Latest news with #CatholicUniversity
The Guardian
13 hours ago
- Business
- The Guardian
The Belgian lab shaping modern soccer's data revolution
If you hope to grasp why modern soccer looks the way it does, or the long strides we've made recently in understanding how it actually functions, it helps to know about what's been happening at one of the world's oldest universities, in Belgium. That's where you'll find the Sports Analytics Lab at the Catholic University of Leuven, headed up by Jesse Davis, a Wisconsinite computer science professor. Davis grew up going to basketball and football games at the University of Wisconsin-Madison and didn't discover soccer until college, during the 2002 World Cup. When he was hired in Leuven in 2010 to research machine learning, data mining and artificial intelligence, a band of sports-besotted colleagues brought him back to soccer. Before long, Davis was supervising a stable of post-docs, PhD and master's students working on soccer data. The richness and complexity of the data lent itself well to the study of AI. The work they produced, and made available to anyone through open-source analytics tools, substantially advanced the science behind the sport, and changed the way some clubs thought about playing. It may also serve as an example of how funding university research can benefit the public, including the businesses working within the field being studied; a potential parable for the value of academia at a time when it is being squeezed from all sides. In the early days of the analytics movement in sports, it was broadly believed that soccer didn't lend itself very well to advanced statistical analysis because it was too fluid. Unlike baseball, or basketball, or gridiron football, it couldn't be broken down very easily into a series of discrete actions that could be counted and assigned some sort of value. Its most measurable action, shots, and therefore goals, make up a tiny fraction of the events in a given game, presenting a problem for quantifying each player's contributions – especially in the many positions where players tend not to shoot at all. But while soccer was slow to adapt and adopt analytics, it got there eventually. Most big clubs now have an extensive data department, and there's now a disproportionately large genre of (eminently readable) books on this fairly esoteric subject. The Sports Analytics Lab published its findings on the optimal areas for taking long shots or asking whether, in some situations, it's more efficient to boot the ball long and out of bounds than to build out of the back. Some of those papers carried inscrutably academic-y titles like 'A Bayesian Approach to In-Game Win Probability' or 'Analyzing Learned Markov Decision Processes Using Model Checking for Providing Tactical Advice in Professional Soccer.' Wisely, they also published a blog that broke all of it down in layperson's terms. This fresh research led to collaborations with data analysts at clubs such as Red Bull Leipzig, Club Brugge and the German and United States federations. The lab also worked with its local pro club, Oud-Heverlee Leuven and the Belgian federation. But what's curious is that a decade and a half on, Davis and his team, which numbers about 10 at any given time, are still doing industry-leading and paradigm-altering research, like its recent work fine-tuning how ball possession is valued. Now that the sport, at the top end, has fully embraced analytics and baked it into everything it does, you would expect it to outpace and then sideline the outsiders, as has happened in other sports. But it didn't. 'Elite sport, and not just soccer, has an intense focus on what comes next,' says Davis. 'This is particularly true because careers are so fleeting both for players and staff. Consequently, the fact that you may not be around tomorrow does not foster the desire to take risks on projects that, A, may or may not work out or, B, will yield something useful but not in the next six-to-nine months.' There is innovative work being done within soccer clubs that the outside world doesn't get to see, because what would be the point of sharing all that hard-won insight? The incentives of professional sports strains against the scientific process, which values taking risks and tinkering endlessly with the design of experiments, none of which might yield anything of use. What's more, it requires highly skilled practitioners, who can be tricky and pricey to recruit. The payoff of that investment may be limited. And if it arrives at all, the output of that work may not necessarily help a team win games, especially in the short term. Meanwhile, most of the low-hanging soccer analytics fruit – like shot value, or which types of passes produce the most danger – has already been picked. What remains are far more complicated problems like tracking data and how to make sense of it. Sign up to Soccer with Jonathan Wilson Jonathan Wilson brings expert analysis on the biggest stories from European soccer after newsletter promotion You may find, for instance, that while expected goal models have become pretty good at quantifying and tabulating the chances a team created over the course of a game, they do not work well in putting a number on a certain striker's finishing ability because of biases in the training data. Yes. Sure. Great. But now what? What are Brentford (or his potential new club Manchester United) supposed to do with the knowledge that Bryan Mbeumo's Premier League-leading xG overperformance of +7.7 – that is, Mbeumo's expected goals from the quality of his scoring chances was 12.3, but he actually scored 20 times this past season – doesn't actually suggest that he was the best or most efficient finisher in the Premier League? What's more, when a club does turn up a useful tidbit, they have to find a way to not only implement that finding, but to track it over the long term. That means building some sort of system to accommodate it, which entails data engineering and software programming. On the club side, this kind of work can take up much, or most, of the labor in analytics work. 'For some of the deep learning models to work with tracking data takes months to code for exceptional programmers,' says Davis. 'Building and maintaining this is a big upfront cost that does not yield immediate wins. This is followed by a cost to maintain the infrastructure.' Academics, on the other hand, have less time pressure and can move on to some new idea if a project doesn't work out or there is simply no more new knowledge to be gained from it. 'I don't have to worry about setting up data pipelines, building interactive dashboards, processing things in real time, etc,' says Davis. The research itself is the point. The understanding that issues from it is the end, not the means. And then everybody else benefits from this intellectual progress. There may be a useful lesson in this for how a federal government, say, may consider the value of investing in scientific inquiry. Leander Schaerlaeckens is at work on a book about the United States men's national soccer team, out in 2026. He teaches at Marist University.
