# 1. What does San Diego Wave’s framework-first approach imply for supplier trials?


**5 October · Supplier-hosted practitioner interview.** In Hudl’s interview, San Diego Wave technical director Chris Loxston describes developing a club playing framework with the general manager, informed by league-wide data. The framework then informed both player and head-coach recruitment. This is an account of the club’s approach, not a controlled demonstration of software-generated savings. ([hudl.com](https://www.hudl.com/blog/san-diego-wave-chris-loxston-club-framework))

**Procurement implication:** Start a trial with the football behaviour you need to assess, not a vendor’s preferred player ranking.

For a centre-back search, an illustrative brief might ask:

- Can the player progress possession against an organised first press?
- What evidence shows their positioning when their team loses the ball?
- Which observations are repeatable across different opponents?
- Where do the data and scout assessment disagree?

Require every supplier to answer the same questions with the same authorised shortlist. A different visualisation is not automatically a different finding.