Scientific Insights in Football Training

Dr. André Roca is a renowned expert in expertise and skill acquisition in sport. As an Associate Professor at St Mary’s University, London, André has established himself as a thought leader in the field, combining academic rigor with extensive practical experience. He earned his doctorate in Expert Performance and Skill Acquisition from Liverpool John Moores University and completed postdoctoral research at the prestigious German Sport University Cologne before joining St Mary’s in 2013.

André has published extensively on topics including decision-making, creativity, expertise, and coaching practice in sport. His impactful research has not only advanced academic understanding but has also reached global audiences through features in renowned outlets such as the BBC, UEFA, and FIFA. Frequently invited to speak at leading football and sport-specific conferences and organisations around the world, André’s insights bridge the gap between theory and practice, making a lasting impact across diverse audiences.

At St Mary’s, André co-leads the Performance and Practice Research Group, driving interdisciplinary collaboration to address key challenges in sport science and coaching. He also serves the academic community as an Associate Editor for the International Journal of Sport and Exercise Psychology and serves on the Advisory Boards of the Journal of Sports Sciences and the Journal of Applied Sport and Exercise Psychology.

A recognised Senior Fellow of the UK Higher Education Academy, André is the founder of the world’s first fully online Master’s programme in Football Coaching (MSc Performance Football Coaching), reflecting his commitment to accessible and innovative education. His academic expertise is underpinned by two decades of hands-on coaching experience in elite football academies, including a long and distinguished tenure at Fulham Football Club.

André Seabra is the Director of the Portugal Football School and an Associate Professor with Aggregation at the Faculty of Sport, University of Porto. His qualifications include a PhD in Sports Science and two Master's degrees, one in Public Health and the other in High-Performance Training. He is the author and co-author of more than 150 scientific articles published in national and international journals and has been a guest speaker at over 160 conferences in Portugal and other countries.

Chris Carling is the Head of Performance, Innovation & Research at the French Football Federation, bringing over 25 years of experience in elite sports performance, research, and coach education. He specializes in performance management, research strategy, and performance monitoring, and currently serves as a consultant researcher at the French National Rugby Federation, focusing on national youth teams and Rugby 7s. He is also an affiliate researcher at the French National Institute of Sport (INSEP).

Chris has worked in a range of top-tier football clubs, including Lille OSC FC for 10 seasons, where he focused on match analysis, sports science, and injury monitoring. He also worked with Manchester United FC for five seasons, providing opponent match analysis, and contributed to performance consulting projects with Olympique de Marseille FC, Paris St-Germain FC, and JA Drancy FC. His experience extends to Clairefontaine National Football Medical Centre, where he participated in longitudinal injury and physical testing research.

In addition to his practical experience, Chris has an extensive academic background. He holds a PhD in Sports Science and has published over 140 peer-reviewed articles, 13 book chapters, and two handbooks. He serves on the editorial boards of Sports Medicine, Journal of Sports Sciences, and Journal of Performance Analysis in Sport. Chris is also the Associate Editor in Chief and Section Editor (Football) for Journal of Sports Science & Medicine (JSSM).

Chris has previously worked at the University of Central Lancashire, where he served as a Research Fellow, University Programme Director, and Senior Lecturer for three years, overseeing the Professional Doctorate and Masters in Elite Performance course. He has also worked at INSEP, focusing on elite coach and athlete education.

Francisco Tavares is the physical performance coordinator for Sporting Clube de Portugal, and has previously worked as a strength and conditioning coach (S&C) in elite rugby with the New Zealand team The Chiefs competing in Super Rugby and the PRO14 Scottish team Glasgow Warriors. He is a certified S&C from the American (NSCA-CSCS) and Australian (ASCA-L2) associations. Francisco holds a PhD and a MSc in Sport Sciences and he is a published author and a guest lecturer in different areas of sport sciences at different Universities.

Geir Jordet is a Professor at the Norwegian School of Sport Sciences, where he teaches and conducts research on psychology and elite performance. Holding a PhD in soccer and psychology, he is widely recognized as the leading expert on the psychology of penalty shootouts. His research focuses on performing under pressure, decision-making in high-stakes situations, talent development, and effective learning in football. He has published extensively on these topics, with over 50 peer-reviewed articles and book chapters.

