How gadgets helped athletes survive COVID
2023.01.08 09:32
How gadgets helped athletes survive COVID
Budrigannews.com – Sport is a multibillion-dollar industry, with elite teams increasingly relying on technology to gain an advantage, from the NFL to the English Premier League.
Until recently, gathering performance data from athletes was a time-consuming process. Sports scientists and coaches would spend hours compiling data from games and training sessions to find information that would help their players grow. But performance analytics based on technology have changed all of that.
Athletes can now wear devices or vests with GPS-tracking capabilities to record their speed, distance, and body impacts while running. Coaches can use the information to create training plans to avoid athlete fatigue and boost performance on match days.
The Northern Ireland-based STATSports company is a market leader in performance analytics. Its technology is utilized by top rugby and American football teams, as well as the majority of teams in the English Premier League (EPL).
STATSports said that millions of US players at all levels would use its devices under a reported £1 billion ($1.2 billion) five-year agreement it signed with the US Soccer Federation in 2018.
STATSports co-founder Sean O’Connor stated to CNN Business, “This technology was in its infancy when we started the company 12 years ago.” It’s now common in the majority of sports at all levels, and it’s about getting the most out of it.
Teams can view data almost immediately from an iPad or Apple (AAPL) Watch with the company’s Sonra 3.0 software, which was released in 2020. This allows coaches and players to receive feedback and adjust their strategies midway through a game even while the game is in progress.
Since 2017, Tom Allen has been the head sport scientist at Arsenal Football Club. He claims that coaches and players are now interested in performance data.
He stated, “When I first started, no one [player] really cared too much about these statistics.” Everyone is now accustomed to seeing information sent to their phones, and they are particularly interested in how they are progressing.
The elite athletes always engage in intense competition. They are curious about “why is someone doing more than me?” They are pushing each other, saying, “I should be doing more than that.”
The technology has also been used to monitor performance outside of the training facility over the past year. Clubs used STATSports devices to monitor their players while they trained remotely during the English Premier League’s temporary suspension in March 2020 and the UK lockdown.
Allen provided an explanation, stating, “We went through a very tough regime to try and get them ready for what was going to come along the line post-Covid.” We set up a leaderboard within the group, brought everyone together, and the level of competition skyrocketed.
STATSports compiled a “player proximity report” while the league was suspended. This report showed how much time players spent training within two meters of each other, which is the minimum distance required by the government’s social distancing policy. As part of its efforts to restart the league, the EPL presented the data to the government.
Grand View Research estimates that the sports analytics industry could be worth $4.6 billion by 2025 as the technology begins to spread to amateur sports.
Systems that allow users to compare their performance to that of professionals and peers have been developed by companies like Australia’s Catapult and STATSports, both of which work with EPL teams as well.
According to O’Connor, “You can create a league with your friends, you can compare yourself to elite pros as well, and you can determine where you are in relation to that.” That is greatly desired, and demand is growing.
“The next wave of technological advancements will come from that underbelly of kids and youth football players.”
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