Milan Lab is the club’s centre of scientific research at the Milanello sports centre and has been operative since March 2002. Milan Lab offers technological support with the aim of ensuring the over well-being of the club’s human resources. Science and technology combined with individual experience for a systematic approach to health and well being.
Since the 2006/2007 season, the Milan Lab has also been working with the youth sector. Today there are 10 youth teams and 250 players from between 10 and 18 years of age. The players’ growth is monitored through periodic tests which supply information regarding their health. The information gathered also helps the club with regards to scouting.
With all the data collected, the club now has a database which provides parameters for the valuation of individual players. Since the spring of 2010, a complex system of video analysis with sensors that study all training sessions and games. This allows Milan Lab to gather and analyze the information as well as and provide training programs for individual players. The system also underlines individual player’s characteristics enabling the coach to work more effectively in improving the players. On the main aims of the system is to reduce injuries over the course of the season to an absolute minimum.
Domenico Gualtieri, this is the seventh year of activity for Milan Lab in the youth sector. How much data have you managed to gather?
In a single season, the Lab will gather test measurement from the results of around 10,000 tests. Obviously, not all the information gathered will directly and immediately relevant. What we have to do and what is one of the most complex tasks we have, is to decide which data is the most interesting and when it becomes sufficiently reliable to use.
How many people are working in the Lab and what are the rules that you have to follow?
7 athletic coaches, all with degrees in sports science. They are myself, Piero Congedo, Dino Tenderini, Andrea Caronti, Maurizio Buriani, Pietro Lietti and Erminio Licini. Alongide these seven are four interns Nicoletta Mazza, Simon Barje, Alessandro Micheli and Francesco Arseni and a IT consultent Emanuele Rossi.
The objective is to develop movement control, favoring a physical growth of the youn player with the aim of getting them into the best possible shape and prevent injuries.
One of the bases of our work here at Milan lab is linked to human resources operations:
Along with the usual duties of a coach, within the Milan Lab project, coaches at all age group will also have a stronger link with the first team in order to ensure a higher level of synergy. The reference point of the team becomes the athletic coaches and not the single coach. This allows a more consolidated working structure and is indispensable for the growth of young players.
How are the targets decided upon?
When we have the data gathered, it is entered into software under the supervision of FinConsGroup and Lorenzo Cipriani which was developed over the course of 4 years and evaluation of every step taken.
We first started using the software a year ago and today the system supplies reports which help the staff to plan the training programs of every single player and also helps our scouting system in the area of player selection.
How big a part has Milan Lab played in the recent success of the youth sector?
The aim of the project is to give players long term training programs and make them ready for the first team. Ever since the lab has become involved with the youth teams, the number of players going from there into the first team seems to have increased. Strasser, Merkel, De Sciglio, Kingsley Boateng are all examples. Meanwhile, 4 trophies have been won by our youth teams.
Obviously, it’s not all thanks to us. In all of this the key is the synergy between the different areas. Milan Lab is only one of these areas.