Tuesday, Mar. 5, 2019 – A roundup of some of the key sports technology stories you need to know, including SportTechie’s own content and stories from around the web.
- FIFA Endorses Video Assistant Referees for Women’s World Cup: A FIFA panel in Zurich comprised of FIFA president Gianni Infantino and UEFA president Aleksander Čeferin endorsed the implementation of video assistant referees for this year’s women’s World Cup in France. FIFA’s ruling council is expected to ratify the usage of video assistants next week in Miami, according to the Associated Press. VAR debuted successfully at the Russia 2018 men’s World Cup, though no domestic women’s competition has used the replay technology to date.
- Formula E Will Return to London Streets Next Year: Electric car racing series Formula E will return to London in 2020 after a four-year absence. The London E-Prix will see drivers navigate a 2.4 kilometer clockwise circuit around the city’s Royal Victoria Dock on Jul. 25-26, 2020. “Formula E coming back to the U.K. extends beyond pure racing excitement, it’s also a strong message for London to tackle inner-city air pollution by promoting clean technologies and electric sustainable mobility,” said Alejandro Agag, CEO of Formula E, in a press release.
- Home of Atlanta United and Falcons Goes Cashless: Mercedes-Benz Stadium announced it will move to a cashless transaction model starting Mar. 10, when Atlanta United hosts its first home match of the MLS season. The venue, which is also home to the NFL’s Atlanta Falcons, will install 10 kiosks in the stadium that allow fans to exchange cash for a prepaid Visa debit card with no transaction fee. MBS is the second major North American venue to go cashless after Tropicana Field, home of the Tampa Bay Rays, became cash-free in February.
- Mariners’ T-Mobile Park Adds Standing Room Only Pass: The Seattle Mariners’ announced a new mobile-only Ballpark Pass to T-Mobile Park. For $99 per month, the Ballpark Pass gives fans Standing Room Only access to every Mariners’ home game throughout the 2019 MLB season. Tickets are delivered through the MLB Ballpark app, which fans must scan at the gate to enter T-Mobile Park. Inside the app, fans also have the opportunity to upgrade their seating location for individual games.
- Spanish Radio Station Will Cover Women’s World Cup Live: Spanish speaking soccer fans will be able to listen to this year’s FIFA Women’s World Cup on live U.S. radio for the first time since the tournament started in 1991. KWKW Radio, a Los Angeles radio station, struck a deal with radio network Fútbol de Primera to broadcast the competition this summer. “As pioneers in the world of soccer broadcasting we are happy to be able to grow the awareness of Women’s soccer in the Hispanic community through this landmark broadcast,” said Alex Gutman, president of Fútbol de Primera.
- IMG Media Extends Blackbird Highlights Video Editing Deal: IMG Media has signed a three-year extension with UK-based software developer Forbidden Technologies. The agreement allows IMG’s UK production team to continue to use Blackbird, a video editing platform for live sports. Blackbird will be used to create highlight packages for IMG to distribute to its own content network, as well as its partners’ online platforms. The highlights will cover soccer leagues such as La Liga and Serie A, as well as EuroLeague Basketball, and the European Volleyball League.
- STATS Officially Launched AutoSTATS AI Platform: STATS officially announced the launch of AutoSTATS, its artificial intelligence platform that captures player-tracking data through visuals from any sports video broadcast. The Orlando Magic recently became the first sports team to sign a partnership to use AutoSTATS. The Magic will use the software to collect and analyze data from NCAA basketball games to evaluate potential NBA Draft picks. AutoSTATS was built using a product manufactured under license from Carnegie Mellon University that can track and measure player data such as body position, shot form, and torque.