In football, he has consulted with several top professional teams, including Liverpool FC, Chelsea FC, Arsenal FC, Ajax Amsterdam FC, and Bayern Munich FC, applying his psychological methods to enhance performance. Jordet has also expanded his work to North American ice hockey and basketball, collaborating with NBA and NHL teams.

In addition to his academic and consultancy work, Geir Jordet is the author of Pressure: Lessons from the Psychology of the Penalty Shootout (released May 2024), and his expertise is frequently featured in major media outlets such as CNN, The Times, BBC, The Guardian, and many others. He has also worked with prominent business organizations, including Microsoft, Shell, and PwC, applying his performance psychology principles to the corporate world.

Helena Andersson is a Senior Lecturer in Sports Medicine at Umeå University, where she teaches physiology and exercise theory. She has a strong background in football and is a member of the Swedish Football Association's medical committee, having also undertaken various assignments for UEFA and FIFA. Helena has extensive experience working as a physical trainer and physical manager for elite women’s football teams, including the women's national teams of China, the USA, and Sweden. She has participated as a leader in three Olympic tournaments, two European Championships, and one World Cup.

Helena is currently involved in two research projects. One focuses on training and match load for young female footballers, using GPS data to monitor training. The other project examines walking football for seniors, mapping the physiological load during walking football training. Future studies will explore walking football's physiological effects, including an intervention study for seniors involving several weeks of training.

Helena’s research interests include applied training, periodization, training load, recovery, and field tests. She specializes in women’s football studies, particularly mapping physical match load, recovery processes, oxidative stress, and the immune system following football matches.

She is currently a group member in two significant research projects: "Physical Workload and Injury Incidence in Elite Youth Soccer Players," a collaboration between Svenska Fotbollförbundet, Göteborgs Universitet, and Umeå Universitet, and "Walking Football for Health," a project in collaboration with the Swedish Football Association, the University of Gothenburg, and the Swedish School of Gymnastics and Sport.

Helena's academic qualifications include a PhD in Medical Science with a specialization in Physiology/Medicine (2004-2010), a Master of Applied Science by research (1999-2001), and a Bachelor of Science in Sport Science (1997-1999). Before joining Umeå University in 2022, she was a Senior Lecturer at the School of Physical Education and Sport in Stockholm (2018-2022).

Her expertise lies in applied training, periodization, training load management, recovery, and field testing, with a particular focus on women’s football and walking football for health.

Full Professor at the Universidade of Trás-os-Montes and Alto Douro (UTAD). Pro-Rector for Infrastructure and Scientific Projects at UTAD. Coordinates the ELITE research community within the Research Center in Sports, Health, and Human Development (CIDESD), dedicated to analyzing training processes and sports performance in competition. Principal investigator of several research projects and author of numerous scientific publications (Scopus h-index 61). Regularly participates in conferences, seminars, postgraduate courses, and coach education programs (Football and Basketball). Member of the Performance Advisory Board of the Euroleague Basketball Players Association.

Head of Performance of the Portuguese Football Federation. He is the exercise physiologist and strength and conditioning specialist of the Health and Performance Unit from the Portuguese Football Federation. He previously worked as exercise physiologist in Aspetar – Qatar Orthopaedic and Sports Medicine Hospital, in Doha, Qatar. João has a PhD in Sport Sciences from the University of Porto. His research interests are focused on injury prevention, strength and conditioning, and monitoring of training and game loads.

Julia West is a Senior Lecturer in Sport and Exercise Psychology at the University of Worcester, where she is part of a dynamic team of sport and exercise scientists. Julia’s passion for football goalkeeping is reflected in her research, which focuses on identifying the key demands for goalkeeper training and performance monitoring. She has published several works on the subject, including one of the first articles on the key demands of the football goalkeeper.

