variables. Further, the range of individual difference factors will be context specific; for example, individual differences in strength will be more important in a study that uses weightlifting as the performance measure than one that uses darts as the performance measure, where individual differences in skill would be more important.

A fourth factor that has not been investigated extensively relates to the variables involved in learning sport psychology techniques. Techniques such as imagery, self-talk and goal setting all require cognitive processing and as such some people will learn them faster than others [ 56 ]. Further, some people are intuitive self-taught users of, for example, mood regulation strategies such as abdominal breathing or listening to music who, if recruited to participate in a study investigating the effects of learning such techniques on performance, would respond differently to novice users. Hence, a major challenge when testing the effects of a psychological intervention is to establish suitable controls. A traditional non-treatment group offers one option, but such an approach does not consider the influence of belief effects (i.e., placebo/nocebo), which can either add or detract from the effectiveness of performance interventions [ 57 ]. If an individual believes that, an intervention will be effective, this provides a motivating effect for engagement and so performance may improve via increased effort rather than the effect of the intervention per se.

When there are positive beliefs that an intervention will work, it becomes important to distinguish belief effects from the proposed mechanism through which the intervention should be successful. Research has shown that field studies often report larger effects than laboratory studies, a finding attributed to higher motivation among participants in field studies [ 58 ]. If participants are motivated to improve, being part of an active training condition should be associated with improved performance regardless of any intervention. In a large online study of over 44,000 participants, active training in sport psychology interventions was associated with improved performance, but only marginally more than for an active control condition [ 59 ]. The study involved 4-time Olympic champion Michael Johnson narrating both the intervention and active control using motivational encouragement in both conditions. Researchers should establish not only the expected size of an effect but also to specify and assess why the intervention worked. Where researchers report performance improvement, it is fundamental to explain the proposed mechanism by which performance was enhanced and to test the extent to which the improvement can be explained by the proposed mechanism(s).

Limitations

Systematic reviews are inherently limited by the quality of the primary studies included. Our review was also limited by the quality of the meta-analyses that had summarized the primary studies. We identified the following specific limitations; (1) only 12 meta-analyses summarized primary studies that were exclusively intervention-based, (2) the lack of detail regarding control groups in the intervention meta-analyses, (3) cross-sectional and correlation-based meta-analyses by definition do not test causation, and therefore provide limited direct evidence of the efficacy of interventions, (4) the extensive array of performance measures even within a single meta-analysis, (5) the absence of mechanistic explanations for the observed effects, and (6) an absence of detail across intervention-based meta-analyses regarding number of sessions, participants’ motivation to participate, level of expertise, and how the intervention was delivered. To ameliorate these concerns, we included a quality rating for all included meta-analyses. Having created higher and lower quality groups using a median split of quality ratings, we showed that effects were larger, although not significantly so, in the higher quality group of meta-analyses, all of which were published since 2015.

Conclusions

Journals are full of studies that investigate relationships between psychological variables and sport performance. Since 1983, researchers have utilized meta-analytic methods to summarize these single studies, and the pace is accelerating, with six relevant meta-analyses published since 2020. Unquestionably, sport psychology and performance research is fraught with limitations related to unsophisticated experimental designs. In our aggregation of the effect size values, most were small-to-moderate in meaningfulness with a handful of large values. Whether these moderate and large values could be replicated using more sophisticated research designs is unknown. We encourage use of improved research designs, at the minimum the use of control conditions. Likewise, we encourage researchers to adhere to meta-analytic guidelines such as PRISMA and for journals to insist on such adherence as a prerequisite for the acceptance of reviews. Although such guidelines can appear as a ‘painting by numbers’ approach, while reviewing the meta-analyses, we encountered difficulty in assessing and finding pertinent information for our study characteristics and quality ratings. In conclusion, much research exists in the form of quantitative reviews of studies published since 1934, almost 100 years after the very first publication about sport psychology and performance [ 2 ]. Sport psychology is now truly global in terms of academic pursuits and professional practice and the need for best practice information plus a strong evidence base for the efficacy of interventions is paramount. We should strive as a profession to research and provide best practices to athletes and the general community of those seeking performance improvements.

Supporting information

S1 checklist, acknowledgments.

We acknowledge the work of all academics since Koch in 1830 [ 2 ] for their efforts to research and promote the practice of applied sport psychology.

Funding Statement

The author(s) received no specific funding for this work.

