The Athletic illuminates how the growth of wearable technology is transforming football.
We have grown accustomed to seeing players wear a GPS (global positioning system) sports vest under their shirts during a game, but it is worth highlighting how much wearable technology has grown in football and how it has ventured into new realms in recent years.
There is, quite literally, nowhere for today’s cohort of players to hide given the ubiquity of data in football.
“In our generation, you knew who had been out the night before, just from the positions they’d take up in training — they’d be on the left wing and they’d be doing nothing,” Owen explains. “Now, if you don’t do enough in training they’ll be able to look, and question if there is anything wrong with the player — physically or emotionally — but there is simply no hiding place anymore.”
STATSports and Catapult lead the industry as the most widely used GPS wearable devices in the professional game, with companies such as Barin Sports, and Hudl (WIMU Pro) also competing to provide the most cutting-edge performance tracking.
Across each device, the granularity of the information that is provided is extensive, with sensors that not only allow you to monitor the volume of sprints a player makes but also calculate the direction they are facing as they receive the ball and the balance they place on each respective foot.
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