A sports development outfit, ASQ Development and Training Services is planning to add technical value to the Nigerian league, through a system that will ascertain and analyse the total input of players in a match.
The Sports Development Manager of the Company, Kazeem Ahmed, who spoke to sportsbash.com.ng at the Kwara State Stadium Complex during the on-going Ogunjobi Gold Cup competition, said that the system is undergoing test run with the Pre-Season competition.
The former Kwara United FC and Hodd of Norway winger said that the technology was first tested by ASQ during its annual Cup competition in Ilorin in 2019, and that efforts are on to have Nigerian clubs buy into the system, as it will help the development of the game and players, and also expose them to the world.
‘We brought a technology that ascertains the statistics of players during play, as it helps to get data on the distance covered, passes made, shots taken, how many times they touch the ball, the hit map and total areas covered during play, and this will be highlighted and used by coaches and managers to plan their techniques’, he said.
‘For example, there is an average distance a midfielder should cover, and with this technology, the coaches will have insight on the total performance of the player through the statistics.
‘With the technology, you can be sure of the standard of each and every player, and they can also be compared with their peers anywhere in the world.
‘It is a Global Positioning System (GPS) that operates globally, and this could be assessed by top managers in the world, and they can follow the players.
He said that the clubs will have the data of their players with an accompanying code, with which to relate with the information so gathered.
Kazeem said that the technology will be a positive move if fully introduced to the league system in Nigeria, as he expressed delight that so far, the league clubs have welcomed the idea, knowing fully well that it will be beneficial to them.
‘We are going to follow this up by meeting the clubs with our proposals, and also meeting the relevant authorities in football in Nigeria, to make formal presentation of the technology, but they must see the effect first, and that was why we are here to test run it for them to see’, he averred.
The technology is being tested on the players of teams participating in the competition holding at the Main-Bowl of the Kwara State Stadium Complex, Ilorin.