Data Availability

• PLoS One. 2022; 17(2): e0263408.

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PONE-D-21-31186Sport psychology and performance meta-analyses: A systematic review of the literaturePLOS ONE

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Reviewer #2: Yes

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Reviewer #1: The paper entitled: “Sport psychology and performance meta-analyses: A systematic review of the literature” aimed to synthesize the extant literature to gain insights into the overall impact of sport psychology on athletic performance. The paper is well written and has a great and strong methodology. However, the introduction and discussion are not persuasive enough that the findings make a significant contribution to the literature and could therefore override these limitations. I include some comments below related to this summary for consideration.

1. In relation to the contribution of the study to the literature, I did not get a sense from the article that the findings revealed anything other than what we already know. Please clarified that;

2. The introduction of the paper was very descriptive, it did not situate the current study in literature or highlight what the gap in the literature is that this study is trying to address. At least, the authors should situate better the main purposes of this study;

3. The discussion is very descriptive and any statements about the contribution and conclusions of the study are not new. At least this moment. Please clarified better and justified your choices.

4. Overall, the paper has conditions for be accepted in PLOS ONE, however the authors should clarified the points above.

Reviewer #2: The submitted work presents a very interesting approach to summarize the results of systematic reviews/meta-analysis regarding sport psychology and performance. I must say that it is rare as a reviewer to find a so relevant and well developed study (particularly a review of literature) in which I can add and help so little. The authors are to be commended for the excellent work developed.

Given this, I can make 1 or 2 remarks in some sections, although I do not believe they are needed to ensure a final quality of the developed work. I believe this work can be published as it is, and my comments should only be considered if the authors feel they are noteworthy.

Lines 99 to 102. Given that several examples were presented before (e.g., journals), why the inclusion of only one book? Several examples could be given here, thus maintaining the line of reasoning presented before.

In method, why report PRISMA 2009, 2015 and 2020 guidelines? As stated in the Page et al (2020) reference used: "The PRISMA 2020 statement replaces the 2009 statement and includes new reporting guidance that reflects advances in methods to identify, select, appraise, and synthesis studies". Won't the 2020 reference be enough?

As a last remark, I wonder if a discussion (or a comment in the discussion/limitations) regarding mood, and particularly POMS, is needed. In this work and in some of the cited works (e.g., Lochbaum et al., 2021, EJIHPE) no discussion regarding the issues of POMS as an assessing tool for mood is presented. As mentioned by several researchers (e.g., Ekkekakis, 2013), POMS do not assess mood, at least not in a global domain. This do not impact directly this work, as generally only each of the six distinct states are explored. However, when interpreting figure 2 and extracting mood results, perhaps some clarification would frame the readers on this issues and respective interpretation of results.

Ekkekakis, P. (2013). The measurement of affect, mood and emotion. Cambridge University Press.

I am sorry I can not help any further with my comments. Thank you for your work.

Best regards

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Reviewer #2:  Yes:  Diogo S. Teixeira

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Author response to Decision Letter 0

13 Dec 2021

Response to Reviewers

Thank you to both reviewers for taking time to review and comment on our manuscript. We addressed all comments.

Reviewer #1: Yes

Reviewer #2: Yes

Author response: Thank you to the reviewers for their positive comments.

________________________________________

Reviewer #1: No

Author response: All pertinent data are found in Table 1 – 2 and in Figure 1.

Author response: Reviewer 1’s concerns have been addressed below.

Reviewer #1

The paper entitled: “Sport psychology and performance meta-analyses: A systematic review of the literature” aimed to synthesize the extant literature to gain insights into the overall impact of sport psychology on athletic performance. The paper is well written and has a great and strong methodology. However, the introduction and discussion are not persuasive enough that the findings make a significant contribution to the literature and could therefore override these limitations. I include some comments below related to this summary for consideration.

• Author response: We have amended the paper to address the three concerns below.

Comment 1. In relation to the contribution of the study to the literature, I did not get a sense from the article that the findings revealed anything other than what we already know. Please clarified that;

• Author response: We have expanded on the gap in the knowledge that we addressed on lines 115-121 on the revised manuscript.

