Image credit: South Bend Lions FC

South Bend Lions Football Club, an expansion team that’s joining USL League Two, officially announced its existence Tuesday. We interviewed owner and principal investor Ritchie Jeune to find out more about the South Bend, Ind.-based side that’s set to take the pitch in 2020.

Nipun Chopra: Congratulations on the launch of the new League Two club. What is your connection to the city of South Bend, and why did you want to launch a club there?

Ritchie Jeune: Thank you. At the start of the process, I had no connection to any market. I have clubs in Europe and Asia and had a desire to explore North America to add to that portfolio. Chris Rivett has been integral in the process with his knowledge of the landscape in North America; it gave us a strong starting point. We drew up a criteria of requirements and then a list of bonus items we were looking for to identify a shortlist. From there, we conducted market visits and arrived at the conclusion that South Bend best met with our objectives — this was due in no small part to the response we had from the community. Not just the soccer people either but enthusiasm from the community as a whole that this was an initiative that the city would embrace. Their passion and hunger for a club was the strongest of everywhere we’ve looked at, where an opportunity existed. As conversations have evolved in the last six months, we’ve formed a bond of mutual respect and shared ambition. We’re very excited.

NC: What is your vision for the club going forward? Do you see yourself wanting to turn professional someday?

RJ: The key aim for us from the outset is to ensure the long-term sustainability of the football club. Our ultimate goal is to bring professional soccer to South Bend and to achieve all our ambitions we aim to build a scalable and sustainable model club that sets the standard other clubs will wish to emulate. It will be underwritten by a robust and sustainable business model and one that strives to create a positive environment for families to experience soccer.

It’s our objective to work together and establish a club playing at the highest level that the community can support and we welcome everyone to be a part of our adventure.

NC: Why was League Two a good fit for your vision versus other national leagues such as the UPSL and NPSL?

RJ: In parallel with our market analysis at the beginning of the process, we looked at the options for where we would compete. We gave consideration to NISA as well. Everything was a possibility from the outset and we sought the views of people we respect at various levels of the game here; we asked the soccer community in South Bend what they wanted and taking in all the feedback we concluded that USL was the best fit for the pathway to the professional game that we wish to build here in South Bend. That’s nothing against the other leagues who are all doing an important job to promote the game in this country.

NC: Will the coaching staff be tapping into mostly Notre Dame and local college players, or will you scout players from all over Indiana?

RJ: Thiago Pinto has been pivotal in galvanizing the community and linking everything together and he deserves special recognition for that. He will be our technical director and will lead this side of the club. The process began some time ago in readiness, and we are looking to bring in top college players and young talent both locally and from across the country who will inspire the next generation and be proud to represent South Bend.

NC: There seems to be significant turnover of teams at the amateur level. What steps have you taken to ensure the long-term (five-plus years) future of the South Bend team?

RJ: Understandably, this is something we’ve had a lot of conversations about in South Bend. It’s about small, sensible steps. We might not have experience of running clubs in North America, but Chris and I have built businesses from scratch and we’ve sat on boards in England and spent meetings discussing how to solve problems caused, sometimes, by a decision made a decade ago.

We’ve always said wouldn’t it be brilliant to build a club starting with a blank piece of paper and we now have the opportunity to do just that. We asked the community to trust us and they have. We know people will be skeptical of outsiders coming into a city they have no connection with, but I’ve done that twice already and it’s worked out well. I would hope that evidence of my commitment goes a long way to answer that question — ultimately, only time can prove that.

Follow Nipun on Twitter: @NipunChopra7.

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Ex-USWNT forward Natasha Kai goes up for a header while playing for ASC San Diego. Photo credit: ASC San Diego/Peter Durdaller Sports Photography

With the recent announcement that the WPSL will be partnering with Movement Interactive, Soc Takes was interested in exploring the idea and science behind using accelerometer-based equipment for diagnosing concussive injuries.

The idea behind using accelerometers is fairly simple, at least in premise. It has to do with g-forces (gravitational forces). One g-force is what you’re experiencing right now — the rate at which you’re being “pulled” toward the toilet bowl on which you are currently seated as you read this. As you accelerate — or more importantly in our case, decelerate — you experience increasing g-forces. Think about the experience of being on a roller coaster; that feeling of suddenly accelerating, turning, twisting or stopping causes your body to experience being pushed or pulled. That sensation is caused by g-forces.

