2018
Journal article  Open Access

Effective injury forecasting in soccer with GPS training data and machine learning

Rossi A., Pappalardo L., Cintia P., Iaia F. M., Fernandez J., Medina D.

Machine Learning (stat.ML)  Research and Analysis Methods  Mathematics  Statistics (Mathematics)  Soccer Analytics  Machine Learning  Physical Activity  Data Science  Sports Science  FOS: Computer and information sciences  Applied Data Science  Mathematical and Statistical Techniques  Kinematics  H.2.8  Management Engineering  Sports Analytics  Behavior  Injury Prediction  Multidisciplinary  Research Article  Sports  Statistics - Machine Learning  Decision Analysis  Artificial Intelligence  Classical Mechanics  62-07  Medicine and Health Sciences  Decision Tree Learning  Injury Forecasting  Computer and Information Sciences  Statistical Methods  Forecasting  Physics  Physical Sciences  Engineering and Technology  Biology and Life Sciences  Recreation  Public and Occupational Health  Statistics - Applications  Games  Decision Trees  Applications (stat.AP) 

Injuries have a great impact on professional soccer, due to their large influence on team performance and the considerable costs of rehabilitation for players. Existing studies in the literature provide just a preliminary understanding of which factors mostly affect injury risk, while an evaluation of the potential of statistical models in forecasting injuries is still missing. In this paper, we propose a multi-dimensional approach to injury forecasting in professional soccer that is based on GPS measurements and machine learning. By using GPS tracking technology, we collect data describing the training workload of players in a professional soccer club during a season. We then construct an injury forecaster and show that it is both accurate and interpretable by providing a set of case studies of interest to soccer practitioners. Our approach opens a novel perspective on injury prevention, providing a set of simple and practical rules for evaluating and interpreting the complex relations between injury risk and training performance in professional soccer.

Source: PloS one 13 (2018): 1–15. doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0201264

Publisher: Public Library of Science, San Francisco, CA , Stati Uniti d'America


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BibTeX entry
@article{oai:it.cnr:prodotti:401270,
	title = {Effective injury forecasting in soccer with GPS training data and machine learning},
	author = {Rossi A. and Pappalardo L. and Cintia P. and Iaia F.  M. and Fernandez J. and Medina D.},
	publisher = {Public Library of Science, San Francisco, CA , Stati Uniti d'America},
	doi = {10.1371/journal.pone.0201264 and 10.48550/arxiv.1705.08079},
	journal = {PloS one},
	volume = {13},
	pages = {1–15},
	year = {2018}
}

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