At some point early last year, the phrase ‘NFT’ started appearing in mainstream media and doesn’t seem to be going away any time soon. With figures as diverse as Kate Moss, Snoop Dogg and Andy Murray publishing non-fungible tokens, and Tom Brady very nearly retiring to pursue his business interests – one of which is an NFT platform – clearly the concept is set to be around for some time yet.

Whilst we cannot claim to be in the full-blown NFT game currently, we did – thanks to our friends at Leverade – publish digital trophies for all our 2022 winners at The Sports Technology Awards in May.

Our thinking behind this move was that it would do two things; negate the need to manufacture trophies and enable the winning brand to reward the workers who contributed to the win with a digital trophy of their own. This second point seemed especially important, not everyone on a team can make awards’ night and I think it is important to share the glories of success.

Whilst ‘photos or it didn’t happen’ may be the stuff of the playground, we’ve all met people who have stories which sound a little… shall we say ‘wild’. Claiming to ‘have had trials for (insert name of team)’ is harmless enough as invented social bragging rights but making an equivalent claim in a work context is a different matter. Declaring that you were the creative force behind Gregg’s vegan sausage roll when actually you just sat on the desk next to the executives who were, is a surprisingly hard claim for prospective employers to verify. Conversely, if you did play a part, going unacknowledged is exceptionally unfair.

Our digital trophies were created so that anyone with a legitimate claim for having worked on an award-winning venture had the proof – as well as a nice momentum of their time on the project. Since a digital wallet is an essential part of owning NFTs or digital trophies, not everyone who can take up this opportunity will do. That said, the feedback so far has been really positive; In time, I suspect, this type of portable (non-fungible) accolade will also serve as proof of outstanding past achievements to savvy, prospective employers.

In terms of our desire to cut material-use by doing away with trophies was misguided and wrong. Very wrong. So wrong that the team started looking at me funny when I mentioned it. It turns out that people love trophies; they love receiving them, displaying them and putting photos of them on social media. I now realise that I had not won enough of them personally to appreciate their value, so the trophies stay.

To ease my angst on this we are working with our wonderful supplier, EFX, to increase the recycled materials in ours from 85% to 100%. That makes me feel much happier – probably not as happy as Kate Moss, Andy Murry or the Dogg Father did when they saw how their NFTs performed but we all set our own goals and aspire to those.

12 May saw some of the biggest brands in global sport convene to see who secured the coveted trophies in the ‘Oscars of Sports Technology’.

In the first live event for three years, The Sports Technology Awards took place in The Londoner, the UK capital’s glamorous 5* ‘super boutique’ hotel in London’s iconic Leicester Square.  The evening was sold out with elite athletes, sports entrepreneurs and senior executives from brands including Disney’s Star Sports India, the WWE, Meta, the San Francisco 49ers and Sony. 

The winners 

• App of the Year, TeraVolt and DFL
• Best Analytics in Sports, Veo Technologies
• Best Athlete Coaching and Performance Technology, Talent Pathway ID
• Best Broadcast Technology, Hawk-Eye Innovations
• Best Digital Technology, Tennis Channel and Deltatre
• Best Fan Engagement by a Brand, AELTC and IBM, BT Sport (joint winners)
• Best Technology for Communications and Storytelling, WSC Sports and DAZN
• Best Technology for Fan Engagement, Reactoo
• Best Technology for Fitness and Participation , BatFast
• Best Technology for Injury Prevention or Rehabilitation, Danu Smart Socks
• Best Technology for Venues and Operations, OnePlan
• Best Use of Technology by a Broadcaster, Discovery
• Blockchain, Crypto and NFT of the Year, Socios.com
• Capgemini Innovation of the Year, The NBA
• Equipment or Wearable of the Year, Motion Metrics
• Governing Body of the Year, European Tour Group
• Sports Technology Partnership of the Year, The ECB and InCrowd for The Hundred
• Sustainability in Sport, SailGP
• Technology for Good, Meta with PHORIA and The International Paralympic Committee

Stars in attendance included Olympians Max Whitlock, Desiree Henry, Dai Greene, Ben Ryan and Sharron Davies, cricketer, Eoin Morgan, footballer turned entrepreneur, Louis Saha, presenter Seema Jaswal and sports entrepreneurs Peter Phillips and Paddy Power.