Let us take a hypothetical scenario. You decide to play some pickup soccer with Mr. Mark Calloway, better known as “The Undertaker.” During the match, you find yourself going up for a header against him. The Undertaker, in all of his seven-foot glory, barely has to jump for the header. You, with all of your effort, manage to merely make contact with his elbow.

Bang. Lights out. 

While you were jumping up to get to the ball, your body was in motion. When your head suddenly struck a massive tattooed elbow, that motion was unnaturally stopped. This sudden cessation of movement resulted in very strong decelerative g-forces to your head.

So, in premise, if we were able to measure those g-forces on your head, we might be able to ascertain whether or not you’ve experienced a brain injury. Stick a device such as an accelerometer that measures g-forces onto someone’s head, and we’re in business.

Simple, right?

* * *

Dr. Eric Luster comes across as someone you want to drink a beer with. In my conversation with him, he is relaxed and hopeful that his product will help athletes across the world. In spite of my pushback against accelerometer-based data (more on this later), Luster remains calm and answers questions succinctly and highlights the evidence-based methodologies that Movement Interactive has adopted via its scientific team, data collection and patented analytics.

The general idea came to him as he watched his son play tackle football approximately seven years ago. Luster remembers realizing a horrible event that occurred while Luster was working on his PhD in computer science. A young high school football player had died after continuing to play through an undiagnosed concussion. Years later, as his son played tackle football on the same field that a horrendous event had occurred, Luster was determined to prevent history from repeating itself.

This catalyzed Luster into beginning the framework for Movement Interactive.

“We first tried to develop a sensor in the football helmet, but we quickly switched to adding it to a headband. The way it works is, it tracks to about 200 g of force in terms of acceleration. It also has a gyroscope that works to track rotational forces. We use some of the same technologies that helped modernize the automobile industry in terms of airbags,” Luster says, adding that a recently completed study at Gateway Community College showed that wearing the headband did not interfere with players’ ability to head the ball.

“We were astonished that 100% of the athletes forgot they were wearing the device.”

As the founder of Movement Interactive, he has launched a product that he believes will revolutionize concussion prediction and head injury data collection. This product is called the Hiji band. And, the Women’s Premier Soccer League (WPSL) will be the first national league to adopt its usage.

During this summer, baseline physiological and behavioral recordings will be generated from WPSL players during training. These recordings will be used to help with concussion diagnosis during the season, whenever the league does return to play. Soc Takes understands the league is still considering the option of playing their fall season.

Photo credit: Alex Paz Photography

With the Hiji system, if a player receives an impact, the sensor will measure rotation and linear g-forces. Subsequently, based on a proprietary algorithm, a “head impact criteria” score is then generated. If that score crosses a threshold — also calculated based on the same proprietary algorithm — an alert is sent to athletic trainers and coaches. Medical personnel would then be the ones responsible for determining if the player is at risk for concussion.

So, it is meant to be suggestive — although based on real-time impact data, not a diagnostic tool. Luster agrees, “It is intended to help better measure and track cumulative head impacts so players and coaches can more accurately monitor player health status over time.”

* * *

The data on accelerometer-based concussive prediction and diagnosis is equivocal at best; and I use that word carefully. The data in the field is mired by poorly-controlled studies that show small effect sizes (if at all).

It is beyond question that your head experiences strong g-forces (some estimate these can be as high as 100 g) during a brain injury. However, there are significant caveats to this data. For one, there are various metrics — linear forces, angular forces, etc. — to consider, and they are often inconsistently defined and measured in these studies. For example, the g-forces experienced by your head and neck during an injury are different. Perhaps more importantly, the g-forces experienced by your head are different than those experienced by your brain because the latter sits suspended in a nice jelly-like substance inside your skull. Finally, much of the confirmatory studies are conducted using crash test dummies, even though it is widely accepted that using test dummies cannot accurately model brain injury outcomes. Luster confirms that the Hiji band and sensor confirmatory data was also generated using dummies.

Luster listens to my rant about the equivocal nature of these studies patiently, never interrupting. He says, “This is why we want to work closely with the league (WPSL). We want to develop solutions with the league that contribute more than hurt the sport. When folks say these things are not accurate, we are OK with that. Our aim is to detect that severe head impact that will save someone’s life and we are confident about achieving that.”

