Pints & Insights

Overview

This month's Pints and Insights bring a special World Cup edition — featuring leading voices exploring the science, strategy, and hidden dynamics shaping the future of elite sport.

Josh Waugh
Train Like You Plan to Play
Every team has an identity — pressing, possession-based, transition-heavy — but how should that shape the way they train? Using game footage and GPS data, Josh explores how key match demands can inform smarter training planning and periodisation to optimise performance.

Prof Julien Périard
World Cup 2026 in the Heat: Are Players Protected?
The 2026 FIFA World Cup will be played during the hottest months in North America. With universal cooling breaks already announced, are current safeguards enough — and what still needs to change to protect player health and performance?

Dr Charles Mountifield
Sport Agents and Perceptions of Key Relationships in Football and Rugby
Sport agents influence careers, contracts, and value in elite sport — but how much are they really trusted? Dr Mountifield unpacks the realities, myths, and tensions surrounding influence, ethics, and accountability behind the scenes.