In a bold move to demonstrate its commitment to tech-forward thinking, The STA Group, owners of The Awards, gave winners an NFT collectable of their trophy. This will enable winning brands to share success directly with the employees who worked on the project, letting them download proof of their contribution to their digital wallets. 

Rebecca Hopkins, CEO of The STA Group, said:

‘It was great to be back in person at last, in a great venue and have the chance to celebrate with our international community. Our mantra is that we are Only for the Innovative and the finalists here tonight were testament to that.’

The STA Group is delighted to announce our new partnership with Oakwell Sports Advisory.

Oakwell is the only dedicated corporate finance boutique and strategic consultancy that advises global sports rights holders, sports tech companies and investors on commercial strategy, investment, and valuation.

With clients including CVC, Discovery, Horizm, Infront and Total Performance Data, Oakwell is trusted by some of sport and finance’s biggest brands.

Doug Harmer, Partner, explained why Oakwell has chosen to work with The STA Group:

‘Oakwell advises some of the most forward-thinking businesses in sport, from start-ups to international federations and global finance providers and, as such, we need to be at the forefront of industry thinking and progression.

By aligning with The STA Group, we are working with people whose knowledge and passion for sport and visionary thinking compliments ours. We look forward to supporting innovative sports tech companies who will drive significant value to the wider sports industry and growing Oakwell’s diverse client base in sport.’

Rebecca Hopkins, CEO of The STA Group added:

‘It is impossible not to be impressed by Oakwell’s client roster and work; they have been instrumental in industry changing deals and are clearly trusted by the companies they advise. Through this partnership we can enable our network to access their thinking and relationships, which is very exciting for all parties.’

Look out for more information about Oakwell on The STA Group’s site, and at The Sports Technology Awards, which will take place on 12 May 2022 in London.

2022 Sports Technology Awards Shortlist Revealed: ‘Sports Tech is Moving from Evolution to Revolution…’

LONDON, UK: Today (9 February 2022) The STA Group revealed the shortlist for The 2022 Sports Technology Awards, which represented 110 brands, 19 categories, 37 sports and five continents.

Over 50 judges had the unenviable – but fascinating – task of choosing the finalists; they spent, collectively, around 200 hours determining which companies would go forward. The resulting list includes both the most exciting start-ups as well as many of the biggest brands in the sector, including the NBA, MLB, ICC, Chelsea FC, Arsenal FC, Hawk-Eye and Meta.

Rebecca Hopkins, CEO of The STA Group, said: ‘Every year our judges report how interesting they find Sports Technology Awards’ entries– and we are most grateful to them because they work hard. The difference this year is that we seem to be moving from evolution to revolution in terms of how so many things in sport are done. Important areas, such as broadcast production, social platforms, venue management and athlete training are now – or will shortly – look very different from just a few years ago. Stakeholders in all areas are becoming more sophisticated and demanding, and the technology being created to meet or shape these needs is coming thick and fast. These are exciting times for our sector and we cannot wait to reveal the winners in person, on May 12^th.’

The Sports Technology Awards is the leading global celebration of technology-led innovation across the international sports sector. Held annually as a competition to highlight outstanding advances in the industry, The Awards is run by The STA Group, which also owns The Sports Technology Annual Review, The Power List and The STA Startups.  

The Sports Technology Awards ceremony will take place on London’s Leicester Square at the capital’s new ‘super boutique’ hotel, The Londoner. Tickets on sale now.

