5 Stats Every Technical Director Should Track

As a Technical Director, your job is to connect the dots between player development, performance, and long-term club growth. Tracking the right data helps you spot gaps, prove progress, and make better decisions.

With new federation rules in Australia around game-time tracking and growing expectations for data-led development, these five key stats will help you manage your pathway and plan for success.

1. Game Time (Minutes Played)

With Football Australia and several state federations mandating game-time tracking, this stat is now essential. It shows whether players are getting fair opportunities, and whether your rotation strategy supports both development and performance.

Why it matters:

• Ensures fairness and compliance across squads

• Highlights under- or over-used players

• Helps manage fatigue and development balance

• Builds transparency with parents and club boards

What to track:

• Minutes played per player, per match and season

• % of available minutes per player

• Minutes per position or competition level

How Mingle helps:
Mingle Sport automatically tracks minutes played through its match and substitution tools — providing instant visibility without manual entry.

👉 Learn more about game-time tracking in Mingle Sport

2. Attendance & Availability

You can’t develop players who don’t show up. Tracking attendance reveals patterns of commitment and communication — and gives early warning of disengagement or burnout.

Why it matters:

• Identifies reliable players for selection and development

• Flags drops in engagement before they become drop-outs

• Helps plan sessions efficiently

• Creates accountability among players and parents

How Mingle makes this easy:
Mingle includes a built-in RSVP system for training and matches.
Players can confirm attendance in seconds, parents can RSVP for their child, and automatic reminders reduce no-shows.

You can track:

• Attendance rate per player or team

• Match availability and participation

• Reasons for absence (injury, illness, travel)

👉 Learn more about attendance tracking with Mingle

3. Player Load

Once you know how much players are training and playing, the next step is managing their load — the balance between activity, recovery and readiness.

Why it matters:

• Prevents overtraining and injuries

• Balances development with recovery, especially for youth

• Helps you identify fatigue patterns across the squad

What to track:

• Total minutes played + training sessions attended

• Consecutive days of activity

• Recovery time between sessions or matches

How Mingle helps:
Mingle stores your attendance and game-time data — the foundation of player-load tracking.

Also try:
👉 YouCoach Training Load Monitoring (youcoach.com) — helps calculate workload using training duration and perceived exertion.
Or for elite environments, STATSports Sonra (statsports.com) offers GPS-based player load analysis.

4. Player Retention

Retention rates tell you whether your development system keeps players engaged and improving. Losing too many players each season often signals issues with opportunity, communication, or enjoyment.

Why it matters:

• Demonstrates the health of your development pathway

• Reduces recruitment and onboarding costs

• Strengthens team cohesion and culture

What to track:

• % of players returning each season

• Average years in the club

• Retention differences between squads or coaches

How Mingle helps:
You already have player profiles and history inside Mingle — giving you the raw data for retention tracking.

Also try:
👉 Sportlyzer (sportlyzer.com) — a club management tool that handles membership history and retention analytics.
Or Clupik (clupik.com) — ideal for linking participation and retention data across teams.

5. Internal Promotions

The clearest sign your system works is how many players move up — from youth to reserves, or reserves to seniors. Tracking internal promotions proves that your pathway delivers results.

Why it matters:

• Measures true player development

• Provides evidence for your board or federation

• Motivates younger players with visible progression

What to track:

• Number and % of players promoted each season

• Average time between levels

• Age at first senior appearance

How Mingle helps:
Mingle’s player profiles and match data show when players are ready to step up — you can log promotion milestones to track your success.

Also try:
👉 ScoutDecision (scoutdecision.com) — helps track player history, readiness, and movement between squads.
Or RealMetric (realmetric.co.uk) — designed for analysing player progression across levels.

Summary: Your Development Data Stack

Final Thoughts

For Technical Directors in Australia, these five stats give you a powerful overview of player welfare, engagement, and development.

Start with Game Time and Attendance — where Mingle already does the heavy lifting — then use the additional tools above to take Player Load, Retention, and Promotions to the next level.

The result: a more transparent, data-driven club culture that keeps players developing and your pathway thriving.