| The technology enables the NFL to accurately capture real-time player tracking statistics |
The National Football League (NFL) announced recently that it will install Zebra Technologies’ real-time location system (RTLS) for sports in 17 stadiums during the 2014 NFL season. This innovative technology will track players and officials, providing location based data known as “Next Gen Stats” to fans.
Key Facts:
Zebra's sports solution will be installed in the 15 stadiums that host the 2014 Thursday Night Football games (Atlanta, Baltimore, Carolina, Chicago, Cincinnati, Denver, Green Bay, Houston, Jacksonville, Miami, New England, Oakland, San Francisco, St. Louis, Washington) as well as Detroit and New Orleans, and will capture information from all 32 teams.
Zebra receivers installed throughout the stadiums will communicate with radio-frequency identification (RFID) transmitters placed inside the shoulder pads of each player to capture precise location measurements, in real-time, during the game.
Zebra's technology will collect data such as position, speed, and distance that will be registered and compiled into a database.
The data can be outputted to generate new experiences built around this additional data.
For the first time, this technology enables the NFL to accurately capture real-time player tracking statistics, such as acceleration and total distance run. The real-time nature of these statistics enables end-users to gain immediate insight into the action on the field.
Executive Quotes:
NFL: "Working with Zebra will give fans, teams, coaches and players a deeper look into the game they love. Zebra's tracking technology will help teams evolve training, scouting and evaluation through increased knowledge of player performance, as well as provide ways for our teams and partners to enhance the fan experience." ~ Vishal Shah, NFL Vice President of Media Strategy
Zebra Technologies: "Zebra's experience providing visibility solutions to a variety of industries gives us extensive knowledge in how to collect important real-time data that helps organisations make smarter decisions – we call this enterprise asset intelligence. It’s exciting to partner with an innovator like the NFL, where we will provide real-time data and information to coaches, broadcasters and fans to enrich the game experience." ~ Anders Gustafsson, chief executive officer of Zebra Technologies.