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Clubs and teams: using genetic data in team sport fairly and safely

Reviewed by Dr. Daniel Wallerstorfer, molecular biologist and founder of Novogenia · Updated: 15 October 2026 · Reading time: 10 min

In short

In team sport, genetic analyses can help plan training, recovery and nutrition more personally for every player – as a voluntary, individual offer. Three rules are non-negotiable: nobody is selected, lined up or signed based on genes. Children and adolescents are not tested to scout talent or to set their training; for minors, Novogenia carries out only non-medical analyses anyway, and only with the written consent of the persons having custody. And for professionals employed by the club, the club as employer may neither request nor use results (§ 19 GenDG, § 67 GTG, Art. 37 GUMG).

When the coach asks, most say yes

Researchers from Nottingham and Manchester surveyed 72 elite athletes and 95 support staff from UK sports clubs and governing bodies about genetic testing in sport. Interest was high: 80.6% of the athletes wanted to know whether they carry a genetic variant associated with sports performance. And 79.2% said they would take a genetic test related to performance if their coach or governing body asked them to (Varley et al., Biology of Sport, 2018).

The answers were very different on the question that matters most for any club: should genetic information help decide selection, eligibility or employment? Only 13.7% of the support staff and 27.8% of the athletes said yes. 64.2% of the support staff and 47.2% of the athletes said no.

The logical conclusion: the willingness is there, and a request from the coach carries weight. That is exactly why a team offer needs clear rules of play. Think of the result of a genetic analysis as a jersey with only one name on it: it belongs to the player – not to the team.

What genetic data can do for a team

A team is made up of individuals. Two players in the same position can respond very differently to the same training stimulus. A Performance analysis shows each person tendencies toward power or endurance, VO2max potential and recovery. Individual priorities can be derived from this – as logical conclusions that training then puts to the test.

Area	What the analysis can contribute	Where it has no place
Strength and conditioning	a focus on power or endurance in the individual program	line-up, playing time, position
Recovery	hints on how much recovery someone should plan for	injury forecasts
Nutrition	starting points for sports nutrition, for example caffeine	diagnoses and disease risks
Squad planning	nothing	scouting, contracts, transfers

What the analysis examines in detail is explained in The performance analysis. How coaches turn it into a plan is shown in Personalizing training with genetic data; recovery is covered in Recovery: what genes reveal and nutrition in Sports nutrition by genetic profile.

Genes choose the method, not the players

What happens when you sort soccer players by their genetic profile? A research team from Portsmouth divided 30 under-19 players into a power group and an endurance group based on 15 genetic variants. All of them completed three eight-week training blocks in a row: small-sided games, a mix, and purely soccer-specific training. Across all three blocks combined, the two groups did not differ – which the authors see as refuting talent selection by genetic profile. At the same time, the players with a power profile responded better to the soccer-specific training in jump power. So genes can help choose the right training method (Suraci et al., Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research, 2021).

The scientific community draws the same line. An international consensus statement holds that no child or young athlete should be exposed to genetic testing to define their training or for talent identification (Webborn et al., British Journal of Sports Medicine, 2015). The Australian Institute of Sport sees no scientific grounds for using genetic testing for sport selection or talent identification (Vlahovich et al., British Journal of Sports Medicine, 2017).

The law draws this line as well. In Germany, nobody may be disadvantaged because of their genetic characteristics or because they did or did not undergo a genetic test (§ 4(1) GenDG). In Switzerland, Art. 4 GUMG prohibits any discrimination based on a person’s genome. For your club, this means: genes never decide on squad, line-up, playing time or contracts.

Voluntary means: saying no costs nothing

Under the GDPR, genetic data are a special category of personal data. They may be processed, for example, with explicit consent for specified purposes (Art. 9(1) and 9(2)(a)). This consent must be freely given (Art. 4(11)) and can be withdrawn at any time (Art. 7(3)). In Switzerland, every genetic test requires free and explicit consent after adequate information, which can be withdrawn at any time (Art. 5(1) and (2) GUMG).

In a team, this is no formality. When the question comes from the person who decides on playing time, saying no is hard. This is how participation stays truly voluntary:

Every athlete is informed individually and has time to think it over – no sign-up sheet in the locker room.
Who takes part is not visible to the team; there are no lists.
Saying no has no consequences for playing time, squad place, membership or fees.
Anyone who does not take part gets the same training and the same support.

Professionals as employees: the club gets no results

If players are employed by the club, the club is their employer – and special rules then apply in all three countries:

Germany: The Genetic Diagnostics Act explicitly applies to working life as well (§ 2(1) GenDG); employees are “Beschäftigte” within the meaning of the act (§ 3 no. 12). The employer may neither require them to undergo genetic tests or analyses nor require them to disclose results, nor accept or use such results (§ 19 GenDG). Nor may the employer disadvantage them if they refuse a test (§ 21(1) GenDG).
Austria: Employers, including their agents and staff, are prohibited from collecting, requesting, accepting or otherwise using results of genetic analyses of employees; this also covers requesting body samples for genetic analysis (§ 67(1) GTG). The GTG defines a genetic analysis as one that allows statements such as those about a disease risk (§ 4 no. 23 GTG). Plan a team offer as if the ban applied to every genetic analysis anyway.
Switzerland: Employers may neither require genetic tests outside the medical field nor ask for medically irrelevant genetic data or use such data (Art. 37 GUMG). Medical tests in the context of employment are narrowly limited (Art. 38 and 39 GUMG) – and in Switzerland, analyses on the risk of sports injuries count as medical (Art. 37(2) GUMV).

