Catapult’s ClearSky receives ‘FIFA Quality’ certification with best-performing wearable technology

Catapult is pleased to announce that following a comprehensive testing process, the company’s ClearSky technology has achieved ‘FIFA Quality’ certification and was reported as the best-performing wearable technology in world football.

Undertaking the Electronic Performance and Tracking System (EPTS) Performance Test administered by Victoria University at Barcelona FC, an independent validation into the data accuracy of the company’s local positioning system (LPS) achieved the highest score possible in five major categories measured, and second highest in another. No other wearable technology, either GPS- or LPS-derived, scored as highly as ClearSky.

FIFA’s testing sought to validate accuracy for measuring velocity and player position in five speed ranges (0-7km/h, 7-15km/h, 15-20km/h, 20-25km/h, 25km/h+), comparing tracking technologies with state-of-the-art motion capture cameras. 

Catapult CEO, Will Lopes, is encouraged by the industry-leading results and the company’s strategy to continue integrating ClearSky into performance tracking for teams, leagues, and media through fan engagement opportunities.

“ClearSky is the leading athlete tracking solution in elite sport, so it was reaffirming to receive FIFA’s results proving its accuracy and validity. It’s a strategically important product for us given its flexibility to be installed in any stadium or training ground, indoors or outdoors, and track players with precision. We continue to demonstrate customer-focused research and development following the launches of Catapult Vision and Vector, and we’re excited to receive the best wearable rating in the industry with ClearSky.”

ClearSky, Catapult’s flagship local positioning system, provides unrivaled insight into inertial, physical and tactical performance in the most challenging environments. The system uses locally-installed sensors to deliver consistent, high quality, real-time data in any indoor and outdoor environment and is used by top sports teams all around the world. 

As a FIFA-approved provider of performance tracking systems, ClearSky meets the federation’s requirements in terms of player safety, performance, durability, quality assurance and playing comfort.

FIFA Quality certification for Catapult Clearsky follows Catapult becoming the first company in 2018 to have its technology approved for in-match use by FIFA, according to the federation’s international match standard (IMS) for electronic performance and tracking systems.

With Catapult’s Vector, OptimEye, EVO, HPU, PlayerTek, and PLAYR devices receiving IMS accreditation, this data accuracy-focused FIFA Quality certification is the next step in ensuring the company’s over 3000 teams are equipped with the most valid and reliable wearable technology.

Catapult Vector was released in early 2019 and is the Company’s most significant product release to date, offering elite sports organisations new levels of accuracy, reliability, and mobility in their performance analysis. With five years of research and development, Catapult Vector is the first wearable device that can go seamlessly between indoors and outdoors, combining tracking data obtained from both Global Positioning System (GPS) and ClearSky’s Local Positioning System (LPS) in one session. 

Catapult Vector comes in three variants, one of which is a goalkeeper-specific device that quantifies metrics like dive intensity, dive direction, and time to feet. It is the only goalkeeper-specific device in elite sport.

Catapult works with some of the biggest teams in football, including Chelsea FC, Leicester City FC, Real Madrid, FC Bayern Munich, French Football Federation, West Ham United FC, and Sweden FA.