In 1997, Chris Barnes was given the pioneering brief to create a sports science department at Middlesbrough Football Club. It was a kind of experiment seen as eccentric, so great skepticism was attached to it. Fast track two decades on from this—to now—every Premier League club has a sports science department. This alone demonstrates the transformative nature of Barnes’ work.
One such character is Barnes, who has since turned out for Newcastle, Everton, West Bromwich Albion, and is currently with Nottingham Forest. He recently opened up to Yahoo Sport about his journey and how sports science had evolved in football.
The Genesis at Middlesbrough
It all started with then-chairman Steve Gibson, an enlightened leader who wanted to bring leading sports science practices into the game, inspired by what was happening across the Continent. Middlesbrough was the first Premier League club to have a real sports science department within its structure, and Barnes, it seems, became one of its first employees.
“I moved to Middlesbrough in 1997. Steve Gibson was keen to look at how European clubs used sports science to enhance their training. We were the first in England to set up a department specifically for this purpose,” Barnes recalled. He spent 12 years with the club and saw sports science move from being generally accepted to becoming significantly developed.
First Reactions, Changing Attitudes
The introduction of sports science came up against players who felt the new statistical insights were tools of scrutiny rather than support. “Initially, there was a lot of kickback and resentment,” Barnes said. “Managers used the data to criticize players, which led to friction.“
However, the view of sports science has changed dramatically. Today’s footballers are very much used to these technologies and consider them as a useful tool for improvement rather than one of criticism. “Modern footballers grow up in a world where technology is the norm. They now appreciate how it helps them prepare and recover,” Barnes explained.
Fitness then and now: Comparing
He went on to compare the fitness standards of the players in 1997 with those of today, saying the transformation was dramatic. “The players at Middlesbrough two decades ago worked hard; however, the understanding of diet, science, and technology has come a long way since then. We now have a much more in-depth knowledge of how an athlete’s body works,” he said.
The Overload of Data
He also addressed the volume of data managers are presented. “I have sympathy for managers who have so much physical and technical information coming at them. It can be hard to process it all effectively,” he said. He highlighted the importance of relevant, actionable data over an excess of statistics.
The Future of Sports Science
“We haven’t even scratched the surface,” opined Barnes, adding, “I believe the next big wave for professionals and others in sport, and indeed in other areas of life, is in using sports science knowledge to open new areas to explore“. Fitness and performance enhancement, he went on to say, are, as a result, areas where further development and innovation will take place.
Taking Technology to the Amateurs
Now, Barnes focuses his work on extending high-tech sports science to amateur athletes with the help of Catapult’s PLAYR GPS device. The wearable technology was designed to step up the level of preparation, performance, and recovery of the game among players at non-professional levels. “There is a great interest in using professional equipment even if you are not a top athlete in order to improve your personal performance,” he said.
As sports science continues its evolution, Barnes’ pioneering efforts at Middlesbrough form something of a bedrock for a fuller embrace of technology in football today in its efforts to benefit all from top to bottom.
The Sportz Planet Desk,
Atharva Shetye
