The Business of Sports Science at the 2013 BT Young Scientist and Technology Exhibition was our first major event of the year and proved to be a great success.
How could it not be with the contribution from leaders in sport and business including Jamie Hindhaugh from BT Sport, Pat Daly from the GAA, Kevin O’Brien and John Mooney of Cricket Ireland, Sean McGarraghy of UCD and Phil Moore from the Irish Institute of Sport; with guests from Government departments, Accenture, Ulster Bank, Paddy Power, Avenir Sports, The Irish Sports Council, the Gaelic Players Association, VHI Healthcare and so many more; and with supporters and enablers like BT.
This was a first time involvement with the Exhibition and in 2015 we promise to build an equally impressive look into the rapidly developing world of the Business of Sports Science.
You can see some of what went on during the morning here and here and we will upload a video review of the day shortly.
It’s always worth capturing some of the thoughts and themes which caught the ear and eye so here is a personal top 10 take aways from the event:
1. In an industry worth €400 Billion and rising rapidly, sport is a sector where innovation will be rewarded when done right. There is a ready market which is cash rich on a global scale.
2. Preparation is about getting the smallest of details right so that athletes and performers can concentrate on the main event. Distractions can be dealt with if you see them for what they are and are ready for them.
3. Ireland should be proud of its ability to coach. We do not need to seek validation from overseas. We should be telling the story of our success on a world stage.
4. Knowledge is power. When it is shared it becomes even stronger. Collaboration across sports and between the sports and business communities will produce great, and sometimes surprising results.
5. Doing things that have never been done before happens all the time. You just need to believe in what you are doing, be meticulous in your planning and determined in your delivery. ‘Let’s do it’ should be a motto for our times.
6. Substitute ‘sport’ with ‘business’ in presentations on coaching and performance and you have a case which works equally well for both.
7. Analysis of data leads to better informed decision making, in the moment and in the longer time. The trick is in finding the right activities to measure.
8. Prevention of injury and management of distraction is a much better approach than having to deal with the consequences.
9. Sport and business have much more to offer each other than a transfer of money one way and branding rights the other. We need to imagine better.
10. The membership of the Sport for Business Community can deliver great things for themselves, the nation and the future. We need to be bold in our thinking.
Check out our forthcoming events and membership options to see how you can become involved in what we are doing.
10 Ideas on Sports Science and Business
