Exploring the effects of position-related information on the perception of scenario-based passing opportunities: An information integration theoretical approach

When football players are preparing to pass the ball, they consider contextual information provided by the current game situation to identify passing opportunities and choose the one that appears most beneficial. In the search for contextual information indicating such opportunities, a recent study analyzing the relationships between the position-related characteristics of game situations and athletes’ passing behavior reports that athletes generally prioritize passing options based on their team members’ areal proximity, the openness of the passing lanes leading to team members, and how closely the team members are covered by the opponents. While the found relationships indicate the positional features’ relevance to the athletes’ passing behavior, the importance of single bits of positional information and their integration into subjectively perceived passing opportunities remain unknown. The aim of this study is to begin closing this gap and analyze how multiple athletes weigh and integrate position-related information within their subjective process of perceiving passing opportunities