In addition to her teaching responsibilities, Julia has recently taken on the role of academic link tutor for football, overseeing football performance teams and developing connections with progressive football clubs in the local area. She is also a Teaching Fellow of the Higher Education Academy and has conducted research on research ethics in UK universities, leading to her invitation to write a chapter for a handbook on research ethics in sport and exercise science.

Julia holds a PhD from the University of Worcester and has qualifications including a PGCert in Research Methods, a PGCert in Teaching and Learning in Higher Education, and an MSc in Sports Coaching. She also holds a First-Class BSc in Sports Studies and Leisure Management.

As a UEFA B Licence coach, Julia specialises in goalkeeper coaching. She coaches at Worcester City Women Football Club and is involved in the Future Lionesses Goalkeeper Coaching Programme, where she leads skill development, fitness training, and sports science support for goalkeepers.

Julia is the founder and head coach of the Worcester Goalkeeping Academy, established in 2003.

Her research interests extend to psychological and interdisciplinary factors affecting performance, including situational motivation, emotional regulation, confidence, and resilience in sport. Julia also supervises MSc dissertations in Performance Analysis, particularly in football and goalkeeping.

Michael Duncan is a Professor of Sport and Exercise Science at Coventry University, UK, a BASES-accredited Sport and Exercise Scientist, and a Chartered Scientist. His research focuses on the importance of movement skill development as a pathway to physical activity and sport performance during childhood and youth, with additional interests in obesity, ergogenic aids, kinanthropometry, physical activity, active videogaming, exercise physiology, strength and conditioning, motor skills, and motor competence.

He is the editor of the book Science and Practice of Youth Soccer, published by Routledge in 2024, and a UEFA licensed football coach actively involved in grassroots football with Ambleside Junior Football Club in Nuneaton, Warwickshire.

Michael has published over 200 peer-reviewed journal papers, 20 books or chapters in edited books, and presented over 250 peer-reviewed conference papers. He is a Fellow of the British Association of Sport and Exercise Sciences (BASES) and a member of the European College of Sports Science, American College of Sports Medicine, and United Kingdom Strength and Conditioning Association.

Michael also has extensive experience working with elite athletes in prescribing exercise programmes and evaluating performance. Additionally, he has collaborated with community groups on projects such as physical activity interventions for children and adolescents and investigating the effects of nutritional manipulation on cognitive and functional performance in older adults.

Pedro Silva (PhD, NSCA-CSCS) is currently the Performance Director of Futebol Clube do Porto, where he implements and supervises training methodologies across various teams (from football to other sports). After working with youth football teams in northern Portugal, he gained experience at Zenit St Petersburg, Shanghai SIPG, and Olympique de Marseille, where he contributed to optimizing physical conditioning, monitoring, and rehabilitation in his teams. In addition to his practical experience, he has served as a lecturer and researcher at the Faculty of Sport of the University of Porto and other national and international private institutions. His passion lies at the intersection of sports science, technology, and data analysis, continually exploring new training methods to enhance athlete performance.

Rodrigo Magalhães is the Technical Director at Sport Lisboa e Benfica, a club he has been part of for nearly 20 years. Throughout this time, he has held various roles, including Technical Coordinator for the initiation and specialization phases of youth football, overseeing player development from the Under-8 to the Under-23 teams, including the B team and Under-19.

In addition to his work at SL Benfica, he was Assistant Coach for Real SC’s senior football team during the 2016/2017 season. His coaching experience also includes roles at Dínamo Clube da Estação, Grupo Desportivo de Campia, and as Coach and Coordinator at Clube Académico de Futebol (Académico de Viseu).

He frequently collaborates as a guest lecturer with leading academic institutions, including FMH, Lusófona University, and Universidade Europeia. Additionally, he co-authored the book "Aprender a Jogar Futebol – Um Caminho para o Sucesso" ("Learning to Play Football – A Path to Success").

He holds a degree in Human Movement – specializing in Physical Education and Sport Sciences – from Instituto Piaget and is currently completing a Master's degree in High-Performance Sports Coaching at Lusófona University.

