Head shot of Naomi Datson

Dr Naomi Datson

Senior Lecturer in Applied Sport Science and Performance

My profile

Biography

I joined the Department of Sport and Exercise Sciences in November 2023 as a Senior Lecturer in Applied Sport Science and Performance. I am an experienced practitioner having provided sport science support to elite women’s football players for nearly 20 years. I am also a BASES accredited physiologist.

Previously, I worked as a sport scientist for the English FA (2005-2010) and Head of Sport Science for the women’s teams (2010-2016). In these roles, I worked with the England women’s senior team at three major international tournaments, the U19 team at six major international tournaments and Team GB at the London 2012 Olympics. Since leaving the FA, I have provided consultancy services to several women’s club teams as well as National and International Governing bodies. I currently work for UEFA where I am part of the UEFA Fitness for Football Advisory Group.

I completed my PhD at Liverpool John Moores University, investigating the physical demands of elite women’s football and the physical characteristics of players. I have published numerous articles on the physiology and performance of women’s football players.

Get in touch

Room 2.01 99 Oxford Road

Teaching

I contribute to the following units:

  • Performance Analysis (L5)
  • Advanced Performance Analysis (L6)
  • Working in High Performance Support (L6)
  • Working in Sport and Exercise (L7)

Research outputs

  • Chapters in books

    Carling, C., Datson, N. (2023) 'Analysis of physical performance in match- play.' Science and Soccer: Developing Elite Performers. pp. 253-272.

    Datson, N. (2022) 'Women's Football Requirements.' Soccer Science & Performance Coaching: Develop an Elite Coaching Methodology with Applied Coaching Science. Meyer & Meyer Sport,

    Carling, C., Datson, N. (2022) 'Performance Analysis for Coaches.' Practical Sports Coaching. Routledge,

  • Journal articles

    Feist, J., Datson, N., Runswick, O., Harkness-Armstrong, A., Pocock, C. (2024) 'Visual exploratory activity in elite women’s soccer: an analysis of the UEFA Women’s European Championship 2022.' International Journal of Sport and Exercise Psychology,

    Runswick, O.R., Rawlinson, A., Allen, P.M., Sharpe, B.T., Pocock, C., Datson, N., Birch, P., Bruce, R., Mann, D.L. (2023) 'The effects of simulated vision impairment on performance in football.' Journal of Sports Sciences, 41(14) pp. 1410-1422.

    Beato, M., Datson, N., Anderson, L., Brownlee, T., Coates, A., Hulton, A. (2023) 'Rationale and practical recommendations for testing protocols in female soccer: a narrative review.' Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research, 37(9) pp. 1912-1922.

    Datson, N., Dello Iacono, A., Doncaster, G., Page, R.M., McKeown, A., Unnithan, V.B. (2023) 'Peak physical demands of elite women's soccer: assessing playing position and post-goal locomotor patterns.' International Journal of Sports Science and Coaching,

    Harkness-Armstrong, A., Till, K., Datson, N., Emmonds, S. (2023) 'Influence of match status and possession status on the physical and technical characteristics of elite youth female soccer match-play.' Journal of Sports Sciences, 41(15) pp. 1437-1449.

    Datson, N., Weston, M., Drust, B., Atkinson, G., Lolli, L., Gregson, W. (2022) 'Reference values for performance test outcomes relevant to English female soccer players.' Science and Medicine in Football, 6(5) pp. 589-596.

    Okholm Kryger, K., Thomson, A., Tang, A., Brown, N., Bruinvels, G., Rosenbloom, C., Carmody, S., Williamson, L., Datson, N., Jobson, E., Mehta, R. (2022) 'Ten questions in sports engineering: technology in elite women’s football.' Sports Engineering, 25

    Andrew, M., Finnegan, L., Datson, N., Dugdale, J.H. (2022) 'Men Are from Quartile One, Women Are from? Relative Age Effect in European Soccer and the Influence of Age, Success, and Playing Status.' Children, 9(11) pp. 1747-1747.

    Harkness-Armstrong, A., Till, K., Datson, N., Myhill, N., Emmonds, S. (2022) 'A systematic review of match-play characteristics in women’s soccer.' PLoS ONE, 17(6)

    Datson, N., Lolli, L., Drust, B., Atkinson, G., Weston, M., Gregson, W. (2022) 'Inter-methodological quantification of the target change for performance test outcomes relevant to elite female soccer players.' Science and Medicine in Football, 6(2) pp. 248-261.

