With the start of a new NFL season upon us, Zebra is teaming up with one of the most historic franchises to provide more information about the health and abilities for their players.
This season, Zebra has implemented its RFID tracking technology to monitor player and ball data during Indianapolis Colts’ practice sessions, enabling insights that enhance game strategies, evaluate player performance, and ensure player health and safety.
The Zebra MotionWorks Sport system uses RFID tags— embedded in footballs, attached to shoulder pads, and integrated into practice shirts and compression gear— to send real-time location system (RTLS) data to receivers located around stadiums and practice facilities. The Colts receive live data during practice sessions, enabling real-time tracking of player progress and workloads.
Data Provider
Joe White, Chief Product and Solutions Officer, Zebra Technologies, said the Zebra’s tracking solution will empower the team to analyze practice data in unprecedented ways
“We are thrilled to welcome the Indianapolis Colts to our roster of esteemed NFL team clients,” said White in a statement. “We look forward to this technology translating into the team’s on-field success.”
Partnership with NFL
Now in its 12th year as the NFL’s Official Real-Time Location Solutions Provider, Zebra enhances the league’s Next Gen Stats platform, offering fans, media, and teams insights into every play. The company tracks every NFL game, both domestically and internationally, along with the NFL Combine and International Combine. Since 2014, Zebra has monitored over 15,000 players across more than 550,000 plays.
Zebra’s tracking technology records metrics such as player speed, including acceleration and deceleration, distance covered per play and cumulatively, ball orientation, player proximity to the ball, and formations, among other data points.
The Colts join Zebra’s growing list of NFL teams that leverage this information to analyze extensive data on every player for every practice repetition throughout the season.
Teaming with Colts
Mike Minnis, Colts Director of Sports Performance, said the organization continually seeks innovative tools that equip our players to excel in practice and on game day.
“Zebra’s tracking solution delivers the critical information we need to make informed decisions about on-field performance, manage player workloads, and guide return-to-play choices,” said Minnis. “We look forward to using this technology and seeing its positive impact on our team this season.”
Besides working with teams, Zebra last year partnered with Baltimore Raven TJ Tampa as part of their Measuring Greatness” campaign. The defensive back used the technology to gauge his recovery from an ankle injury and track his performance gains. The Measuring Greatness program is aimed at telling the story of how the technology helps boost performance for athletes on the field as well as how it affects the various professionals in the industry, such as merchandise vendors and broadcasters.