How Bologna FC Uses Firstbeat Sports for Internal Load Monitoring

At Bologna FC, athlete monitoring has always been a priority, but in recent years, the club’s focus had been on external load data, particularly with the rise of GPS technology.

But as the performance and sports science staff soon realized, understanding how each player individually responds to that load was a crucial missing piece of the puzzle. Nicolò Prandelli, Strength & Conditioning Coach at Bologna, explains,

“We realized that we were missing a fundamental aspect of monitoring, that being the individual response to the applied load, hence the internal load. The Firstbeat system immediately seemed exceptional for this purpose.”

Bologna FC has now been using Firstbeat Sports for nearly two seasons, integrating it into every on-field training session, as well as during indoor rehab sessions for injured players.

The team closely tracks daily metrics such as times spent in various heart rate zones and Training Effect to evaluate session outcomes. They also use TRIMP per minute to assess the intensity of drills and Acute: Chronic Workload Ratio to monitor load progression over time.

A key part of Bologna’s analysis is comparing internal and external loads, which provides valuable insights into how different athletes respond to the same training. This helps the coaching staff better understand how each individual player is responding and gives them a deeper context they didn’t have before.

Looking ahead, Bologna FC is expanding the use of Firstbeat to its youth teams, in addition to the men’s team, to support long-term player development and the transition from youth to professional team levels.

Nicolò says: “Starting from this season, our U20 team is also using the Firstbeat system. We still don’t have much  experience in this area, but it is certainly one of the aspects we will try to explore as much as possible.”

For Bologna FC, Firstbeat Sports has not only filled an important gap in athlete monitoring but has also helped create a more complete, individualized performance picture, on the field, in rehab, and in player development.

Learn more about Firstbeat’s metrics in our free training load guide for soccer coaches here.