    Runswick, O.R., Rawlinson, A., Datson, N., Allen, P.M. (2022) 'A valid and reliable test of technical skill for vision impaired football.' Science and Medicine in Football, 6(1) pp. 89-97.

    Thompson, C.J., Smith, A., Coutts, A.J., Skorski, S., Datson, N., Smith, M.R., Meyer, T. (2022) 'Understanding the Presence of Mental Fatigue in Elite Female Football.' Research Quarterly for Exercise and Sport, 93(3) pp. 504-515.

    Harkness-Armstrong, A., Till, K., Datson, N., Emmonds, S. (2022) 'Determining age-specific velocity thresholds for elite youth female soccer players.' Science and Medicine in Football, 6(5) pp. 581-588.

    Randell, R.K., Clifford, T., Drust, B., Moss, S.L., Unnithan, V.B., De Ste Croix, M.B.A., Datson, N., Martin, D., Mayho, H., Carter, J.M., Rollo, I. (2021) 'Physiological Characteristics of Female Soccer Players and Health and Performance Considerations: A Narrative Review.' Sports Medicine, 51(7) pp. 1377-1399.

    Harkness-Armstrong, A., Till, K., Datson, N., Emmonds, S. (2021) 'Whole and peak physical characteristics of elite youth female soccer match-play.' Journal of Sports Sciences, 39(12) pp. 1320-1329.

    Harkness-Armstrong, A., Till, K., Datson, N., Emmonds, S. (2020) 'Technical characteristics of elite youth female soccer match-play: position and age group comparisons between under 14 and under 16 age groups.' International Journal of Performance Analysis in Sport, 20(6) pp. 942-959.

    Datson, N., Weston, M., Drust, B., Gregson, W., Lolli, L. (2020) 'High-intensity endurance capacity assessment as a tool for talent identification in elite youth female soccer.' Journal of Sports Sciences, 38(11-12) pp. 1313-1319.

    Ford, P.R., Hodges, N.J., Broadbent, D., O’Connor, D., Scott, D., Datson, N., Andersson, H.A., Williams, A.M. (2020) 'The developmental and professional activities of female international soccer players from five high-performing nations.' Journal of Sports Sciences, pp. 1432-1440.

    Passos Ramos, G., Datson, N., Mahseredjian, F., Lopes, T.R., Coimbra, C.C., Prado, L.S., Nakamura, F.Y., Penna, E.M. (2019) 'Activity profile of training and matches in Brazilian Olympic female soccer team.' Science and Medicine in Football, 3(3) pp. 231-237.

    Datson, N., Drust, B., Weston, M., Gregson, W. (2019) 'Repeated high-speed running in elite female soccer players during international competition.' Science and Medicine in Football, 3(2) pp. 150-156.

    De Ste Croix, M., Hughes, J., Ayala, F., Taylor, L., Datson, N. (2018) 'Efficacy of Injury Prevention Training Is Greater for High-Risk vs Low-Risk Elite Female Youth Soccer Players.' American Journal of Sports Medicine, 46(13) pp. 3271-3280.

    Datson, N., Drust, B., Weston, M., Jarman, I.H., Lisboa, P.J., Gregson, W. (2017) 'Match Physical Performance of Elite Female Soccer Players during International Competition.' Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research, 31(9) pp. 2379-2387.

    Bradley, P.S., Bendiksen, M., Dellal, A., Mohr, M., Wilkie, A., Datson, N., Orntoft, C., Zebis, M., Gomez-Diaz, A., Bangsbo, J., Krustrup, P. (2014) 'The application of the Yo-Yo intermittent endurance level 2 test to elite female soccer populations..' Scandinavian journal of medicine & science in sports, 24(1) pp. 43-54.

    Datson, N., Hulton, A., Andersson, H., Lewis, T., Weston, M., Drust, B., Gregson, W. (2014) 'Applied physiology of female soccer: An update.' Sports Medicine, 44(9) pp. 1225-1240.

    Datson, N., Hulton, A., Andersson, H., Lewis, T., Weston, M., Drust, B., Gregson, W. (2014) 'Erratum: Applied physiology of female soccer: An update(Sports Medicine DOI: 10.1007/s40279-014-0199-1)).' Sports Medicine, 44(9)

    Williams, K., Gregson, W., Robertson, C., Datson, N., Whyte, G., Murrell, C., Wilson, L., Ainslie, P., Ross, E., Shave, R., Gaze, D., George, K. (2009) 'Alterations in left ventricular function and cardiac biomarkers as a consequence of repetitive endurance cycling.' European Journal of Sport Science, 9(2) pp. 97-105.