# The Development and Evaluation of a Training Monitoring System for Amateur Rugby Union
###### Abstract  
A training monitoring system (TMS) should be both attainable and scientifically grounded; however, the optimal method of monitoring training is not yet fully understood. The purpose of this study was to develop and evaluate an online TMS for amateur rugby union. The experimental approach to the problem consisted of five phases: (1) establishing the current training and training load (TL) monitoring practices of amateur rugby union teams, (2) designing and developing the TMS, (3) recruiting teams and subsequently introducing the TMS, (4) supporting the strength and conditioning (S&C) coaches using the TMS, and (5) evaluating the TMS. The findings of this study support the use of an online TMS as a useful and effective method of facilitating training prescription and design in an effort to reduce injury risk and enhance performance. The main barriers impeding player compliance are the lack of feedback on their data and evidence of its use in training design, coaching, and prescription. The effectiveness of the system is dependent on the extent to which the associated challenges are mitigated to ensure quality and consistent data. However, this study offers a method of monitoring training that can be effective while also establishing pitfalls to avoid for both practitioners and researchers alike. training; monitoring; amateur; coaching; injury; performance; rugby +
Footnote †: journal: Medical  
sensitive and reliable than objective measures [1; 2; 10]. Therefore, it is recommended that athletes report their subjective wellbeing on a regular basis alongside other athlete monitoring practices [1]. A TMS should be both attainable and scientifically grounded [14]; however, the optimal method of monitoring training or TL is not yet fully understood and further research is required to optimise training monitoring practices specifically [2; 4; 5; 7]. The effectiveness of a TMS should be determined by getting the perspective of the end-users (i.e., coaches and players) and then factors influencing its implementation can be addressed [4; 15]. Rugby union, hereafter rugby, is a high-intensity invasion game with approximately 9.6 million registered players worldwide, the vast majority of these playing at the amateur level [16]. Rugby has an inherent risk of injury due to its associated physical nature [17] and a recent systematic review found that amateur rugby has a match injury incidence rate of 46.8/1000 player hours [18]. This, combined with the known detrimental effects of injury on player welfare [19; 20; 21; 22] and team and individual athletic performance [11; 23], led to the development of the Irish Rugby Injury Surveillance (IRIS) project. The IRIS project is a comprehensive injury surveillance system and currently monitors the injury epidemiology of 1125 amateur adult rugby players from 25 male and female clubs in Ireland [24]. Differences between professional and amateur rugby in terms of injury epidemiology, injury incidence rates, physical characteristics of players, and challenges to contend with have been highlighted in previous research [7]. The majority of the world's rugby playing population, however, compete at an amateur level. Despite this, there is a paucity of information in relation to monitoring training at this level and the inherent challenges this presents [7]. There is a need, therefore, to examine the amateur game as its own distinct entity where staff and resources are reduced [4; 7]. The current study extends the work of the existing IRIS project with the purpose of (1) developing an online TMS for amateur rugby using information from the existing literature and the current practices of S&C coaches, (2) evaluating the effectiveness of the system with the aim of recommending future methods of monitoring training, and (3) highlighting the challenges that can impact the effectiveness of a TMS that end-users (i.e., coaches and players) should take into consideration.