Comment 2. The introduction of the paper was very descriptive, it did not situate the current study in literature or highlight what the gap in the literature is that this study is trying to address. At least, the authors should situate better the main purposes of this study;

• Author response: Currently, sport psychology practitioners wishing to use evidence-based strategies are faced with inconsistent evidence about the efficacy of sport psychology techniques. Our paper addresses this inconsistency by assessing the effectiveness of techniques collectively. This is explained on lines 115-121 and with some small modifications on lines 125-128.

Comment 3. The discussion is very descriptive and any statements about the contribution and conclusions of the study are not new. At least this moment. Please clarified better and justified your choices.

• Author response: As suggested, a stronger summary of the contribution of the paper is provided on lines 371-375. We would also argue that the recommendations section for improvements to future studies also represents a significant contribution to the body of knowledge. If the information provided is already well known, as the reviewer suggests, then we would question why previous investigators have not implemented it in their studies.

Comment 4. Overall, the paper has conditions for be accepted in PLOS ONE, however the authors should clarified the points above.

• Author response: We thank you for your comments, which have served to improve our paper.

Reviewer #2

The submitted work presents a very interesting approach to summarize the results of systematic reviews/meta-analysis regarding sport psychology and performance. I must say that it is rare as a reviewer to find a so relevant and well developed study (particularly a review of literature) in which I can add and help so little. The authors are to be commended for the excellent work developed.

• Author response: Many thanks for your extremely positive comments.

Comment 1. Given this, I can make 1 or 2 remarks in some sections, although I do not believe they are needed to ensure a final quality of the developed work. I believe this work can be published as it is, and my comments should only be considered if the authors feel they are noteworthy.

• Author response: As suggested, we have added some additional references to books on lines 99-104 and added them to the reference list on lines 523-524 and 527-529.

Comment 2. In method, why report PRISMA 2009, 2015 and 2020 guidelines? As stated in the Page et al (2020) reference used: "The PRISMA 2020 statement replaces the 2009 statement and includes new reporting guidance that reflects advances in methods to identify, select, appraise, and synthesis studies". Won't the 2020 reference be enough?

• Author response: As suggested, we have removed reference to the PRISMA guidelines published in 2009 and 2015.

Comment 3. As a last remark, I wonder if a discussion (or a comment in the discussion/limitations) regarding mood, and particularly POMS, is needed. In this work and in some of the cited works (e.g., Lochbaum et al., 2021, EJIHPE) no discussion regarding the issues of POMS as an assessing tool for mood is presented. As mentioned by several researchers (e.g., Ekkekakis, 2013), POMS do not assess mood, at least not in a global domain. This do not impact directly this work, as generally only each of the six distinct states are explored. However, when interpreting figure 2 and extracting mood results, perhaps some clarification would frame the readers on this issues and respective interpretation of results.

• Author response: It was not our intent to critique the construct validity of the measures used in the meta-analyses we reviewed. Nevertheless, as suggested, we have added a note that the POMS and its derivatives do not measure all aspects of the global domain of mood (see lines 364-366).

I am sorry I cannot help any further with my comments. Thank you for your work.

• Author response: We are delighted to know that you thought so highly of our paper.

Submitted filename: Response to Reviewers.docx

Decision Letter 1

19 Jan 2022

PONE-D-21-31186R1

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Reviewer #1: All comments have been addressed

Reviewer #2: All comments have been addressed

2. Is the manuscript technically sound, and do the data support the conclusions?

3. Has the statistical analysis been performed appropriately and rigorously?

4. Have the authors made all data underlying the findings in their manuscript fully available?

5. Is the manuscript presented in an intelligible fashion and written in standard English?

6. Review Comments to the Author

Reviewer #1: No more comments. The authors adressed all of my previous comments. Therefore, the manuscript must be accepted for publication. Congratulations.

Reviewer #2: (No Response)

7. PLOS authors have the option to publish the peer review history of their article ( what does this mean? ). If published, this will include your full peer review and any attached files.

Acceptance letter

25 Jan 2022

Dear Dr. Lochbaum:

I'm pleased to inform you that your manuscript has been deemed suitable for publication in PLOS ONE. Congratulations! Your manuscript is now with our production department.

If your institution or institutions have a press office, please let them know about your upcoming paper now to help maximize its impact. If they'll be preparing press materials, please inform our press team within the next 48 hours. Your manuscript will remain under strict press embargo until 2 pm Eastern Time on the date of publication. For more information please contact gro.solp@sserpeno .

If we can help with anything else, please email us at gro.solp@enosolp .

