Sport Analytics

• Applied sports data analytics event being held at Swansea University’s Bay Campus on 5^th June 2026 – more details coming soon!
• Swansea–INEOS Grenadiers collaboration to help transform elite cycling talent identification
• Fully-funded sports data science PhD with UK Sports Institute (UKSI) to support data-informed decisions in Olympic and Paralympic sport
• Sports data science pathway being added to the MSc in Advanced Sports Performance Science, to start in September 2027

• Donaldson, B., Bezodis, N. E. & Bayne, H. (2025). Relationships between coordination, strength and performance during initial sprint acceleration. Journal of Sports Sciences, 42(12), 1095-1107. https://doi.org/10.1080/02640414.2025.2482361

• Jones, S., Bailey, C., Thomas, D., White, M. G. E., Rees, P., Summers, H. D. & Bezodis, N. E. (2025). A novel measure to quantify technical ability in on-water rowing. Journal of Sports Sciences, 43(14), 1300-1308. https://doi.org/10.1080/02640414.2025.2493020

• Jones, S., Nunome, H., Augustus, S., Ball, K., Peacock, J. C. A. & Bezodis, N. E. (2025). Understanding the effects of ball orientation in Rugby Union place kicking: The preferences of international kickers and the kinematics of the foot–ball impact. Sports Biomechanics, 24(1), 13-28. https://doi.org/10.1080/14763141.2022.2159507

• Hills, S., Izri, E., Lonergan, B., Howells, D., Kilduff, L. & Waldron, M. (2024). Assessing the locomotor demands of international men’s and women’s rugby sevens match-play according to passage of play. PlosOne, 19(6), e0304186. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0304186

• Jones, S., Scott, G. A., Mara, J. K., Brown, M. R. & Bezodis, N. E. (2024). The importance of place-kicking in women’s international Rugby Union. Journal of Sports Sciences, 42(10), 865-873. https://doi.org/10.1080/02640414.2024.2363704

• White, M., De Lazzari, B., Bezodis, N. E. & Camomilla, V. (2024). Wearable sensors for athletic performance: A comparison of discrete and continuous feature extraction methods for prediction models. Mathematics, 12, 1853. https://doi.org/10.3390/math12121853

• Woodhouse, L., Bennett, M., Tallent, J., Patterson, S. & Waldron, M. (2024). An investigation into the relationships between technical collision behaviours and physical characteristics in world-class, international female rugby players. Journal of Sports Sciences, 43(2),196-209. https://doi.org/10.1080/02640414.2024.2442848

• Donaldson, B. J., Bezodis, N. E. & Bayne, H. (2023). Characterising coordination strategies during initial acceleration in sprinters ranging from highly trained to world class. Journal of Sports Sciences, 41(19), 1768-1778. https://doi.org/10.1080/02640414.2023.2298100

• Scott, G., Bezodis, N., Waldron, M., Bennett, M., Church, S., Kilduff, L. & Brown, M. R. (2023). Performance indicators associated with match outcome within the United Rugby Championship, Journal of Science and Medicine in Sport, 26(1), 63-68. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jsams.2022.11.006

• Scott, G.A., Edwards, O., Bezodis, N.E., Waldron, M., Roberts, E., Pyne, D.B., Mara, J., Cook, C., Mason, L., Brown, M.R. & Kilduff, L. (2023). Classifying winning performances in international women’s Rugby Union. International Journal of Sports Physiology and Performance, 18(9), 1072-1078. https://doi.org/10.1123/ijspp.2023-0086

• Ullersperger, E., Hills, S., Russell, M., Waldron, M., Shearer, D., Lonergan, B., Farrow, T., Eager, R. & Kilduff, L. (2023). Assessing climatic, travel, and methodological influences on whole-match and worst-case scenario locomotor demands of international men’s rugby sevens match-play. European Journal of Sport Science, 23(7), 1094-1101. https://doi.org/10.1080/17461391.2022.2109065

• White, M. G. E., Bezodis, N. E., Neville, J. N., Summers, H. D. & Rees, P. (2022). Determining jumping performance from a single body-worn accelerometer using machine learning. PLOS One, 17(2), e0263846. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0263846

