As we step into 2024, the realm of sports science continues to evolve at an unprecedented pace, pushing boundaries and redefining the way athletes train, perform, and recover.
For Sport Science Agency, it has been a year of solid growth, and reflecting on the trends of 2023 provides valuable insights into the advancements that have shaped the industry, while also offering a glimpse into what lies ahead in 2024.
SSA has worked closely with Vodafone and the WRU to support players through the development and implementation of a brand new menstrual cycle tracking tool, PLAYER.Connect
REVIEW OF 2023
Athlete welfare
The welfare of athletes gained significant column inches and podcast minutes during 2024. The latest story regarding Rugby Union’s Owen Farrell’s decision to take a break from International duty during 2024 was met with both positive and negative reactions from across the sporting world.
Generally, within the sport of Rugby, the reaction seems to be one of support. Player welfare or the growing focus on Athlete Lifestyle, as SSA has discussed in a number of previous blogs, is increasingly recognising the demands on players and attempting to treat them as people rather than just athletes. At the very top levels of sport, increased media, social media exposure can often be difficult to handle for what are often young adults.
One particular topic where athlete welfare is becoming increasingly important is support around concussion. In 2023, the SSA has worked closely alongside Marker Diagnostics who are at the forefront of research and development to better understand the diagnosis of concussion in sport. With research continuing across the men’s and women’s games at varying levels of Rugby Union, Marker are building a unique profile of metrics, to establish clear indicators of concussion through their biomarker saliva test.
SSA has contributed to building awareness of this work through 2023, as well as supporting the company to broaden its relationships across elite sport and community activity at all ages. Much more is expected in 2024.
Performance technology integration
In 2023, saw the use of performance technology reach new heights in sport. This has been driven by the sport science teams and their desire to embrace advanced analytics, wearable technology, and monitor training and performance in real-time. Some of that is even being used in broadcasts to improve fan experience.
While multiple technologies existed, high performance systems now demand a level of bespoke support which has meant the need for companies to share API’s so that their data can be integrated into and overall monitoring system to gather intricate details about performance metrics, biometrics, and overall health. This drive for integration has allowed for a more holistic view of the athlete enabling the development of enhanced training programmes as well as interventions to reduce the risk of injury and particularly in team sports, increased personalisation.
SSA has been working with a number of endemic and non endemic tech firms to support their integration into elite performance programmes. Not only this, we have then been able to support all parties in the development of comms and marketing to showcase the benefits of the new approach.
Women’s research gap
Women’s sport continues to grow and SSA is at the heart of some fundamental developments in the understanding of the physiological and psychological health and performance for female athletes.
The belief that ‘women are not just small men’ still needs championing in some quarters, and SSA is working hard with the likes of Vodafone and World Rugby to develop platforms and resources that support women to perform at their best, at the very highest levels with specialist technology (see above) having been developed to track menstrual cycles and monitor impact on performance. Resources have also been created for worldwide use across rugby, with SSA providing expertise across subject areas such as breast and pelvic health.
Sports nutrition boosting performance with caffeine
The sports nutrition market continues to develop. Many elite performance programmes now have full-time sports nutritionists and a new focus is placed on fueling for performance and recovery as well as general health. Meal plans are developed to aid a whole food approach, whilst reaching for specific supplements as and when needed.
One such supplement is caffeine. Caffeine has been to aid both mental and physical performance across a wide range of sports. How to optimise its use across a range of sporting scenarios remains unknown for many. How much caffeine should an athlete take, when should they take it, in what form etc.
In 2023, SSA supported the development of BELTER, the flavoured caffeine performance pouch. It was the first product of its kind to receive Informed Sport accreditation securing the product’s credibility as a performance product suitable for elite athletes. SSA also developed the academic and real world research strategy as well as trial of the pouches amongst elite athletes across, Football, Rugby, Hockey, swimming amongst other sports.
As we bid farewell to a successful year at Sport Science Agency, we reflect proudly on the strides we've made in optimising athletic performance through cutting-edge research and innovation.
However, as we set our sights on 2024, it's evident that the landscape of sports is evolving, and the demand for specialist insight and knowledge in sports marketing is more crucial than ever. In the dynamic world of sports, bridging the gap between science and marketing will be key to unlocking new possibilities and propelling our agency to even greater heights.
Here's to another year of pushing boundaries and achieving excellence in the fascinating intersection of sports science and marketing.
Sport Science Agency uses its insight and expertise to tell performance stories and unlocks their value for brands, broadcasters and rights holders. To see some of our work click here If you want to know more about what we can do for you, drop us a note via info@sportscienceagency.com and we can arrange to go for a healthy vitamin-packed drink.