Sport Innovation/GPS Tracking of Players
GPS Tracking of Players
[edit | edit source]GPS Technology is just starting to enter the market in football, but many believe it will become more popular in the coming years. It has already significantly influenced the game of football by affecting players, coaches, trainers, and sport performance. For athletes to stay competitive and reach their goals, they have to work harder than their competition. This is becoming easier for all players with the emergence of GPS tracking in football. According to Catapult Sports, GPS technology is used for players’ performance and work tracking for several reasons:
- Make better use of training time
- Make training meet game demands
- Improves clubs’ tactical analysis
- Compare player performance and pick the best players for the team
- Get players through rehab faster
- Make periodisation model work
GPS technology currently used in football is a result of years of product extension, development and optimisation. Originally, standalone GPS was inadequate for application in football because of issues related to integrity, accuracy, continuity and availability. Consequently, several companies/manufacturers with specific expertise extended the standalone GPS by employing several augmentation methods to integrate the original product with players including: heart testers, receiver algorithms, coupling with additional sensors, accelerometers, extra Global Navigation Satellite Systems, GPS modernisation, and various space-based and ground-based augmentation systems.