• White, M. G. E., Neville, J. N., Rees, P., Summers, H. D. & Bezodis, N. E. (2022). The effects of curve registration on linear models of jump performance and classification based on vertical ground reaction forces. Journal of Biomechanics, 140, 111167. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jbiomech.2022.111167

• Wild, J.J., Bezodis, I.N., North, J.S. & Bezodis, N.E. (2022). Characterising initial sprint acceleration strategies using a whole-body kinematics approach. Journal of Sports Sciences, 40(2), 203-214. https://doi.org/10.1080/02640414.2021.1985759

• Woodhouse, L., Bennett, M., Tallent, J., Patterson, S. & Waldron, M. (2022). The relationship between physical characteristics and match collision performance among elite international female Rugby Union players. European Journal of Sport Science, 23(9), 1849-1858. https://doi.org/10.1080/17461391.2022.2144765

• Bennett, M., Bezodis, N. E., Shearer, D. A. & Kilduff, L. P. (2021). Predicting performance at the group-phase and knockout-phase of the 2015 Rugby World Cup. European Journal of Sport Science, 21(3), 312-320. https://doi.org/10.1080/17461391.2020.1743764

• Vassallo, C., Kilduff, L., Cummins, C., Murphy, A., Gray, A. & Waldron, M. (2021). A new energetics model for the assessment of the power-duration relationship during over-ground running. European Journal of Sport Science, 22(8), 1211-1221. https://doi.org/10.1080/17461391.2021.1931463

• Waldron, M., Jones, C., Melotti, L., Brown, R. & Kilduff. L. P. (2021). Collision monitoring in elite male rugby union using a new instrumented mouth-guard. The Journal of Sport and Exercise Science, 5(3), 179-187. https://doi.org/10.36905/jses.2021.03.03

• Woodhouse, L., Tallent, J., Patterson, S. & Waldron, M. (2021). International female Rugby Union players’ anthropometric and physical performance characteristics: a five-year longitudinal analysis by individual positional groups. Journal of Sports Sciences, 40(4), 370-378. https://doi.org/10.1080/02640414.2021.1993656

• Woodhouse, L., Tallent, J., Patterson, S. & Waldron, M. (2021). Elite international female Rugby Union physical match demands: A five-year longitudinal analysis by position and opposition quality. Journal of Science and Medicine in Sport, 24(11), 1173-1179. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jsams.2021.03.018

• Greybe, D. G., Jones, C. M., Brown, M. R. & Williams, E. M. P. (2020). Comparison of head impact measurements via an instrumented mouthguard and an anthropometric testing device. Sports Engineering, 23, 12. https://doi.org/10.1007/s12283-020-00324-z

• Sheppy, E., Hills, S. P., Russell, M., Chambers, R., Cunningham, D.J., Shearer, D., Heffernan, S., Waldron, M., McNarry, M. & Kilduff, L. P. (2020). Assessing the whole-match and worst-case scenario locomotor demands of international women's Rugby Union match-play. Journal of Science and Medicine in Sport, 23(6), 609-614. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jsams.2019.12.016

• Bennett, M., Bezodis, N.E., Shearer, D.A., Locke, D. & Kilduff, L.P. (2019). Descriptive conversion of performance indicators in rugby union. Journal of Science and Medicine in Sport, 22(3), 330-334. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jsams.2018.08.008

• Vassallo, C., Gray, A., Cummins, C., Murphy, A. & Waldron, M. (2019). Exercise tolerance during flat over-ground intermittent running: modelling the expenditure and reconstitution kinetics of work done above critical power. European Journal of Applied Physiology. 120(1), 219-230. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00421-019-04266-8

• Gray, A. J., Shorter, K., Cummins, C., Murphy, A. & Waldron, M. (2018). Modelling movement energetics using Global Positioning System (GPS) devices in contact team sports: limitations and solutions. Sports Medicine, 48, 1357-1368. https://doi.org/10.1007/s40279-018-0899-z

• GB Hockey
• INEOS Grenadiers
• Pioneered Athlete Performance (PAP)
• Ospreys Rugby
• Rugby Football Union (RFU)
• Scarlets Rugby
• Sport Wales
• Sportable
• Swansea City AFC
• Swim Wales
• UK Sports Institute
• Wingate Institute