The 2022 shortlist

Best Analytics in Sport

• ClubSpark and ITF, ITF World Tennis Number
• Extreme Networks, ExtremeAnalytics: Dominating Professional Sports
• Hudl, Coach and Athlete Analysis Platform
• Oracle, SailGP Taps the Power of Oracle Cloud
• Spotlight Sports Group, Superfeed
• Veo Technologies, AI Powered Camera and Anaylsis Platform

App of the Year

• Bleachr, Interactive Streaming Platform
• DFL Deutsche Fußball Liga and TeraVolt, Bundesliga Interactive Feed
• The Hundred – The ECB and InCrowd
• Playermaker, Capturing Data from the Source of Motion
• Veritone, Digital Media Hub
• YesRef, Find Referees Globally

Best Athlete Coaching and Performance Technology

• Hudl, Coach and Athlete Analysis Platform
• Intel, 3D Athlete Tracking (3DAT)
• Lenovo, Smart Training Solution
• Okkulo, V1 System Light Science
• Talent Pathway iD, Finding, Recruiting and Retaining Sports Talent
• Vodafone, PLAYER.Connect

Best Broadcast Technology

• Disguise, disguise xR Extended Reality
• Hawk-Eye Innovations, Hawk-Eye Connect
• IMG Productions and LiveU, Live IP Bonding Multi Camera Production
• Joymo, Revolutionising Live Streaming for Sport
• Quidich Innovation Labs, Quidich Tracker
• Singular.live, Professional Grade Graphics Platform
• Stats Perform, Reimagining in-game storytelling
• StreamAMG, Powering OTT Services
• UniqFEED, AdApt – Virtual Adverting Software

Blockchain, Crypto and NFT of the Year

• AELTC, Wimbledon and Andy Murray NFT Collection with WENEW
• Candy Digital and MLB, Building MLB’s NFT Ecosystem
• Maple Leaf Sports, Drop Shop – a proprietary NFT platform
• Socios, Socios.com

Best Technology for Communications and Storytelling

• iRewind, UBS Kids Cup Finisher Clips
• Meta, PHORIA and IPC, RAW: Emotions Unite Us
• NBA, 75th Anniversary Digital Hub
• Slate, Content Creation Asset Management Platform
• TwelfthMan, bylder – shaping your success.
• WSC Sports and DAZN, Real-Time Web Stories on Google

Best Digital Technology

• Chelsea FC, The 5th Stand
• DAIMANI, Reinventing Sports Hospitality
• Tennis.com powered by Deltatre
• OpenBet, Global Sports Betting Platform
• PlayMoreGolf, Flexible Golf Club Membership
• Rowing Ireland, Coach Education for Rowing

Equipment or Wearable of the Year

• EIS. Graphene Enabled Muscle Warming Clothing
• Fitness Interactive, FITBAG FIGHT SYSTEM
• Kinetic Performance Technology Australia and GymAware, FLEX Powered by GymAware
• Motion Metrics, Carv
• MyoMaster, MyoPro Muscle Recovery
• Oura Health, Oura Ring Generation 3

Best Fan Engagement by a Brand

• AELTC and IBM, The IBM Power Index at Wimbledon
• BT Sport, Matchday Experience
• Chelsea FC, The 5th Stand
• Discovery, Launching the UCI Track Champions League
• MLB and Pixellot, Taking Fan Engagement to the Next Level
• UFC and Grabyo, Delivering Raw Live Social Video

Best Technology for Fan Engagement

• Fanbase, Fanbase Engagement Platform
• Fubo Gaming, Fubo Sportsbook
• Monterosa, Interaction Cloud™
• Other Media, Clubcast Fan Experience Platform
• Reactoo, Delivering Content Engagement
• VITEC, EZ TV IPTV and Digital Signage

Best Technology for Fitness and Participation

• AiSCOUT, Find and Analyse Amateur Talent
• BatFast, BatFast Pavillion
• Cambridge Sleep Sciences, SleepHub – scientifically developed sleep
• Paddle Logger, The Paddle Logger App
• Racecheck, Review Box
• Rocca Creative Thinking, Boccia Competition Management System (BCMS)

