GPS Load

TL;DR

GPS Load centralizes the squad’s external load: imports data from CSV or Excel, computes ACWR per player and metric (distance, HSR, sprint, HMLD), forecasts the next session, and compares against the match reference (%MD). Used by the S&C, Sport Scientist, and HoP to decide intensity and rotations day to day. For definitions of ACWR, HSR, HMLD, %MD, T1/T2/T3 tiers, and EWMA, see the glossary.

For sales

• Problem it solves: the coaching staff receives GPS spreadsheets from Catapult, GPexe, STATSports, or others, and needs to quickly interpret whether a player is overloaded or underloaded relative to their own history and the match. CÉNIT unifies the import, computes multi-metric ACWR, and shows %MD per player in a single UI.
• Typical use cases:
  • Post-match Monday: review who exceeded 100% of their %MD reference in HMLD and plan Tuesday’s load.
  • Wed/Thu: forecast the next MD-3 session from the current ACWR.
  • Pre-match Friday: cross-reference the week’s accumulated %MD with risk.
• Plans that include it: all plans include ACWR, CSV import, and forecasting. The Comparisons tab is available on Pro and Enterprise.
• Differentiator: ACWR in m/day across the four relevant metrics (not just total distance), tier system T1/T2/T3 for %MD that doesn’t break when minutes are missing, and deterministic forecasting without AI — auditable.

How staff use it

Access and permissions

Module access: Head of Performance, Sporting Director, S&C, Sport Scientist, and Return-to-play. Physio, Physician, Nutritionist, and Psychologist do not have access (they consume Risk and Physio, which already integrate ACWR).

Step-by-step flows

Module tabs (left to right):

1. Today — last imported session, top intensity, and per-player table.
2. Forecast — multi-metric with sub-tabs distance / HSR / sprint / HMLD. Distance loads on entry; HSR, Sprint, and HMLD load when each sub-tab is activated.
3. Week — per-player table for the current week (Dist / HSR / Sprint / HMLD) with %MD vs Absolute toggle.
4. Comparisons — current week vs previous weeks.
5. Upload — CSV importers (Catapult / GPexe / generic format) and Tachira (custom Excel).

Manual minutes editor — when the GPS provider doesn’t report match duration (a documented case in Tachira), staff load them manually from the matches grid. If minutes remain unset, that match falls into the limited tier and only participates in the %MD fallback.

Related configuration

• %MD match window (Settings → Org): range 90–360 days, default 90.
• ACWR method (Settings → Org): RMA (default) or EWMA (opt-in, Williams 2017). Changes how days are weighted within the window, not the thresholds.
• Microcycle view (Settings → Org): layout used in weekly aggregates.

FAQ / edge cases

• “ACWR changed from one day to the next without a new session” — the calculation is rolling: each day that passes enters/leaves the numerator and/or denominator. Expected.
• “Player’s %MD is NULL” — they don’t have enough matches in the window to reach tier T1/T2/T3 (fallback cascade: starter → rotational → substitute → limited → no data).
• “Player Load isn’t shown” — it was removed; HMLD replaces it.

How the player sees it

Player surface: N/A in this module. The player doesn’t see ACWR or %MD figures directly. They do see the microcycle day (MD-N) in their agenda, which depends on the loaded match calendar.

Data and metrics

Formulas and calculations

• ACWR (RMA, default): acute_7d = sum of the metric over the last 7d / 7 and chronic_28d = sum over the last 28d / 28, both in m/day. Applies to distance, HSR, sprint, and HMLD. The ratio is dimensionless.
• ACWR (EWMA, opt-in): exponential averages (Williams 2017), with decay constants managed inside the app. Enabled per org.
• %MD — average of the player’s 3 best matches per metric inside the configured window, with a tier system:
  • T1 (≥75 min) — preferred reference.
  • T2 (45–74 min).
  • T3 (15–44 min).
  • Excluded: <15 min. No recorded duration → limited tier (fallback).
• Fallback cascade: starter → rotational → substitute → limited → no data.
• HMLD — High Metabolic Load Distance (Osgnach 2010): distance covered at ≥25.5 W/kg. Includes accelerations and decelerations.
• HSR — High Speed Running: distance >19.8 km/h (default threshold, varies by provider).
• Sprint: distance >25.2 km/h (default threshold).
• Multi-metric forecast: deterministic computation, doesn’t use AI — auditable line by line.

Importers and sources

• Generic CSV: auto-detects Catapult, GPexe (ES/EN, ; separator), STATSports formats. Expected columns: player name, total distance (m), HSR (m), sprint (m), HMLD (m), max speed (km/h), duration (min). Unmatched player names trigger a bulk creation flow.
• Tachira (custom Excel): dedicated parser. Detects condition (NORMAL / SANIDAD / SELECCIÓN / OTROS) and generates absences automatically as appropriate.

Integrations

• Risk consumes the ACWR values (distance / HSR / sprint / HMLD + optional EWMA) and persists the daily snapshot.
• Calendar provides the matches and durations that feed %MD.
• Squad shows the player’s current ACWR for the dashboard semaphore.
• HoP Report uses the weekly aggregation in the PDF.

Limitations

• No native integration with wearables (Garmin, WHOOP, Catapult API): everything enters via CSV/Excel.