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)

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.