The Austrian Football Association's Challenge 2008 programme is using
modern technology to boost player development in the UEFA EURO 2008T co-host
nation.
Lothar Matthaus has given his support to the
project (¿Getty Images)
Players' data bank
Under the banner 'Challenge 2008 - The Austrian Way', the Austrian FA
(OFB) has teamed up with the Austrian government, the Austrian Bundesliga
authorities and Siemens Austria to set up a players' data bank which will
help the nation's talented youngsters to make the optimum use of their
skills. "The clubs are making a special contribution towards its
success and are thus helping the OFB, the country's top players and the
top-level game," said the Austrian FA's general secretary Alfred
Ludwig. "In order to get the best out of the project the OFB is sending
individual trainers out to Bundesliga clubs."
Regular updates
The OFB supplies the top-flight clubs with regular updates from the database
which give information on players in four key areas - football skills,
general fitness, sports medicine and sports psychology - and are sending
specialist coaches out to work with players on these aspects of their
game. These specialists are maintaining a constant link with the OFB and
also providing useful information to national team coach Josef Hickersberger
and his assistants. "We have reached a new level of cooperation between
the clubs and the OFB," said the FA's president Friedrich Stickler.
Remote management
The OFB's technology partner since May 2005, Siemens Austria have developed
the data bank which allows the association's technical staff to monitor
players' performances from a distance and, if necessary, step in to make
suggestions to how individuals can optimise their performance. "The
Challenge 2008 data bank provides a comprehensive, well-structured view
of the information on the players in the four different project areas,"
said OFB technical director Willi Ruttensteiner. "The project staff
have access to real-time information on the data and can respond to it
immediately."
Interested parties
While the likes of OFB team doctor Dr Ernst Schoop and sports scientist
Professor Hans Holdhaus have important roles in the Challenge 2008 project,
training experts at the individual clubs are also taking an interest,
with FC Salzburg's Lothar Matthaus the latest member to join the team.
"Matthaus is enthusiastic about the concept and Salzburg will allow
players involved to use their coaches and their training centre in Thalgau,"
said Ruttensteiner, who has enlisted big-name footballers like Rene Aufhauser,
Marc Janko, Andreas Ivanschitz, Thomas Prager, Sanel Kuljic and Martin
Stranzl to help with the project.
