If you read our blog post that we posted on 11th September, you would know that we administered a Finance and Entrepreneurship Day in Builth Wells High School.
During the event, we asked pupils to complete an evaluation form so we could gain an understanding of how the event went generally, if pupils wanted to do another Steam Powered Stories project, and fore mostly, if they thought that maths was used in every job role. Throughout the day, our aim was to prove to pupils that by working with various local employers- maths is used in every job.
After recording and analysing our evaluation, we discovered that 85 pupils thought that maths was not used in football. We also found out that the majority of these pupils actually claimed they wanted to be footballers in the future, which raised alarm bells for us as an organisation that aims to improve standards of maths generally, and prove to the younger generation that maths is used in every job- even in football!
So for our blog post today, we thought it would be a good idea to show you 5 ways that maths is used in the sports industry, specifically in football.
1) Taking corners
Place yourself in a football match, you're running around, you have the ball, you're about to pass to another player, when the player on the opposite team tackles you and kicks the ball off the pitch- you have to take the corner. In this situation, there's angles involved, the footballer has to consider who is the best player to pass the ball to who would subsequently score for the team.
2) GOAL!
3) It's in your build up!
Off the pitch, maths is even more prevalent! We have mentioned above how a goalkeeper's physicality is considered when they are chosen, yet when a team is looking for a new player generally, they would also consider the statistical model of the prospective player. The footballer's height, weight, body measurements, how many times they can lift a certain weight, how much weight they can lift, how fast can the player can run etc., all these factors are considered before a player is chosen.
4) You need to eat you're greens
Ok, so I bet you're fed up of hearing this, but to ensure that a footballer gets chosen for a team, each footballer will have to consider their daily food intake and how they exercise to ensure they are fit enough to play and succeed in the industry. The player will need to work out how many calories are in each item of food they're eating, and ensure they are eating enough protein etc., to ensure they are eating healthily and maintaining a good diet. Equally, after eating, the player will have to train their body to be strong and fit enough to maintain healthy on the pitch for 90 minutes. Considering how many weights they lift, how many reps they do of each exercise, the player will be using their maths skills, how fast they can run, which foot is their strongest- they are using maths!
5) If you're the boss- you need good maths skills
If you are managing a winning team, maths is used in your job every day, even if you didn't know it was. Firstly, a football manager will have to consider transfer costs to obtain the most skilled players. The manager will compare transfer costs to the footballer's statistics, to other aspects such as- how skilled he is, how many goals he has scored the previous season, has he got any injuries, is he close to the age of retirement. By considering the above, and how much the player is worth to how much he is being sold for, the manager has a hard dilemma to consider. Liverpool FC actually use a system called Money Ball, a system that uses statistics to find value for each player.
Football managers also use maths to construct the most effective formats on the pitch. Whether they use the 4-4-2 format infamously used by Sir Alex Ferguson, or perhaps they decide to use a three man defensive system, the football manager would use maths skills effectively to consider the formation that will result in a win for his club.
So, we hope this blog post has enlightened your beliefs on maths in football and sports generally- maths is literally exercised in every job, specifically in football.
1) Taking corners
Place yourself in a football match, you're running around, you have the ball, you're about to pass to another player, when the player on the opposite team tackles you and kicks the ball off the pitch- you have to take the corner. In this situation, there's angles involved, the footballer has to consider who is the best player to pass the ball to who would subsequently score for the team.
2) GOAL!
Ok, so it's easy to say GOAL then actually score one, but for a football player, scoring for their team is vital to them moving up the ranks as a player, and their team moving up the league board and winning trophies. In the heat of the game, under pressure, and under time limits, the player will have perhaps only that once chance to score that goal. To score, the player must make on-the-spot calculations of angle, distance, and speed before attempting the goal, which if equalised correctly, will result in a goal. It's not only the players on the pitch that use maths, for the goalkeeper, maths is prevalent throughout the game and to the player's career. To the regular watcher, the goalkeeper stands in front of the net dodging from side to side to prevent the other team scoring. Yet if you look closer, to be a successful goalkeeper their physical build up is vital to them being chosen to play in the first place. A goalkeeper is generally tall, slim, fit, and fast on their feet so they can prevent goals from being scored. Maths is then applied in chances, the goalkeeper will estimate where the player is aiming to shoot, and then they will try to prevent the goal.
3) It's in your build up!
Off the pitch, maths is even more prevalent! We have mentioned above how a goalkeeper's physicality is considered when they are chosen, yet when a team is looking for a new player generally, they would also consider the statistical model of the prospective player. The footballer's height, weight, body measurements, how many times they can lift a certain weight, how much weight they can lift, how fast can the player can run etc., all these factors are considered before a player is chosen.
4) You need to eat you're greens
Ok, so I bet you're fed up of hearing this, but to ensure that a footballer gets chosen for a team, each footballer will have to consider their daily food intake and how they exercise to ensure they are fit enough to play and succeed in the industry. The player will need to work out how many calories are in each item of food they're eating, and ensure they are eating enough protein etc., to ensure they are eating healthily and maintaining a good diet. Equally, after eating, the player will have to train their body to be strong and fit enough to maintain healthy on the pitch for 90 minutes. Considering how many weights they lift, how many reps they do of each exercise, the player will be using their maths skills, how fast they can run, which foot is their strongest- they are using maths!
5) If you're the boss- you need good maths skills
If you are managing a winning team, maths is used in your job every day, even if you didn't know it was. Firstly, a football manager will have to consider transfer costs to obtain the most skilled players. The manager will compare transfer costs to the footballer's statistics, to other aspects such as- how skilled he is, how many goals he has scored the previous season, has he got any injuries, is he close to the age of retirement. By considering the above, and how much the player is worth to how much he is being sold for, the manager has a hard dilemma to consider. Liverpool FC actually use a system called Money Ball, a system that uses statistics to find value for each player.
Football managers also use maths to construct the most effective formats on the pitch. Whether they use the 4-4-2 format infamously used by Sir Alex Ferguson, or perhaps they decide to use a three man defensive system, the football manager would use maths skills effectively to consider the formation that will result in a win for his club.
So, we hope this blog post has enlightened your beliefs on maths in football and sports generally- maths is literally exercised in every job, specifically in football.
We are looking for footballers to get involved in future events to show pupils first hand that maths is used in their job. If you know any local sports clubs, or footballers that would love to get involved with our projects, either tweet us directly @SteamStories, connect with us on Facebook.com/SteamPoweredStories, or call Hayley on 01685 872385.
Thanks for reading!
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