Post-Doctoral Research Assistants 

Dr Dan Cunningham, Welsh Institute of Performance Science (WIPS) (2023-current)

Dr Mark White, UK Sports Institute (2022-2023)

Current Postgraduate Research Students

Declan O’Hara, Swansea City AFC (current PhD student)

Erwan Izri (current PhD student)

Freya Cowan, Swim Wales (current PhD student)

Kieran Hayes, SUSIM (current PhD student)

Non Dingle, Scarlets Rugby (current PhD student)

Patrick Blake, INEOS Grenadiers (current PhD student)

Yotam Shribman, Wingate Institute (current MSc by Research student)

Completed Postgraduate Research Students

Dr Sam Jones (2026) – Informing performance enhancement strategies in Olympic sports through analyses of large, pre-existing datasets (part-funded by UK Sports Institute)

Matt Hill (2026) – Within and between-day repeatability of thigh-thigh coordination during initial acceleration in elite and highly trained sprinters (in collaboration with Speedworks Training)

Alfie Griggs (2026) - The application of field-based power-duration profiling to elite female international hockey players (funded by GB Hockey)

Dr Georgia Scott (2024) – The application of data analytics in match and kicking performance in elite men’s Rugby Union (funded by EPSRC (CASE) and Ospreys Rugby)

Dr Luke Woodhouse (2024, St Mary’s University) – The physical demands of elite female Rugby Union (part-funded by the Rugby Football Union)

Lewis Evans (2023) – A machine learning and data-driven assessment model for characterising and predicting a team’s success in championship football (funded by Swansea City AFC)

Dr Helen Parrott (2023) – The swimming start: measurement, importance and enhancement through pre-race interventions (funded by Swim Wales)

Dr Robert Owen (2022) - A comparison of measured and modelled energetics, estimated from global positioning systems (GPS) velocity

Dr James Wild (2022, St Mary’s University) – Biomechanics and motor control of early acceleration: enhancing the initial sprint performance of professional rugby union backs (in collaboration with Harlequins Rugby)

Dr Mark White (2021) – Generalisable FPCA-based models for predicting peak power in vertical jumping using accelerometer data (in collaboration with Auckland University of Technology)

James Cole (2021) – Physical abilities and morphological variables of international female Rugby Union players and relationships with match performance variables across five seasons (funded by the Rugby Football Union)

Ben Pollard (2020) – The ball in play demands of international Rugby Union (funded by the Rugby Football Union)

Mark Bennett (2019) – Investigating match performance in Rugby Union through the use of isolated and relative performance indicators (part-funded by the Rugby Football Union)

Emily Sheppy (2019) – Assessing the whole-match and worst-case scenario locomotor demands of international women's Rugby Union match-play (funded by the Welsh Rugby Union (Women’s))

Kieran Ferraday (2019) – Assessing worst-case scenarios in movement demands from GPS during professional soccer matches: rolling averages vs. fixed length epochs (in collaboration with Swansea City AFC)

Dr Dan Cunningham (2018) – Performance profiling of international Rugby Union (funded by EPSRC (CASE) and the Rugby Football Union)

The importance of place-kicking performance in women’s international Rugby Union

Despite considerable analysis in the men’s game, the importance of place-kicking performance for points scoring and match outcome in women’s international Rugby Union was relatively unknown. Importantly, place kick difficulty, and the factors that contribute to kick difficulty, had not been considered in women’s Rugby Union. This project was undertaken in collaboration with the University of Canberra to evaluate place kicking success in women’s international Rugby Union, and to develop a model for predicting place kick success. A large database comprising several years of matches was analysed to enable the assessment of the true performance of kickers after accounting for the difficulty of the kicks that they attempted. This provided a truer and more relevant assessment of kicker performance. The model outputs could also then be applied at an individual or team level to help inform the tactical element of matches by contributing to the decision-making processes when penalties are awarded in different regions of the pitch and under different match contexts.

