The Sports Technology Awards is very proud of its role in promoting the outstanding work of the sector, however, until now, the celebrations have focused on technology products and their use across sport. Clearly, that is only half the story as the success of any business is down to both the people within it and those who have the vision and courage to embrace innovative work when they encounter it.

 

Since people are ultimately at the heart of sport, it is only right that the individuals who do great work are celebrated too. To this end The Sports Technology Awards has launched its Power List; its purpose is to identify the people throughout the industry, globally, who have created, adopted, or facilitated the adoption of technology within their area of sport. The list will be determined by industry peers and reviewed annually.

 

As with The Sports Technology Awards, people from every aspect of sport are eligible and whilst we are very happy to receive suggestions for the long list, it will be determined in collaboration with the editorial team of our media partners, SportsPro. The Power List aims to reflect the tangible achievements of people who have shaped the industry in recent times; consequently, anyone currently employed in a business with a sub $1,500,000 turnover or which has been operating for less than 18 months is highly unlikely to be eligible. Please consider this before submitting nominations to the STA office.

 

The Power List will be promoted via @sporttechgroup using the hashtag #STAPower50 and via the Sports Technology Awards Group LinkedIn Page.

The very nature of the sports technology industry means that it is fast-paced but, in recent years, one sector has stood out as perhaps the most booming – wearables. With the market set to reach $31bn by 2020 and with an annual growth rate of 35%, it’s safe to say that we’ll be seeing a lot more handy gadgets on our wrists and in our kit bags.

 

Wearables is a broad church that currently divides into two distinct areas; the in-depth monitoring demanded by elite sport, versus the behavior-change products for the leisure market. In short, serious sportspeople don’t need to count their daily steps for motivation or to assess how well they have trained. Conversely, for a person simply trying to lose weight, knowing hip mobility or in-depth biometric stats is probably overkill. From that viewpoint, the sector has developed ‘horses for courses’ products very well.

 

As the CEO of the Sports Technology Awards, I keep a very close eye on trends and changes in this space. Having spent a lot of time reviewing new kit at CES in January as well as knowing what is currently on offer, the overwhelming impression is that there are a lot of ‘me too’ products on the market and few items are genuinely moving the space forward, especially at the mass market end of the spectrum. Simply making something more waterproof, a bit prettier or even more streamlined isn’t especially interesting.

 

However, what appears to be the single biggest trend in wearables – and transcends the division between elite athletes and your average punter – is the ability to track and improve sleep. Currently, this is more prevalent in the technology available to elite sports coaches and managers but, as is the norm with these things, it is fast finding its way down to the high street.

 

The benefits of sustained, quality sleep are drummed into us from a young age but as consumers wake up to the ability to do something about it (as well as the slightly geeky enjoyment of having another data seam to mine) suddenly the growth stats for wearables look almost conservative.

 

First published on Sports Think Tank

The shortlist for the 2016 Sports Technology Awards has been announced today.

The Sports Technology Awards celebrate the vital role technology plays in sport; the awards are unique globally and represent an international mark of excellence.

Included in the shortlist are the BBC, Hawkeye, NASCAR, the Rugby World Cup, the WTA, the NBA and ASICS, the work of which is celebrated across categories including best app, partnership and concept, as well as work by sponsors, tournaments and broadcasters.

Rebecca Hopkins, CEO of the awards explained: “This has been another exciting year for sport and technology continues to influence all facets of the sector to an exponential degree. We are delighted that, once again, as well as the biggest brands in sport, our finalists also include the most inventive tech start-ups, the vision of which means that they are equal in their ability to win in any category.’

Winners will be revealed on 15th April at a lunchtime ceremony in London which is set to be attended by over 500 senior industry figures as well as current and former athletes.

This morning, 9th February, the Premier League unveiled its new visual identity, set to debut next season. Having re-titled to the Premier League following title-sponsor, Barclays, failing to renew the relationship, the move has set off debate on social media. Some say the Premier League has strayed too far from its roots, while others remark that this will usher the competition into a more modern age. Whatever the argument, one thing is undoubtedly clear – the rebranding is a step forward in line with the digital age.

 

For example, the logo, which is simple and bold, may have been criticized on Twitter but works well in app form. It is also very shareable on Facebook, Instagram and Snapchat, where posts which display bright, colourful pictures are more likely to garner a better response. As social media cements its position as a key fan engagement tool in sport, the Premier League has created a logo that is not only distinct and memorable but also highly shareable on all platforms.

 

As sports technology becomes more prominent in everyday life, it was only a matter of time before brands as big as the Premier League shifted their design to reflect a more technically-savvy approach. Whilst it is unlikely to bring in any more fans directly and many of the older guard appear unimpressed, the move will engage its younger followers who are inherently digital natives – and the League’s future – so could prove among the best signings the League sees this season.

Oh the world of awards and submitting awards entries! Most of us at some point have diligently filled in the forms, collated support information, paid our (frequently outrageous) entry fee and all with a nagging suspicion that our brand, when pitted against the behemoths in our market, may not truly be getting a fair crack of the whip.