Sigrid Olthof is a sport scientist and Senior Lecturer in Performance Analysis and Analytics at Liverpool John Moores University (UK). Her research focuses on football performance, examining both individual players and team dynamics during practices and games. Specifically, she investigates various formats of small-sided games on their relation with match performance across youth and elite men’s and women’s football. She is also the Chair of the International Steering Committee on Science and Football.

Sigrid holds a PhD in Sport Science from the University of Groningen (the Netherlands), where her research explored small-sided games in youth soccer, comparing team tactical behavior in these games to full match play. She also holds an MSc in Human Movement Science and a BSc in Human Movement Science from the University of Groningen.

Before her role at LJMU, Sigrid was a postdoctoral research fellow and sport scientist at the University of Michigan (USA), where she researched and monitored athletes' load across various sports, including American football, basketball, ice hockey, soccer, lacrosse, and field hockey. She also supported coaching and medical staff in integrating data and technology into training, game reports, and return-to-play protocols.

Her current research interests include performance analysis, small-sided games, training methods, coach behavior, and wearable technology (such as GPS). She works on the cutting edge of sports science, utilizing technology and data to optimize performance in football and other team sports.

Sigrid has earned certifications in Leadership in Higher Education from Advance HE (2024) and University Teaching Qualification in Higher Education from the University of Groningen (2019).

Thomas Rostgaard Andersen, MSc, PhD, CSci, is an Assistant Professor in Elite Football and Performance at the University of Southern Denmark. He is a chartered scientist and BASES-accredited high-performance sports and exercise scientist. Since 2006, he has led performance teams for several Danish Premier League football clubs and served as a fitness coach for the Danish FA U21 men’s national team. He currently supports international-level football clubs and individual athletes, while also acting as a scientific advisor to the Danish male and female youth national teams.

Dr. Andersen’s research focuses on performance testing and profiling of elite athletes, particularly in football and running, as well as performance enhancements and health adaptations. His work also includes the prevention of lifestyle-related diseases through intensified training, and the study of skeletal muscle protein expression adaptations following high-intensity and strength training. He regularly publishes papers in peer-reviewed journals on these topics.

Timo Laakso is a Senior Lecturer at the Faculty of Health and Sciences at the University of Jyväskylä, Finland, with over 20 years of experience in teaching and researching youth football coaching. His main expertise lies in the application of Nonlinear Pedagogy and Ecological Dynamics in sports education, with a particular focus on tactical behavior in youth football. Timo’s academic background includes a PhD and a Master of Education from the University of Jyväskylä. His doctoral thesis, From Individual to Collective Tactical Behaviour in Youth Football, explores the theoretical framework of Ecological Dynamics to enhance coaching practices.

Timo has applied his research findings in various teaching contexts, including developing and leading practical workshops on the use of the Constraints-Led Approach (CLA) in invasion games. One of his notable practical sessions is titled Ideas for Tag-Games and Catching-Games Using CLA in Invasion Games, which offers concrete examples for integrating Nonlinear Pedagogy into physical education lessons. His work bridges the gap between theory and practice, providing innovative methods for football coaching.

In addition to his role at the University of Jyväskylä, Timo has collaborated with several international organizations and colleagues in Portugal to improve coach education programs. He is an influential figure in the field of youth football development, continually contributing to the academic and practical advancement of football coaching methodologies.

Esben Elholm Madsen is a Postdoctoral Researcher at the Department of Sports Science and Clinical Biomechanics at the University of Southern Denmark, specializing in sports psychology and health promotion.

 His research focuses on the psychological aspects of physical activity, particularly in youth sports and health interventions. Esben holds a Master's degree in Social Sciences and completed his PhD at the University of Southern Denmark, where his doctoral thesis examined the motivational processes in the "11 for Health in Denmark" program, an 11-week school-based football intervention aimed at enhancing physical activity and health knowledge among children.

He has contributed to various studies on well-being, physical fitness, and health profiles of children in relation to leisure-time sports club activities. Esben has also collaborated with international researchers to develop and implement health promotion interventions in school settings. His work bridges the gap between research and practice, providing valuable insights into effective strategies for promoting physical activity and well-being among youth.