In practice, this means: for employed professionals, a genetic analysis is a private, voluntary offer to the individual. The result goes only to them; the coaching staff, sporting management and club leadership receive no individual results. If the club pays, it gets the invoice, not the result. Have such a model checked legally before you start. How this works in companies is described in Corporate health programs.

Youth players: legally possible, off-limits for scouting

Many clubs live from their youth work – and that is exactly where the temptation to look for “talent” early is greatest. Two levels apply here:

What is legally possible: For minors, Novogenia carries out only non-medical analyses, and only with the written consent of the persons having custody (terms). In Switzerland, genetic tests on persons lacking capacity of judgment may be carried out only if they are necessary to protect their health (Art. 16(1) GUMG) – a sports genetic analysis is not. What counts there is capacity of judgment, not a fixed age.
What makes sense professionally: Children and adolescents are not tested to scout talent or to set their training (Webborn et al., 2015). What counts in youth sport is varied, age-appropriate training.

The consequence for your club: no testing offer for youth teams and no genes in scouting. If a family privately decides on a non-medical analysis, that is their business – the result has no place in scouting or squad planning.

Data protection in the club: the result belongs to the person

Genetic data are specially protected under the GDPR and are sensitive personal data in Switzerland (Art. 5(c) FADP); there, information from a genetic test may be shared with other persons only with the consent of the person tested (Art. 7(2) GUMG). The best way to protect such data is for the club never to receive it:

In the partner shop, each person orders individually; the contracting party is Novogenia Marketing GmbH, and the report is delivered digitally to a secure portal.
As a partner, you decide whether you see reports. In a club, the answer when in doubt is no – and always no for employed professionals.
If an amateur athlete wants to discuss her result with the coach, she brings the report along; no copy stays with the club.
Genetic data do not belong in team apps, performance databases or group chats.

What a fair team offer can look like

Situation	How it works fairly
Amateur or recreational club with adult members	an information evening for everyone, individual orders in the partner shop, saliva sample at home or at a club evening; a report session with the coach only at the person’s request
Professional team with employed players	a voluntary offer through an external partner, for example a physical therapy practice; result only to the person; legal check beforehand
Youth teams	no testing offer; training, nutrition and recovery without genetic data
Club in Switzerland	A health professional listed in Art. 40 GUMV, such as a physiotherapist FH, orders the analysis and is present when the sample is taken (Art. 34 GUMG); written consent to analysis in the lab in Austria (Art. 36 in conjunction with Art. 29 GUMG)

Personalized supplements can round off the offer: in daily sachets, one delivery lasts 90 days, and competitive sport raises the calculated requirement. Players subject to doping controls remain responsible themselves – more in Anti-doping: using supplements safely. How a gym organizes the process is shown in Offering genetic analyses in gyms.

Checklist for clubs and teams

Participation is voluntary, consent individual and in writing; saying no has no consequences.
No selection, line-up or contract decision based on genes.
No testing offer for youth teams.
Employed professionals: the club receives no results; the model has been checked legally.
Non-medical analyses only, no injury forecasts.
Genetic data stay out of team apps and club databases.
In Switzerland: a professional under Art. 40 GUMV, samples taken in their presence.
Note on doping controls for supplements prepared.

Frequently asked questions

May a club require its players to take a genetic test?

No. If the players are employed by the club, the law prohibits this for the employer: in Germany § 19 GenDG, in Austria § 67 GTG, in Switzerland Art. 37 GUMG for tests outside medicine. For amateurs and members, too, a genetic analysis only makes sense as a voluntary offer: under Art. 9 GDPR, genetic data may be processed, for example, with explicit consent – and that consent must be freely given.

May we test youth players?

For minors, Novogenia carries out only non-medical analyses, and only with the written consent of the persons having custody. Professionally, however, children and adolescents are not tested to scout talent or to set their training. A testing offer for youth teams therefore does not belong in a club. In Switzerland, genetic tests on persons lacking capacity of judgment are allowed only to protect their health (Art. 16 GUMG).

Does the coach see the results?

With amateurs, only if the athlete explicitly wants it and consents – ideally, the athlete brings the report to the conversation. With employed professionals, the club as employer may neither request nor use results. In Switzerland, information from a genetic test may be shared with other persons only with the consent of the person tested (Art. 7(2) GUMG).

Can the club pay for the analyses?

Yes, if one rule holds without exception: the club gets the invoice, not the result. Participation stays voluntary, and anyone who does not take part suffers no disadvantage. With employed professionals, have the model checked legally before you start.

What about players subject to doping controls?

They are themselves responsible for everything that enters their body. Every Novogenia raw material is screened for doping substances, among other tests; that does not replace checking with their own federation. More in the article “Anti-doping: using supplements safely”.

Genetic analyses for your gym or team?

Tell us about your gym, team or clients – we will show you which model fits.

Request a project →Performance analysis

Note: This guide is general information for businesses and professionals and does not replace medical or legal advice. The genetic traits determined in a genetic analysis are well documented (each gene included is backed by at least three independent studies); recommendations derived from them are logical conclusions, not scientifically proven. Regulations can change; errors and changes excepted.