Governing Body of the Year

• AELTC
• British Gymnastics
• European Tour Group
• LaLiga
• NBA
• WWE

Best Technology for Venues and Operations

• Invisionary Holdings, IntelliCUP Drinks Dispensing System
• MuchBetter, Digital Wallet
• OnePlan, Venue Twin
• San Francisco 49ers, Member Inclusive Menu
• SwipeStation, Safety Thirst
• Ticketmaster Sport, 3D Virtual Venue

Capgemini Innovation of the Year   

• AiSCOUT, Find and Analyse Amateur Talent
• iRewind, AI Powered Personalized Half Pipe Videos
• Kitman Labs, Intelligence Platform – Risk Advisor
• NBA, Referee Engagement and Performance System
• OpenBet, SportCast’s BetBuilder
• Sports Data Labs, In-Game Prediction System using Health Data
• Super League Triathlon, SLT Arena Games
• VAY AG, Perceiving and Predicting Human Motion

Best Technology for Injury Prevention or Rehabilitation

• Danu Sports, Smart Socks System
• EIS, Copy of Graphene Enabled Muscle Warming Clothing
• Elite Skills Arena, The ‘Wireless Circuit’
• Kitman Labs, Performance Medicine
• STATSports, Sonra Watch
• VALD and Griffith, Raising the Bar in Women’s Sport

Sports Technology Partnership of the Year

• Arsenal FC and STATSports, STATSports Partnership with Arsenal Football Club
• British & Irish Lions and PT SportSuite, MultiTenant Ecosystem
• British Gymnastics and Fitronics, Rise Hub
• ECB and InCrowd, The Hundred
• MLB and Pixellot, Bringing Ai-Automation To The Ball Park
• Oracle Red Bull Racing, Data Optimization Partnership

Sustainability in Sport

• BBC Sport and Moov, Tokyo 2020 Olympics
• Invisionary Holdings, IntelliCUP Drinks Dispensing System
• OnePlan, Venue Twin
• Paddle Logger, Promoting Sustainable Behaviour
• SailGP, Impact League
• Singular.live, Remote Production Services

Technology for Good

• LeagueApps, FundPlay Helping Youth Sports
• Meta, PHORIA and IPC, RAW: Emotions Unite Us
• NBA, Referee Engagement and Performance System (REPS)
• SailGP, Impact League
• Veo Technologies, AI Powered Camera and Anaylsis Platform

Best Use of Technology by a Broadcaster

• BT Sport, Remote and De-centralised TV production
• DFL Deutsche Fußball Liga and TeraVolt, Bundesliga Interactive Feed
• Discovery, All-New Cube Studio for Tokyo 2020
• Gravity Media and Sky Sports, Globecam HelmetCam at The Hundred
• Moov and BBC Sport, Tokyo 2020 Olympics
• Star Sports India and ICC, Broadcast Technology at the ICC T20 World Cup

Tickets on sale now, please contact Tanya Power for more details on booking

London: Today (12 January 2022), The STA Group revealed that Broadcast technology, Mobii Systems, had won the overall Startup of the Year accolade in The STA Startups Awards, thereby securing $50,000 advisory value from awards’ partners, Sightline Ventures.

The award was made following a competitive live pitch, which featured The STA Startups category winners from around the world. The pitches were made to a judging panel including Alistair Brownlee, Double Olympic Triathlete Champion, Jody MacDonald, Sports Lawyer and Partner, Charles Russell Speechlys, Martyn Ryan, Partner, Sightline Ventures and Director, Cardiff Rugby, Michael Cole, CTO, PGA European Tour and Ryder Cup Europe and Rebecca Hopkins, CEO, The STA Group.

Martyn Ryan, Partner, Sightline Ventures explained ‘The standard was exceptionally high and the outcome was determined after a lot of debate. You could see why each company earned a category win – deservedly so. The team at Sightline Ventures is really looking forward to working with Mobii on the next stage of their development’.