Thank you for submitting your work to PLOS ONE and supporting open access.

PLOS ONE Editorial Office Staff

on behalf of

Dr. Claudio Imperatori

Performance Analysis in Sport

School of Health and Society

September 2024

In a nutshell

The MSc Performance Analysis in Sport degree is a unique programme designed for those wishing to enhance their career in the area of performance analysis and high-performance sports practice. The programme aims to equip students with expert academic knowledge, allied to strong practical skills, in order to deliver a quality service to athletes, coaches and organisations. 

You will utilise industry-standard equipment and software to assess, monitor, review and improve performance in athletes and teams. You will critically review and evaluate academic performance analysis articles and assess the contribution to contemporary research. 

The degree programme takes a multidisciplinary perspective covering the influence the performance analyst can have within coaching, strength and conditioning, sports injury rehabilitation, amongst other applied scenarios. On the Performance Analysis Module, you will develop a truly integrated approach to the science of performance analysis, resulting in a final research project submission to show your competencies and skills in the most applied setting. You will gain the opportunity to work with other sports practitioners as you appraise the use of movement assessment methods to enhance performance and mitigate injury risk in the Injury Prevention and Performance Measurement module. 

• Have access to industry standard performance analysis equipment and be taught by industry professionals.
• Learn how this exciting discipline is used across sports to enhance performance.
• Generate an understanding of how performance analysis can be utilised in relation to sport injuries and how this can be measured.
• Have the opportunity to conduct some primary research that could lead to publications, which may inform future performance analysis practice.

This is for you if...

You are a sport professional looking to develop your career.

You have excellent communication skills and attention to detail.

You have the initiative to devise creative solutions.

All about the course

The MSc course is offered on both a full-time (one year) and part-time (three-year) basis.

The full-time course runs over three academic semesters (October through to September the following year), whilst giving you the chance to exit with the following awards:

• Postgraduate Certificate: completion of one module
• Postgraduate Diploma: completion of two modules
• Master's: completion of two modules plus a dissertation

In order to achieve an award of MSc Performance Analysis in Sport you must successfully complete the modules Performance Analysis and Injury Prevention and Performance Measurement, along with producing a thesis for the dissertation module.

The part-time course can be studied over two or three years, with the final module of the two-year option taught over the summer.

Performance Analysis

You will develop the knowledge and expertise to actively practice the discipline of Performance Analysis within an elite setting. You will utilise industry standard equipment to assess, monitor, review and improve performance in athletes/teams. You will use multiple methods to increase performance productivity in your clients as you cover diverse topics such as computerised notation, video and data analysis, athlete monitoring, performance analysis consultancy and scouting and recruitment.

Injury, Prevention and Performance Management

You will develop the ability to critically evaluate the scientific principles and theories of athletic screening and a clear understanding of the science behind performance measurement and appropriate interpretation of those measurements and learn to apply them in a real-world context. You will experience carrying out a systematic and structured group/individual project. This will further develop your critical evaluation and research skills in relation to your own professional practice and includes dissemination of research and good practice.

Dissertation

You will undertake an in-depth, evidence-based exploration of a key area relevant to your own practice; this is a substantial, independent, research project.

Please note that it may not be possible to deliver the full list of options every year as this will depend on factors such as how many students choose a particular option. Exact modules may also vary in order to keep content current. When accepting your offer of a place to study on this programme, you should be aware that not all optional modules will be running each year. Your tutor will be able to advise you as to the available options on or before the start of the programme. Whilst the University tries to ensure that you are able to undertake your preferred options, it cannot guarantee this.

What will I be doing?

This course is available both part-time and full-time and is delivered via a blended learning approach, which includes:

• Workshops (three days per module, per semester). These are interactive, discursive, reflective, participatory, collaborative and practice-related sessions that employ a variety of teaching and learning methods. As the course progresses these will become progressively more student-led, with you presenting case studies for peer and tutor review.
• Individual scholarly activity.
• Self-directed learning, personal reflection, practice-based application and reflection, including peer and tutor review.
• Distance learning resources.
• Delivery of supporting resources such as study guides and lecture material online.
• Facilitated group work, including tutor and peer evaluation, are a key component of this course.
• Personal tutor and peer support, to provide an academic, practice-based and personal support mechanism alongside facilitated networking.

