Academics share cutting edge football research with Premier League club Brentford FC
Researchers at the University of Chichester have been invited to share their leading football coaching research with Premier League club Brentford FC, highlighting the institution’s growing influence on elite sport practice and coach education.
David Eldridge, Senior Lecturer in Physical Education, and Dr Chris Pocock, Senior Lecturer in Sport and Exercise Psychology, recently delivered a programme of coaching sessions at Brentford FC’s training ground, working with academy coaches across different age groups. The invitation came from Brentford FC’s Assistant Head of Academy Football Development Lee Smith and reflects increasing interest in the University’s research into visual exploratory activity (VEA), commonly referred to as scanning, and practice design in football.
The sessions drew on David and Chris’ ongoing research, conducted in collaboration with Dr Craig Pulling and James Feist, which explores how football players visually scan their environment to support decision‑making and performance with the ball. The programme included a research workshop and Q&A, alongside a practical on‑field coaching session demonstrating how scanning behaviours can be embedded into training sessions.
Coaches from across Brentford FC’s academy, as well as sport psychologists and PhD researchers, attended the sessions.
The pair have previously delivered similar research‑informed sessions to the League Managers Association at St George’s Park and to other professional football clubs, underlining the relevance and impact of their work within the professional game.
Reflecting on the invitation, Chris said the opportunity demonstrated how academic research can inform practice at the highest level of sport: “It is rewarding that our research in this field has been recognised and is of interest to professional football clubs exploring ways to optimise practice design. We really enjoyed sharing sessions that combined research evidence with practical coaching examples.”
David reflected on the sessions, saying: “It was a pleasure to share our ongoing research and we really enjoyed the discussions with the staff at Brentford FC. It was great to see our research inform ideas for future practice design at a Premier League football club.”
Lee Smith, Brentford FC’s Assistant Head of Academy Football Development praised the sessions, saying: “It was a really insightful and thought‑provoking session. Our coaches took loads away and I’m sure it will influence future practice – thanks again.”
The work presented to Brentford FC builds on a growing body of research at the University of Chichester examining visual exploratory activity and its role in player development. A recent study led by David and Chris explored football coaches’ perceptions of VEA and the types of practice activities believed to support its development.
Based on interviews with UEFA A and B Licence coaches working in English professional academies, the research found that while coaches unanimously viewed VEA as critical to elite performance, many felt uncertain about how to deliberately develop it in training. Coaches believed scanning should be nurtured from a young age but did not feel it should be isolated as the sole focus of individual sessions, instead emerging naturally from representative, decision‑making based practices.
Importantly, 70% of the practice activities described by coaches involved active decision‑making, reinforcing the importance of designing training environments that reflect the demands of competitive match play.
David and Chris believe their research can support coaches by providing evidence‑based guidance on how to embed frequent scanning opportunities into training sessions with effective practice design.
“Our research is particularly valuable for coaches,” they explained. “It can help them design sessions that encourage frequent scanning while still maintaining representative practice. At Brentford FC, coaches shared how they plan to integrate these ideas into their upcoming sessions.”
The University of Chichester is emerging as a leading centre for research into visual exploratory activity (scanning) in football. Researchers are currently collaborating on multiple projects in this area, strengthening the University’s reputation for applied, real‑world sports science research.
For more information on our sport degrees, go to: https://www.chi.ac.uk/sport/
