Data Analytics in Sport

Across the board, sectors and industries are transforming in this era of Artificial Intelligence and Data Analytics - and the world of professional sports is no different.

New technologies are impacting how athletes train, how fans engage, and even determining competition winners where competitors are hairlines and fractions apart.

There are several interesting AI use cases in elite sport. According to Rocketmakers, AI in wearable fitness tech can analyse an athletes movement to predict injuries, and identify strengths and weaknesses. Preventative adjustments can then be made to the training plan or game technique. These are potentially career-extending performance enhancers which utilise the minutia of detail that AI can capture from sensors built into footwear, clothes, and trackers.

Sport data has become a key tool for decision makers across the board.

Trusting the Data

Technology can not only be used to evaluate athlete performance, but also plan and develop game strategy. Data Analytics in sport was once mistrusted and seen as fundamentally imprecise; but faith grows in these technologies as exploration continues to reveal just how useful they can be. AI does not replace or remove the human element to judging, coaching, or management, but rather enhances it.

Teams can use the data from past performances and games to identify the most effective patterns of play, or even run simulations of different strategies unique to those athletes. Opponent performance can be analysed and their key moves anticipated. This is a vital tool to team sports like football, where managers can then select which of their own players can best combat each opponent. The interest in these sporting AI-driven performance and healthcare capabilities is growing. As decisions become further grounded in data analysis, athletes hold an increasingly competitive edge that massively increases chance of victory.

Big Data LDN 2024 – Headline Keynote

Data and AI in professional sport will be discussed in depth at the headline keynote panel of Big Data LDN, 2024; and the Fidra Analytics team are looking forward to hearing the panel (including Olympic athletes) dissect this multifaceted and complex topic.

Fidra Analytics

Of course, this revolution of data-driven decision making is not sport-exclusive, and this trend is reflected across all digitally mature industries. We at Fidra Analytics have experience developing AI and Data Analytics solutions for companies in IT, Financial Tech, and more. If you are also heading to the Big Data London event in September, be sure to head to our stand Y552 after catching the keynote panel. There, you can chat to us about AI and Data Analytics tech applicable to your company and sector – and enter a prize draw to win a trip to Fidra Island!

www.fidra.ai

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