Abstract

In football, a primary problem for management is the acquisition and retention of players to provide the strongest team possible. Accordingly, player assessment involves the consideration of aging where predictions are made as to whether players are improving or declining in performance. We begin with a review of average aging curves in sport. Then, a novel approach is introduced which addresses personal aging curves. A connection is made between player performance (which is challenging to measure) and maximum acceleration (which is easy to measure). The investigation is carried out through the use of tracking data and functional data analysis.