The U.S. Soccer Federation has struck a deal worth over $1.5 billion with Irish wearables company STATSports to provide monitoring devices for its 4 million registered soccer players. With this deal, the U.S. Soccer Federation aims to create the world’s largest player data monitoring program and make it a first step towards outfitting amateur soccer players with performance technology like the ones used by professional soccer players across the globe.
Read more How Soccer Technology Has Evolved Since World Cup 2014 in Brazil
“We are extremely excited to partner with STATSports,” U.S. Soccer Director of Sport Development Ryan Mooney said in a statement. “This technology will drive our support, improve performance, and better monitor health and safety across all of our National Teams and our nation’s elite players in the Development Academy. By partnering with a world leader in wearable performance tracking, we will help drive and improve player environments through the exchange of data between clubs and U.S. Soccer as players enter and leave National team camps. Over time, this information will be used to research, support and educate the entire landscape.”
More About the Deal and STATSports
STATSports will supply U.S. soccer players its wearable APEX athlete monitoring devices which are worn in a vest and positioned between the shoulder blades. The devices track speed, acceleration, distance, deceleration, high-speed running, load and heart rate.
U.S. Soccer will use 6,500 APEX Team Series systems across the Men’s and Women’s National Teams, the Paralympic National Team, Futsal National Team, Beach Soccer National Team, National Women’s Soccer League, youth national teams and development academy clubs.
Data collected via APEX wearables can be streamed to and assessed on ordinary devices such as smartphones, tablets and smart watches.
Numerous professional clubs in Europe and across the globe receive STATSports services; they include: clubs in the English Premier league such as Liverpool, Arsenal, Manchester City, Manchester United and Tottenham Hotspur, as well as the Belgian, Brazilian, English, German, and Portuguese football associations.
STATSports devices have been sporadically used by NFL, NHL and NBA, but without any formal agreement like the one signed with U.S. Soccer Federation.
Conclusion
A Europe-based sports tech company with a deal like that is a win for the European sports tech market. On the other hand after failing to qualify for this year’s World Cup, the gloomy U.S. National Team hopes to see a brighter future.
With 4 million registered soccer players in the U.S. able to use STATSports’s APEX Athlete monitoring device, it is the biggest elite sports wearables market deal to date.
