Wearable technology leader Catapult will supply over 100 athlete monitoring devices to the French soccer federation as part of a multi-year partnership announced Monday. Catapult devices will be worn by both the French men’s and women’s national soccer teams, as well as B teams and age-group squads.
France’s men’s team used Catapult’s athlete tracking technology during and in the build-up to its 2018 FIFA World Cup victory. The two sides have decided to increase their collaboration ahead of the anticipated 2020 opening of a new player performance center at French soccer’s national training center. Catapult’s player tracking data and array of wearable devices will be used at the new Clairefontaine performance center to bolster player development at all levels.
“We are delighted to be able to work with Catapult as a member of the FFF Performance Centre,” said Pauline Gamerre, Director of Business Development at FFF, in a press release. Catapult’s experience and the effectiveness of their solutions make them a leader in their field and we are looking forward to working together to put the best technologies and cutting-edge sports science at the heart of the Performance Centre.”
Catapult currently lists five different wearable hardware devices on its website as well as a software and video analysis platform that allows coaches to analyze player performance data on electronic devices such as smartphones or laptops. The press release did not mention which specific Catapult products will be used by the French soccer federation.
“We’re very excited to be working with the FFF and look forward to supporting their sports science and performance initiatives over the coming years,” added Joe Powell, CEO of Catapult.
SportTechie Takeaway
Catapult provides wearable technology to more than 1,800 sports teams across 80 countries. The company has worked to transform itself from a purely wearables company by adding an analytics platform and video data tools. The African soccer federation also utilizes Catapult player monitoring technology, while the company developed a baseball-specific analytics platform in 2017, and, through subsidiary XOS Digital, an in-game video analytics system currently being used by the NHL.