Rebecca Hopkins, CEO of The STA Group added ‘All the judges were hugely impressed by the vision shown by all the companies pitching. The levels of innovation in the wider sports sector are at unprecedented levels and we are so proud that all the brands in The STA Startups either currently – or will imminently – contribute to the sector’s evolution.’

For more information about the Startups or the STA Group, visit sportstechgroup.org

For more information about Sightline Ventures, visit www.sightline.ventures 

For more information about Mobii Systems visit www.mobii.com

Sports Tech Businesses Deemed ‘the Ones to Watch’

Today The STA Group revealed the winners of the category stage of the 2021 STA Startups Awards, with the line-up featuring young companies reflecting all aspects of the sector – including an equine wearable device.

The Startups, which attracts entries from around the world, was judged by a panel of industry-leaders (see them here)

The categories and winners are:

• Super-Early Stage Startup of the Year
  • Footsapp – Fitness and Participation
  • Recast – Broadcast
  • Steed Equine Monitoring Solutions – Wearable

• Early-Stage Startup of the Year
  • Imagine AR Inc – Fan Engagement
  • Iterpro – Elite Sports Performance
  • Mobii Systems – Broadcast

• Established Startup of the Year
  • Bleachr – Broadcast
  • Horizm – Commercial Performance
  • Kayezen, LLC – Elite Sports Performance

• Scale Up
  • Blazepod – Elite Sports Performance

Rebecca Hopkins, STA Group’s CEO, said ‘Whilst the pandemic was a hugely challenging time for many young businesses, the sports tech start-up sector remained buoyant as technology emerged as such a powerful force in helping get sport to fans. The category winners we are celebrating today were chosen in part due to the power of their proposition but also because of the robust way their businesses have been built – meaning they are great all-round companies. We congratulate them as they go forward to compete for ‘Startup of the Year’ prize’.

The STA Startups comprises two elements and the category stage is the first. The companies who emerge successful at this point are invited to compete for The STA Startup of the Year award. This is determined in a ‘Dragon’s Den’-style pitch event which will take place in December.

For more information about The STA Startups or The STA Group, visit www.sportstechgroup.org

STA Group Innovation Partner, Capgemini, has become Worldwide Partner of Rugby World Cup France 2023 and joins World Rugby as its Digital Transformation Partner. This is a three year-partnership that will help the growth of the sport across the globe and is a natural next chapter in Capgemini’s rugby story. They’ve produced a video explaining a little more behind their involvement – watch it here

Huge congratulations to our Olympic and Paralympic Judges

When it comes to excellence, our judges don’t just judge your work, they go out and pick up accolades themselves!

We were absolutely delighted to see Hannah Mills, Hannah Cockroft, Oliver Townend, Asha Philip and Shona McCaullin excel at the games, with Hannah Mills earning herself in the history books as the most successful female sailor in Olympic history.

Our Team GB athlete judges have show what they are made of…now it’s your turn. The Sports Technology Awards open for entries on 9 September, and with new categories including Blockchain, Crypto and NFTs, Content and Media, and Femtech, as well as perennial favourites fan engagement, broadcast, digital and rights holder, there’s a category to suit everyone.

Entries close on 30^th November and there’s an Early Bird discount on offer until 7 October so if you like a bargain, act now!

For more information please contact Tanya Power here

STA Access Innovation: Technology Insights and Coaching for Senior Sports Leaders

To run a sports organization successfully, senior executives need to understand many different and new technologies like never before, which is why The STA Group has created Access Innovation.

Technology is the single greatest force changing every aspect of sport. Its influence spans an ever-growing list, at the top of which are revenue and results.

What Is Access Innovation?

Access Innovation is a member-only resource for leaders in sports, which equips them with the information to navigate the important technologies which shape today’s sports industry.

Aimed at c-suite and directors in sports governing bodies, federations, clubs, franchises and government organizations, Access Innovation members gain exclusive access to a year-round series of virtual sessions and an online resource portal.