Soc Takes reached out to neuropathologist and TBI researcher Dr. Willie Stewart for comment on accelerometer-based TBI research. Stewart is the leader of the Glasgow Brain Injury Research Group (GBIRG) and is currently a clinical associate professor at the University of Glasgow. While it must be stated that Stewart was not commenting on Hiji band technology specifically, he remains very skeptical about the implementation of equipment using accelerometers. He said, “There is no accelerometer ‘number’ that identifies concussion or brain injury. This, despite many thousands of hours and studies across numerous sports. It’s a myth. And then there is the issue that data from accelerometers is pretty noisy and not terribly reliable.”

* * *

It has to be stated that none of the above criticisms applies to Hiji per se. It is entirely possible that Hiji band technology does have efficacy and predictive capabilities. However, currently, it is impossible for us to know as there is no published data. Which brings us to the final issue — Hiji is a black box. It is built on proprietary and/or patented designs and algorithms. That poses an additional challenge in determining the validity and reliability of the innovation.

Luster says the cost for the equipment will be borne by parents and/or teams. Each Hiji band retails at $249.99. Whether or not teams in the WPSL — already running on a small budget — will be willing to pay for these bands is unclear. WPSL communications director James Poling (see disclosure below) expects that “at least one or two clubs” will utilize the system.

According to Luster, the Hiji band will be used in concert with SCAT3 diagnosis, and he reiterates that ultimately it will be a medical professional — not the band — that will determine whether or not a player has been concussed.

However, in order to facilitate that, athletic trainers would need to go through intensive training on how to correctly analyze and interpret the data generated by the system. Both Luster and the WPSL believe that is an achievable goal.

Poling says that though COVID has delayed plans, the league expects to host informational seminars for athletic trainers in the future. Dr. Vytus Ringus, WPSL medical director, will be responsible for the development of these seminars and tracking any potential health-related benefits of the Hiji system.

* * *

Luster is optimistic about the future for Hiji. One of his ideas is to help coaches make decisions regarding their training modules. He agrees with some of the concerns stated by Stewart and the scientific literature at large. He says, “Several of our competitors have tried the approach of simply capturing g-force to identify a concussion. Our product combines acceleration and rotation (from gyroscope) for completing the calculations. In many cases, it has been found that a 10 g impact can be more harmful than a 20 g impact given location, duration and rotation of the head.”

“If we notice a trend that there is a team that shows higher injury scores during a certain time point, we can contact the coach and let them know that they may consider changing a particular drill, ” Luster says.

He hopes to gain buy-in from youth leagues in the future, with the goal of collecting and tracking data longitudinally; he hopes to track injury data for individuals across their youth and young adult careers.

Personally, I’d be interested in seeing that data. But, how valid, robust and usable it is remains as uncertain as it is potentially exciting. While MLS still continues to drag its feet on its concussion protocol, perhaps we should celebrate the WPSL for setting up this innovative collaboration. But, only time will tell.

Disclosure: James Poling has been a freelance contributor for Soc Takes in the past. There are, however, no current financial ties between Soc Takes and Poling, Movement Interactive or the WPSL.

Follow Nipun on Twitter: @NipunChopra7.

Support Soc Takes on Patreon for access to exclusive content and supporter benefits. Click here to become a patron today.

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Image credit: Robbie Mehling/Soc Takes

A visual look at Indy Eleven’s past three seasons by Soc Takes staff photojournalist Robbie Mehling is here, and just in time for the holidays.

“Smoke and Streamers” is now available for purchase at Blurb.com for $30. The photobook contains 90-plus pages of high-resolution images shot at Indy Eleven matches from the beginning of the 2018 season through the end of the 2020 campaign.

Mehling, based in Muncie, Ind., joined Soc Takes ahead of the 2018 season, Indy’s first in the USL Championship. It was also Indy’s first season playing at Lucas Oil Stadium in downtown Indianapolis.

Since then, Mehling has chronicled the team’s highs and lows as his work regularly features at SocTakes.com and elsewhere in the soccer-sphere.

To help combat food insecurity in the communities of Muncie and Indianapolis, 40% of all proceeds from the photobook will be donated to Second Harvest Food Bank of East Central Indiana and Gleaners Food Bank of Indiana.

Treat yourself to a copy of “Smoke and Streamers” today, or grab one as a gift for the Indy Eleven or USL Championship fan in your life.

Support Soc Takes on Patreon for access to exclusive content and supporter benefits. Click here to become a patron today.

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