Yahoo
2 days ago
- General
- Yahoo
🚨 Line-up confirmed: Valenzuela's UC make changes against Palestino
Catholic University visits Palestino at the Municipal La Cisterna Stadium, for the 13th date of the 2025 First Division League. At the helm of the Crusaders will be Rodrigo Valenzuela, who will make his debut as interim coach, accompanied by Milovan Mirosevic and Sebastián Barrientos on his coaching staff, after the departure of Tiago Nunes, precipitated by the defeat against Deportes La Serena last Sunday. And Valenzuela comes with ideas to change the team's pace, including changes in names and scheme, to seek a victory that will bring him closer to the top of the table, against a Palestino that precisely seeks to regain the lead This is how Universidad Católica lines up for their visit to Palestino With a 4-3-1-2, UC starts with: Vicente Bernedo in goal; Sebastián Arancibia, Branco Ampuero, Daniel González and Eugenio Mena in defense; Fernando Zuqui, Gary Medel and Cristian Cuevas in midfield; leaving Francisco Rossel as a playmaker, plus Fernando Zampedri and Diego Valencia up front. This article was translated into English by Artificial Intelligence. You can read the original version in 🇪🇸 here.
National Post
5 days ago
- General
- National Post
Sharjah Ruler Gifts University of Sacred Heart Historical Manuscript
Article content MILAN — His Highness Sheikh Dr Sultan bin Mohammed Al Qasimi, Supreme Council Member and Ruler of Sharjah, presented a rare original historical manuscript to the Catholic University of the Sacred Heart in Milan, Italy, in the presence of Her Highness Sheikha Jawaher bint Mohammed Al Qasimi, Wife of His Highness the Ruler of Sharjah, Chairperson of the Supreme Council for Family Affairs (SCFA). Article content Article content The manuscript dates back to August 14, 1624, and includes a papal decree written by Pope Urban VIII and sealed in the Church of Santa Maria Maggiore in Rome. Additionally, His Highness gifted his book 'Papal Bull' in both Arabic and English at the university's premises. Article content In his speech, His Highness the Ruler of Sharjah expressed his gratitude and appreciation to the Rector and members of the Catholic University of the Sacred Heart in Milan for their warm welcome. Article content His Highness spoke about the manuscript he gifted to the university, which dates back to August 14, 1624, highlighting that it is a papal decree written by Pope Urban VIII and sealed in the Church of Santa Maria Maggiore. The purpose of the decree was to raise financial assistance for the Portuguese fleet. Article content His Highness the Ruler of Sharjah discussed the conflict between the Portuguese and the English in Hormuz, stating, 'In 1622, the Portuguese were expelled from Hormuz at the entrance to the Arabian Gulf from the Persian coast, where they had occupied it for one hundred and fifteen years, by English and Persian forces. The mission of the Portuguese leaders, along with the priests, was evangelization, whether in Hormuz, Persia, or India.' Article content His Highness added, 'After the English expelled the Portuguese from Hormuz in Persia, King Philip of Portugal sought to retake Hormuz. However, the Portuguese government lacked the financial resources to send a military campaign for its recovery. King Philip requested financial support from the clergy, which led Pope Urban VIII to issue a papal decree to collect the necessary funds from the churches.' Article content His Highness the Ruler of Sharjah explained that he translated and studied this decree, tracking the funds collected through the churches, which amounted to two hundred thousand cruzados, a Portuguese gold currency at the time. The goal was to build a fleet and send it to India to retake Hormuz. His Highness noted that the fleet required a special type of large ship capable of crossing oceans, which would take considerable time, along with a sailing journey from Portugal to India that would last several months. Article content His Highness indicated that King Philip ordered the funds to be sent to India to build a local fleet there, due to the short distance between India and Hormuz. He explained that the details of this fleet and its armament are mentioned in the book 'Papal Bull ' that he authored, as well as the account of its journey to the battle site in Hormuz against the English and Dutch forces, culminating in the defeat of the Portuguese fleet. Article content Article content Article content Article content Article content Article content Article content