Devised to aid executives in supporting the development of their organizations via improved professional knowledge, Access Innovation equips sports leaders with the questions they should be asking their teams about the technologies they want – or should be adopting.

By acquiring the confidence to scrutinize technology, understand tech-led strategies and establish realistic returns, Access Innovation ensures members are far better placed to advise and lead their organizations.

Access Innovation Events

Each month, Access Innovation members can access a live session on a specific technology. The session is curated by a range of brand-agnostic experts who understand technology and have applied it within their organizations.

For more information please contact us here

UEFA, WWE, Bleachr, F1 and STATsports Take Home Trophies

London: on 6 May the winners of the coveted Sports Technology Awards’ trophies were revealed.

In a virtual event, attended by leading sports brands including the PGA, Chelsea FC, Star Sports and Vodafone, the Awards, which took place virtually, celebrates tech-led innovations in all sports and attracts entries from over 30 countries and 50 sports.

The winners

• Best Broadcast Technology, WSC Sports: Creating Automagical OTT Experiences
• Best Sports Participation Technology, BRS Golf by GolfNow
• Best Elite Performance Technology, NV Play Cricket | Game Changing Software
• Sports Technology Partnership of the Year, PT SportSuite, Bristol Sport
• Best Digital Technology, The Bleachr App feat CrowdVIEW Live
• Best Sports Action Analytics, Coursetrack
• Best Injury Prevention or Rehabilitation Technology, STATSports Sonra Watch
• Sustainability in Sport, Galvin Green
• Best Technology for Good, Pitchero, Track and Trace
• Best Fan Engagement Technology, Sport Buff Next Generation Fan Engagement
• Best Use of Esports by a Sports Brand, Motorsport Games, 24 Hours of Le Mans Virtual
• Equipment or Wearable of The Year, SunGod, Vulcans™
• App of the Year, Chelsea FC, The 5th Stand
• Best Operations, Commerce and Security Technology, Ticketmaster Sport COVID-19 Response
• Best Sports Business Analytics, F1 and Flamingo, AI & Sponsorship in F1: Finding the Marginal Gains
• Best Use of Technology by a Brand, WWE ThunderDome
• Best Use of Technology by a Broadcaster, Star India, IPL 2020
• Capgemini Sports Technology Innovation of the Year, Hawk-Eye Live at the US Open 2020
• Governing Body of the Year, UEFA

Stars in attendance included racing driver, Mark Webber, Double Olympic Champion Triathlete, Alistair Brownlee, South African International and Rugby World Cup Winner, Bryan Habana, former International Footballer turned tech entrepreneur, Louis Saha and multi-Olympic champion sailor, Sir Ben Ainslie, who announced a new partnership between his charitable initiative STEM Crew, part of the 1851 Trust, and The STA Group, owners of the awards.

Sir Ben’s charity works to inspire more school children to study STEM subjects using sailing to engage with pupils. The purpose of the partnership is to motivate the wider sports industry, especially its tech visionaries, to support STEM Crew’s work – potentially finding their colleagues of tomorrow.

Many of this year’s award-winners were initiatives that were created to tackle challenges presented by the global pandemic, most notably the work of Ticketmaster Sport, Star Sports India, WWE and F1. Another key trend amongst entries were how the number creating environmentally sustainable work in the sector.

Rebecca Hopkins, CEO of The STA Group, said ‘We’ve experienced unprecedented times but Covid has made sport use technology to solve new problems in innovative ways. As a result, the calibre of entries has been truly staggering in vision and creativity. Our judges love seeing the cutting edge of sport but this year has been like no other; the was the industry has responded is a source of great pride to all concerned. Indisputably, technology has put sport in a great place to do exciting things both now and when the world eventually returns to normal.’

For more information about the Sports Technology Awards and the STA Group visit www.sportstechgroup.org

More information about the Awards can be found at www.sportstechnologyawards.com