The Barclays Women's Super League is all set to kick off in style

Women's football is now recognised as the fastest growing women's sport in the UK - and so it's no wonder there's a lot of excitement around the start of the Barclays Women's Super League (WSL) this September. This year, the excitement is two-fold with the WSL also stepping into a new era of innovation as Nike and sports technology innovator, Sportable, introduce groundbreaking Connected Ball technology - the WSL becoming the first football league in the world to implement such technology on this sort of scale.   

The project involves embedding FIFA-certified smart ball technology into Nike's official match balls, whilst employing advanced player tracking systems - and this will be available to clubs on match days as well as during training sessions. This will allow players and coaches to gain real-time insights on every decision, movement and touch - detail not previously available in league football - providing invaluable information on ball speed/spin/trajectory, player movement and efforts, team shape and tactical patterns. Such data will provide for a more immersive fan experience, with precise real-time stats being presented to viewers and new storytelling opportunities being made available, while clubs are being provided with an unprecedented continuity in performance monitoring, allowing for the ongoing refinement of tactics and player development. 

This exciting project signals a major leap forward for the WSL, and for women's football generally.

Here at M&C we have a strong interest in sports, health and fitness related technologies. If you have any sports, health or fitness related IP matters you'd like to discuss, please don't hesitate to contact Annabel Williams or your usual M&C contact - we'd be delighted to help!

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