 

As the owner of two SMEs I am determined that the Sports Technology Awards will provide value for the brands which enter, not least of all through the most rigorous judging process we could put in place. Here’s how…

 

The Size and Breath of Judging Panel Knowledge: sports tech is a broad and complex sector so it is nigh on impossible to find a single person – let alone a dozen or so people – who genuinely understands every facet of every category. Consequently, we have secured a large international panel of judges who offer in-depth understanding of a few categories each. For example, we ask our Olympians and World Cup winners to review sports technology that deals in coaching or performance, the business brains look at commercial returns and tech visionaries look at concepts and apps – you get the gist.

Each Judge is an Island: well, they do their Sports Technology Awards judging alone. The judges review their categories over a period of weeks via the awards portal. We encourage them to use their industry knowledge to determine what is a great product versus a lesser but better presented one. This way, they are demonstrably beyond the influence of the organizers or any other judge. This can only be a good thing.

Points Mean Prizes: The judges score on a points basis which, quite simply, means that the entry that scores the most wins. In the case of a tied win, both submissions are sent to other judges to mark and this determines the winner. Again, this is all done without collaboration so the final score is fairly achieved.

No Day of Reckoning: Judging awards is a great way to network with industry peers however judging days have several drawbacks, not least of all is that it is hard to coordinate the diaries of leading industry people from around the globe. However, as my friend Richard Ayers of Seven League so beautifully put it (and I urge you to read his Tips for Entry blog) ‘It’s like the film Twelve Angry Men…One strong voice can bias the proceedings, or one procedural point can make a bigger-than-expected impact. 99% of judges have always been very diligent in my experience, but we all get stuck for time and if people have to leave and a quick decision is needed… it might be your entry that comes off worse’. We appreciate that judging days are very necessary for some sports awards but the Sports Technology Awards is the better and fairer for avoiding this process completely.

The Best Policy: Our judges are international figures who have achieved excellence in their field through being honourable people – and they talk to us. They understand commercial confidentiality, they volunteer any issues around conflict of interest, they say if they aren’t comfortable judging a submission – in short, they are as passionate as we are about seeing the best – not the biggest or most famous – brand walk off with the silverware.

We hope this process, coupled with a fair entry fee and a raft of free extra benefits – such as free exposure via our video portal – will inspire innovative brands of all sizes to trust The Sports Technology Awards to judge them fairly. But you need to hurry, the deadline for the 2016 Sports Technology Awards is approaching (15th January). Click here for more information.

 

Rebecca Hopkins, CEO Sports Technology Awards

With entries closing on 31st December, the Sports Technology Awards judging panel has been revealed.  The impressive line-up spans leading sports brands, sponsors, academics, Olympians, World Cup winners, governing bodies, architecture and innovative technologists.

 

The awards, which have been celebrating the vital role of technology in sport since their inception in 2014, are unique globally and represent an international mark of excellence.

 

Rebecca Hopkins, CEO of the Sports Technology Awards, explained ‘we are delighted to have so many influential names from sport, sports tech and technology support the awards via the judging process. Our judges only judge entries within their expertise and with categories spanning vastly different disciplines, we needed to have people on the panel who completely understood each one’.

 

Here are just a few of the judges supporting the 2016 awards:

ALEX TRICKETT, Head of Sport, Twitter

ANDREW DIGGLE, Acting Head of Media, Manchester United

ANDY HARLAND, Head of Sports Technology Research Group, Loughborough University

HOLGER VALTIN, Global Sports Marketing Director, Bayern München, Adidas

JAMIE BAULCH, Olympic Medallist and Former World Champion

JAYNE BUSSMAN-WISE, Director of Digital Marketing, New York City FC

MARLON DEVONISH, Olympic, World Indoor, Commonwealth and European Champion

MARTIN CORRY, Former England Rugby Captain and Rugby World Cup Winner

PETER SCHOENKE, President, Rotowire.Com and Roto Sports Inc.

SCOTT GUTTERMAN, Vice President of Digital Operations, PGA Tour

STEVE HELLMUTH, Executive Vice President, Operations and Technology, NBA Entertainment

SUNDANCE DIGIOVANNI, Co-Founder & CEO, Major League Gaming

 

Olympian, Marlon Devonish, added ‘as a former Olympian turned coach, I not only find technology really useful as a competitor, it helps shape the way I train the people I work with. Judging these awards keeps me current on the latest kit available anywhere in the world and ensures that I continue to review and judge the best out there. On top of this, the awards give me a chance to network with crucial people in our industry so I value it on many levels’.

If you’re looking for somewhere to see the most exciting new sports tech, look no further than the Sports Technology Award’s brand new video portal, The Tech Hub. Unveiled on Wednesday, it was created to give entrants another platform to showcase their technologies but also to give consumers the chance to connect with the newest developments in the sector. Videos on The Hub range from O2’s Wear the Rose campaign to a start-up company’s newest wearable and the best thing about The Hub is it is completely free to feature with an entry to the awards!

 

To see the latest and most cutting-edge technology, click here.