The Premier League's Newest Tech Partnership

October 27, 2023

Welcome back to the Sports Road, everyone! If we’re being totally honest here, there seems to be a common theme that shows up anytime we talk about sports’ newest tech innovations. What is it, you ask? Well, it seems that it is ALWAYS used to make life easier. Let us explain…

Here's what we got for ya today:

  • The Premier League is Levelling up!

  • NBA: Be Involved Like Never Before…

  • NASCAR: WHAT!?!

  • Get Ready, Fight Fans…

Most Valuable Sports Teams:

Let's get into it!

The Premier League’s Newest Tech!

The level elite sport is currently being played at has never been higher.

With more information regarding recruitment, performance analysis, and more being consistently discovered, Football specifically has undergone some BIG changes in recent years.

Shifting to a more data-focused approach to nearly all aspects of the game, players are getting better and competition is increasing.

Being the case, as you probably could assume, leagues and teams who have more resources to apply all this new knowledge tend to trump competition. I mean, just look at Chelsea!

Alright, that may not have been a great example… But, in all seriousness, it’s true. Using the Premier League as an example, the effects of their added resources (when compared to other big leagues) become VERY apparent.

Propelling themselves to – without a doubt – the top league in the world, organisers have used added funding to unbelievably effective measures.

And guess what? It doesn’t look like they’ll be stopping anytime soon…

Announcing their newest tech partnership earlier this week, the league is teaming up with Kitman Labs – a leader in sports technology and analytics – to bring all 20 competing teams to the next level. This is what we know so far:

  • Signing a multi-year deal, the partnership will give all Premier League clubs access to the ‘Football Intelligence Platform’ – Kitman Labs’ unique system tailored to “aggregate and mobilise player and staff data across coaching, medical, sports science, operations, player care and education.”

  • This will allow clubs added benefits in player development. Especially evident in the deal’s focus on academies, the software should help clubs better point out exciting talent.

  • Specifically, this partnership aids heavily in the Premier League's Elite Player Performance Plan (EPPP) – a project designed to maximise the growth of Homegrown talent, as well as enrich their life experiences outside of Football.

“The EPPP aims to create unrivalled development environments where every young person is supported to maximise their potential on and off the pitch. Innovation and insights are key elements of this work, to ensure we are informed and evidence-led in our decision making.”

Stephen Smith, Kitman Labs Founder & CEO

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NBA x AI: What Now?

Like we said earlier, technological innovations have a habit of making things MUCH easier; even those which, to begin with, didn’t seem that much of an inconvenience.

So, what are we talking about now? The NBA’s newest AI…

With the league coming back into full force this week, the NBA announced some big changes to the way we – as fans – interact with their content.

Being one of the biggest sports organisations in the world, you would expect that the NBA would have a centralised platform for fans anywhere to access the newest in what’s happening in the league.

And, obviously, they do – the NBA app.

But, it’s about to get a whole lot better… Teaming up with Microsoft Azure AI services, the NBA are leveraging AI technology to deliver a whole host of new personalisation options.

Giving fans the opportunity to now add multiple team and player tabs to their very own main screen, real-time content will become far more easily accessible.

Delivering the latest trends across the league in these tabs, the technology will also be used to show off new vertical video highlights, and a never-seen-before ‘Moments Experience’.

Acting similarly to Tiktok, ‘Moments’ will essentially be the NBA’s very own social media platform. Yeah, you heard that correctly.

With content set to be delivered through the aforementioned vertical-style videos, fans will have a new way to engage with the league.

Featuring more than 10,000 additional hours of programming, we’re in for a treat!

NASCAR: YOU’RE in The Driving Seat

Alright, now this one is pretty crazy…

So, NASCAR – historically one of the biggest companies in the MotorSports scene. Recently though, the organisation is becoming less popular in mainstream spheres.

Why is that? Well, it’s hard to say. But with F1 – one of NASCAR’s biggest rivals – beginning to take over the scene by expert use of media, it’s certainly not surprising.

Specifically managing to exploit different social methods to connect with fans on – what felt like – individual bases, the F1 continues to appeal towards the masses.

I mean, from Netflix shows, to arcades, and other unique and marketable opportunities, the organisation has really shown MotorSports' potential and even set out a model for success; one which NASCAR seems to be taking a page out of.

Announcing earlier this week their intentions to further engage fans into the played sport, NASCAR’s Xfinity Series will actually have a fan controlled car.

We know 🤯🤯🤯🤯

So, you're probably thinking that the idea sounds completely mental. And, with that, we’d agree. But let us explain…

Worked in collaboration with Fan Controlled Sports and Entertainment (FCSE), the idea will see fans make decisions such as selecting the driver, painting the scheme to determine live strategies, and more.

These choices will be available through the Control app on both IOS and Android. In engaging with the app, fans can earn Experience Points which will, in turn, let them climb online rankings to eventually get their picture featured on the car!

“We couldn’t be more excited about bringing the energy and interactivity of Fan Controlled Sports to the racetrack… This will be the first of many live race experiences where fans get to call the shots, help determine the strategy, and be a part of the race team.”

Patrick Dees, Co-founder of Fan Controlled Sports and Entertainment

We Need to Talk About: Boxing!

A few months back, we spoke about the announcement of an absolute MEGA FIGHT – and to be honest – we weren’t sure we’d ever get to this point…

That’s right. This weekend, Tyson Fury is actually going to fight Francis Ngannou. Boxing’s Heavyweight champion squaring off against MMA’s Heavyweight KING.

So, in a fight while – if we’re being honest – kind of sums up the current state of Boxing, NO ONE can say they aren’t excited…

I mean, yeah. Would it be cool seeing a Boxer actually fight a Boxer in a fight which really mattered for legacy and competition? Probably. But, is this going to be absolutely bonkers in every way possible? Definitely.

With the bout set to be contested across 10 rounds in Saudi Arabia, for good reason, Fury is coming in as a HEAVY favourite. I mean, so much so, that he literally has already announced a fight in December!

Saying that, to quote Fury himself, “Ngannou always has a puncher’s chance.”

It may be more than that though… Recording the hardest ever punch according to the Guinness Book of Records, Ngannou is OBVIOUSLY no slouch. Well, unless his digital twin fights for him…

“I need to claim my own respect. You don’t just walk out there and demand people to respect you for no reason. I am going to fight and if that big shot comes, it comes. Anything is possible. Who would’ve believed this a couple years ago?”

Francis Ngannou 

Quick Bites

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“Most people run a race to see who is fastest. I run a race to see who has the most guts.”

Steve Prefontaine

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