Assessment methods will vary depending on the module. They include:

• Case studies (written and oral presentations)
• Literature review
• Practical assessments
• Journal articles (research reports written in the format of a journal article)
• Research proposal
• Consultancy pitch presentation
• Report writing

The School of Health and Society

The School of Health and Society is a forward-thinking, dynamic school with a commitment to lifelong learning and real-world impact.

We live in a rapidly changing world, and we’re keen to leave a productive legacy of helping people at all stages of their lives, improving their physical, psychological and social wellbeing.

Meet our students

Hannah is a current student studying MSc Performance Analysis in Sport after studying Equine and Human Sports Science at undergraduate level. Hannah is currently working with British Dressage to develop performance analysis techniques and tells us here how her studies have helped her achieve this. 

You will have access to some of the best facilities in the UK, including our purpose-built Human Performance Lab , which contains our vast array of performance analysis software and almost every type of physiological and biomechanical equipment including:

• Quintic Biomechanics
• SportsCode Gamebreaker
• Dartfish Easy Tag (ipads)
• FT700 Ballistic Measurement System
• 9 AMTI Force Plates, 5 of which are situated in a 40m running track
• ProReflex 10 Camera real-time motion analysis system
• KinCom and Biodex Isokinetic Dynamometers for Muscle Strength Testing
• Portable Kistler force plate
• EMG (electromyography) system used to measure the electrical activity of muscles and to gather information about the muscular and nervous systems
• Esaote AU5 Ultrasound used to study skeletal muscles, tendons, ligaments and blood flow
• We have a range of cycle and rowing ergometers, two treadmills, and two online gas analysis systems. We can perform blood analysis with our Analox GM7 Multi-Assay Blood Analyser to measure blood lactate, glucose and a range of other blood substrates
• There is also the Reflotron which is another multi-use system that can measure blood cholesterol and haemoglobin as well as portable blood glucose and lactate analysers.

In addition, we have the usual equipment found in exercise physiology labs.

• Polar heart rate monitors
• Harpenden skinfold callipers
• Nacsport Computerised Notation Software
• Catapult GPS
• Live Video Analysis and Filming Equipment (e.g. Hi-Pod)
• Wyscout for Scouting and Recruitment
• Force Plates (e.g. Hawkin Dynamics)
• Wingate tests
• Hand grip dynamometers
• Height and weight monitors
• Jump mats and timing gates

Staff profiles

Dr Mark Quinn

Programme Leader for the MSc Performance Analysis. Mark has worked in Rugby League as a Performance Analyst and Sports Scientist. He was an integral part of the Wigan Warriors team that had success in winning the Challenge Cup (2011, 2013), League Leaders Shield (2012), Super League Grand Final (2013, 2016) and World Club Challenge (2017). He has previously held an Assistant Coaching role with England Wheelchair Rugby League and has research interests in performance analysis, monitoring athletes and training load.

Dr Paul Comfort, CSCS*D, ASCC

Dr Comfort is a Reader in Strength and Conditioning and the programme leader for the MSc Strength and Conditioning at the University of Salford. Paul is also an adjunct professor at Edith Cowan University (Western Australia), a founder member and accredited member of the United Kingdom Strength and Conditioning Association, and a board member of the National Strength and Conditioning Association (July 2020-July 2023). Dr Comfort regularly consults with numerous professional sports teams in the UK and USA and has co-authored >150 peer-reviewed journal articles. Paul is also co-editor of the textbooks, ‘Advanced Strength and Conditioning: an evidence-based approach’ and ‘Performance Assessment for Strength and Conditioning.’

Dr Lee Herrington PhD MSc MCSP

Lee is a physiotherapist, senior lecturer in Sports Rehabilitation and programme leader for the MSc Sports Injury Rehabilitation at the University of Salford. Dr Herrington is also a consultant physiotherapist to Premiership & Championship Football and Rugby Union clubs, along with a number of Olympic sports. He worked as part of Team GB medical team at London 2012 and Rio 2016 Olympic Games. Lee has previously worked with British Swimming, Great Britain Basketball team, Wigan Warriors and Great Britain Rugby League teams along with England Table Tennis and Netball. He is the lead clinical researcher in the Knee Biomechanics and Injury at the University of Salford, with over 200 published research articles. His specific research interests are anterior knee pain and rehabilitation following knee surgery (principally Anterior Cruciate Ligament Reconstruction). Lee is also the Editor in Chief of Physical Therapy in Sport and on the editorial board of The Knee Journal and Journal of Sports Rehabilitation. Dr Herrington leads the Musculoskeletal Rehabilitation module on the MSc Sports Injury Rehabilitation.