Shafaq News
26-05-2025
- Politics
- Shafaq News
Chaldean Archbishop hails President Barzani's Christian support in Iraq
Shafaq News/ Chaldean Archbishop Bashar Matti Warda praised Kurdistan Region President Nechirvan Barzani for his continued support of Iraq's Christian community. Speaking at the opening of the Church Endowment Administration Conference in Erbil on Monday, Warda, who also chairs the Catholic University's Board of Trustees in Erbil, described Barzani's presence as a 'powerful gesture' of solidarity and respect for Christian heritage. 'This is a pivotal moment in preserving Christian identity in Iraq, particularly in the Kurdistan Region,' he said, highlighting church endowments as 'vital links' to the community's historical roots and crediting the Region's leadership with protecting religious freedoms and fostering coexistence. Referencing scripture, Warda framed the Church's role as one of responsible stewardship and pointed to Article 43 of the Iraqi Constitution, which guarantees religious groups the right to manage their institutions—affirming their authority to protect and sustain their legacy.
Washington Post
18-05-2025
- Sport
- Washington Post
St. John's makes the most of its second chance, wins DCSAA girls' lacrosse title
In a D.C. State Athletic Association girls' lacrosse championship rematch, No. 2 seed St. John's got its revenge on No. 1 Georgetown Visitation, 14-10. A second-half scoring surge by the Cadets halted a potential Cubs three-peat at Catholic University Sunday afternoon. Just like last season, both programs entered the DCSAA tournament after disappointing losses in their respective conference tournaments. With those defeats still fresh, both teams were eager for another shot at postseason hardware. Last season, the Cubs beat St. John's, 9-6, to earn their second consecutive state crown. The Cubs led 7-5 at halftime, just two quarters away from a three-peat. But the Cadets came out strong after the break, scoring three unanswered goals — two from sophomore Riley Kimmel — to take a one-goal lead within the first three minutes of the second half. St. John's (14-7) kept Visitation's offense scoreless in the second half until 10 minutes remained, building a lead that was strong enough to deliver a championship. 'This means everything," said Cadets junior Claire Shannon, who was awarded the game's most valuable player award. 'We lost last year in our state championship, we lost our conference championship this year, and when most teams would turn the corner and be ready for the season to be over, we rose to the occasion, and I owe it all to the team.' Visitation junior Mackenzie Rassas and senior Quinn Murray had two goals each in the first half, helping the Cubs (12-9) take their lead at the break. But the Cadets' scoring run in the third quarter put them in position for the upset — Visitation scored three goals in the fourth quarter, but St. John's kept the Cubs at a distance until the final whistle. 'Our theme of the game was just '12 minutes.' Twelve minutes at a time," Shannon said. 'Sometimes, with underclassmen and a less experienced team, it's easy to get caught up in the nerves and the pressure of the moment. So, I just kept reminding them to treat each quarter as if it is its own game, focusing on working as hard as you can for those 12 minutes.' With just five seniors on the St. John's roster, and one sidelined due to injury (Meg Chen, a University of Chicago signee), Coach Hillary Fratzke credited the resilience of her seniors. 'I will say, the senior class, from a cultural standpoint, has meant absolutely everything," Fratzke said. 'These seniors have bought into the idea of 'it's not about me.' It is really about everyone around me, and how we can lift one another. And the more that they bought into that, the more that you saw it as a result on the team.'
