SPORTS technology firm STATSports, the world’s leading provider of GPS player tracking and analysis solutions for elite sports teams, has secured a deal with the Chinese Football Association (CFA) to provide its pioneering APEX wearable player tracking system to all its national teams.
The landmark deal will see the technology play a key role in helping China reach its aim to qualify, host and win a World Cup within the next 30 years, while also getting 50 million people in the country playing the sport by 2020.
The APEX technology tracks each athlete’s performance during practice sessions and games and provides direct and invaluable real-time feedback to coaching staff and players.
It measures and analyses physical attributes of players and can provide details on metrics such as distance covered, speed, acceleration, as well as insights on player load and the level of fatigue and injury risk of the athlete/player.
In September STATSports, founded in 2008 by Alan Clarke and Sean O’Connor, revealed plans to create 237 jobs over the next three years as part of aggressive growth plans to build on its global success.
Lido Du, head of national team performance at the Chinese Football Association, said: “We are looking to improve our on-field performance of our national teams. We identified GPS player tracking technology as a crucial factor in facilitating this improvement.
“We have tested all leading GPS suppliers on the market and we very happy with the overall package offered by STATSports. The APEX system provided the most accurate data feedback and allows us the most in-depth insights into our athletes’ performance at all levels of the association.
“Big data has become an exceedingly important part of gaining advantage and self-improvement in today’s football world. Tracking data is an inevitable component in it. Now our teams use APEX system in training daily and even in many official matches, which has been a great support to us from many aspects.”
STATSports chief global strategist Jarlath Quinn said: “This agreement with the Chinese Football Association is another fantastic achievement for our company.
"Chinese football has received a great deal of coverage over the last couple of years and has made significant investments to ensure they can compete at the highest level in years to come.
"STATSports are delighted to play our part in assisting the CFA to achieve their goals over the coming years and are excited to build on this partnership as the sport continues to grow throughout China.
“Our Apex device give the coaches access to real-time data on individual players and the team as a whole during training and matches. This means the Chinese Football Association can tailor each training session to ensure that players reach peak condition come matchday, giving them the opportunity to perform at their best on the biggest stage.”
The deal follows the company’s landmark agreements earlier this year with both US Soccer and the Brazilian Football Confederation for its APEX device, which is also used by European champions Portugal, Belgium, England and Ireland.
The technology is used by many of the world’s biggest sporting organisations across the English Premier League, La Liga, Serie A, MLS, NFL, NBA, rugby union and international hockey.
With a national football plan that aims to have 50 million players, 70,000 pitches and 50,000 coaches by 2020, substantial investments are shaping the football landscape and creating opportunities for businesses in football development in China.