Dr Paul A. Jones MSc, BSc (Hons), FBASES, BASES Accredited, CSCS*D, CSci

Paul is a Lecturer in Sports Biomechanics / Strength and Conditioning (S&C). Dr Jones earned a BSc (Hons) and MSc in Sports Science from Liverpool John Moores University and a PhD in Sports Biomechanics at the University of Salford. He has over 20 years’ experience in Biomechanics and S&C support to athletes and teams, primarily in athletics, football and rugby and was a former sports science co-ordinator for UK disability athletics. Paul is a BASES Fellow, has been BASES Accredited for >17 years and is currently a member of the BASES accreditation committee. Paul has also been a certified strength and conditioning specialist (CSCS) with the NSCA for >18 years. He has authored / co-authored over 100 peer-reviewed journal articles mainly in change of direction biomechanics and strength diagnostics and has co-edited a book ‘Performance Assessment in Strength and Conditioning’ published by Routledge. Paul leads the Injury Prevention and Performance Measurement module which is shared by the MSc Strength and Conditioning, MSc Sports Injury Rehabilitation and MSc Performance Analysis in Sports. 

Dr Steve Atkins, BASES Accredited, CSci

Steve is a BASES-accredited sport scientist who has a long-standing interest in how best to optimize human performance. With >100 publications in peer-reviewed journals, his primary research areas relate to the determinants of performance, including use of technologies to optimize performance profiling. Dr Atkins has worked with many elite and amateur athletes and supports clients via the School's Physiology testing service. He has lectured for over 25 years and is a Senior Fellow of the Higher Education Academy; seeking to create optimal learning environments for students.

What about after uni?

With the skills you'll learn in this course, you could take a lead role in performance analysis and make a difference to the performance of your clients. This course could help significantly increase your chances of getting a high-profile role in top-flight sport.

Upon successful completion of the course, it would be possible to progress on to a PhD, or a PhD via publication. We offer a range of research degrees relevant to your area of practice.

A taste of what you could become

A Sport Performance Analyst

and much more...

Career Links

This programme has strong links with several premierships and football league clubs, as well as local rugby and basketball teams.

As part of this programme, you would be expected to assess athlete performance and put forward suggestions for improvement. Upon successful completion of this programme, you will be equipped with the required skills to apply for ISPAS (International Society of Performance Analysis of Sport) accreditation.

What you need to know

Applicant profile .

This course is aimed at a wide range of sports professionals including practising performance analysts, sports scientist graduates, sports coaches, strength and conditioning coaches and physical education teachers.

This course has been developed to be accessible to individuals already working within the field of performance analysis, or those that are aiming to work towards full-time employment within the field. It would be advantageous (but not essential) to have access to athletes so that you can effectively evaluate their training and performance, and implement appropriate interventions as this forms part of the assessments for some modules.

We welcome applications from students who may not have formal/traditional entry criteria but who have relevant experience or the ability to pursue the course successfully.

English language requirements 

International applicants will be required to show proficiency in English. An IELTS score of 6.0 (no element below 5.5) is proof of this.

Please note: Due to the structure of this programme, it is not available to applicants who require a Student Visa.

Undergraduate degree

BSc/BA (Hons) graduates with an appropriate sports or exercise-related subject area (Sports Science, Sports Rehabilitation, Sports Coaching). Prospective students will normally be required to have achieved a 2:1 Honours degree, but consideration will be given to students with a 2:2 Honours degree with appropriate experience and satisfactory references.

You will need to provide a professional CV that shows skills and experience relevant to the degree programme.

Accreditation of Prior Learning (APL)

The Accreditation of Prior Learning (APL) process could help you to make your work and life experience count. The APL process can be used for entry onto courses or to give you exemptions from parts of your course.

Two forms of APL may be used for entry: the Accreditation of Prior Certificated Learning (APCL) or the Accreditation of Prior Experiential Learning (APEL).

Additional costs

You should consider additional costs which may include books, stationery, printing, binding and general subsistence on trips and visits.

All Set? Let's Apply

Still have some questions? Register for one of our  Open Days  or contact us:

By email:  [email protected] By phone:  +44 (0)161 295 4545

Enrolment dates

September 2025

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