Jones, S., Scott, G. A., Mara, J. K., Brown, M. R., & Bezodis, N. E. (2024). The importance of place-kicking in women’s international Rugby Union. Journal of Sports Sciences, 42(10), 865-873. https://doi.org/10.1080/02640414.2024.2363704

A related project was also completed in men’s Rugby Union, and published as part of a wider MSc project investigating place kicking technique:

Jones, S., Nunome, H., Augustus, S., Ball, K., Peacock, J. C. A., & Bezodis, N. E. (2025). Understanding the effects of ball orientation in Rugby Union place kicking: The preferences of international kickers and the kinematics of the foot–ball impact. Sports Biomechanics, 24(1), 13-28. https://doi.org/10.1080/14763141.2022.2159507

Predicting vertical jump outcomes in an interpretable manner using body-worn sensor data

This PhD project, conducted in collaboration with Auckland University of Technology (New Zealand), assessed and understood key methodological decisions in the application of machine learning methods to sensor-based datasets from sporting movements. The suitability of different models – and of parameter and hyperparameter choice within these models – was rigorously assessed, and recommendations were made for the application of such methods when used in high-performance sport applications. This project led to a one-year post-doctoral project funded by the UK Sports Institute (UKSI) that informed applied performance questions by applying some of these methods to data obtained from a range of Olympic and Paralympic sports.

White, M. G. E., Bezodis, N. E., Neville, J. N., Summers, H. D., & Rees, P. (2022). Determining jumping performance from a single body-worn accelerometer using machine learning. PLOS One, 17(2), e0263846. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0263846

White, M. G. E., Neville, J. N., Rees, P., Summers, H. D., & Bezodis, N. E. (2022). The effects of curve registration on linear models of jump performance and classification based on vertical ground reaction forces. Journal of Biomechanics, 140, 111167. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jbiomech.2022.111167

White, M., De Lazzari, B., Bezodis, N. E., & Camomilla, V. (2024). Wearable sensors for athletic performance: A comparison of discrete and continuous feature extraction methods for prediction models. Mathematics, 12, 1853. https://doi.org/10.3390/math12121853

The physical and fitness characteristics of elite female rugby players and the relationships to match performance

To optimise the sports science support offered to team sports players, it is important that robust field-testing methods are used to fully understand their physical fitness and how this changes across time. Further, sports scientists must also utilise wearable technology to understand the movement characteristics of players in matches. Whilst the fitness profiles and match characteristics of men’s Rugby Union are well established, there was little published information relating to elite women’s rugby union. Given the recent success and growth of the women’s game, this information is crucial for all rugby nations wishing to develop the physical characteristics of players and, subsequently, the growth of the game globally.

This project established the movement demands and match actions of elite, international women Rugby Union players, the physical and fitness characteristics of these players, and evaluated the relationships between key match performance characteristics and the players’ physical and fitness characteristics across multiple seasons. The project ultimately used advanced data analytics to evaluate the inter-relationships between women rugby players’ fitness and their match performance. The results have had considerable implications for the progression of training practices and match preparation among women’s rugby union players and practitioners, with data from this project now being utilised in World Rugby’s coaching delivery.

Woodhouse, L., Bennett, M., Tallent, J., Patterson, S., & Waldron, M. (2024). An investigation into the relationships between technical collision behaviours and physical characteristics in world-class, international female rugby players. Journal of Sports Sciences, 43(2),196-209. https://doi.org/10.1080/02640414.2024.2442848

Woodhouse, L., Bennett, M., Tallent, J., Patterson, S., & Waldron, M. (2022). The relationship between physical characteristics and match collision performance among elite international female Rugby Union players. European Journal of Sports Science, 23(9), 1849-1858. https://doi.org/10.1080/17461391.2022.2144765

Woodhouse, L., Tallent, J., Patterson, S., & Waldron, M. (2021). International female Rugby Union players’ anthropometric and physical performance characteristics: a five-year longitudinal analysis by individual positional groups. Journal of Sports Sciences, 40(4), 370-378. https://doi.org/10.1080/02640414.2021.1993656

Woodhouse, L., Tallent, J., Patterson, S., & Waldron, M. (2021). Elite international female rugby union physical match demands: A five-year longitudinal analysis by position and opposition quality. Journal of Science & Medicine in Sports, 24(11), 1173-1179. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jsams.2021.03.018