The Operational History

The US Army used these equipment for the first time in order to train the special forces, and to make sure of the rangers’ physical preparation and their capability before dispatching them for missions.

Using GPS in body building and military exercises, the best forces were selected and were dispatched for various missions around the world. After these equipments proved to be useful in practice, the designers started to make use of them in football match as well.

The Academic History

Several years ago, a research project was founded in the UK which later in the future it could significantly influence the football of the world. A project, in which GPS and small accelerometers were utilized to better measure the quality and quantity of the exercises performed by each of the players and the rate of their physical preparation. This project was implemented with the help of the Newcastle Football Club and by a PhD student Richard Akenhead.

In this regard, Richard said: “Using GPS it is possible to observe the speed of players, direction and the distance they cover while running. Further, with investigation of the type and duration of the exercise we are able to calculate the density of their fast runs until recovery”. In that research, Richard designed a set of different tests which included performance tests and physiological scales. Such scales included measuring the change in heart beat and etc. which were tested twice a week in order to specify the extent of physical preparation and exhaustion of the player during the season.