Sports Technology Awards ‘Start Ups’ Celebrate ‘Innovation from Inception’

The Sports Technology Awards Group has announced the launch of the STA Startups, its latest initiative which is dedicated to young companies globally.

 

Building on the success of the original Sports Technology Awards, the Startups celebrate tech-led innovation across 15 categories in sports, and is open for entries immediately. Startups of all sizes eligible for entry, from bootstrap through to Series A.

 

STA Group CEO, Rebecca Hopkins, explained the launch: ‘The Sports Technology Awards attracted a wealth of entries from younger companies, so it was clear there was a gap in the market to serve them better. The aim of the Startups is to create a widely recognized mark of excellence that companies can use to attract potential investors and customers. This will be achieved through a judging process which is rigorous, conducted by experts and is fair to entries of all sizes and types.’

 

As well as young tech businesses, the STA Startups is looking to identify the stars of the sports’ investment community, with specific categories for Angels, VC/PEs and Accelerators; there are also categories for eSports, fantasy sports and betting.

 

The 2018 Categories

 

1. App Company
2. Broadcast and Emerging Media
3. Coaching, Athlete Performance and Welfare
4. Equipment and Apparel
5. eSports
6. Fan Engagement
7. Fantasy Sports
8. Gaming and Betting
9. Participation
10. Sports Commerce
11. Wearables
12. Web, Digital or Integrated Platform
13. Accelerator
14. Angel Investor
15. VC / PE

Entries close on 28th February 2018 with the winners being announced via a Live Stream on 21st March.

Are Apps Sports’ Best Friend or Worst Folly?

Last week saw London Sport host the first Sports Technology Awards Debate, in association with Pioneers in Sport. With all parties sharing a keen interest in how tech-led innovations are influencing sport, it made sense to combine our networks to share insights as well as showcase the impressive new Sport Tech Hub, by London Sport.

 

Nearly 100 guests, from all aspects of the sports and tech sectors, enjoyed a lively discussion featuring a very insightful line up of panellists, which I was delighted to moderate. These were Archie Woodhead, COO, InCrowd a fan marketing company; Simon Ryley, Founder and CEO RightNow Digital, which creates fan engagement apps for sponsor brands and rights holders; and Teresa Aguilar, CEO of Pivot Sports which delivers Marketing Strategy and Execution using Big Data Analytics.

 

The theme of the discussion was ‘Apps – Sports’ Best Friend or Biggest Folly?’, not only were there a few hotly contested points, importantly, most guests felt that they learned something tangible and practical. Here were some of the main points covered

 

• An app is not always the right solution for the end user so don’t commission an app for the sake of it. Consider exactly what challenge or issue needs addressing, then work out if an app would solve it

 

• One of the main benefits of an app is that it can control the features of your phone e.g. accessing contacts, location, camera. If your brand’s app is just going to replicate web content then don’t bother, there are better things your organization can do with the budget

 

• Collecting behavioural data within the app is important but location, age and gender are still key bits of information for brands

 

• Think about how people behave – if they have time on their hands and need content, your app won’t be used if it doesn’t offer large quantities of information

 

• Apps are evolving in the way websites have. Originally websites had to be built from scratch but now people can access low-cost, off-the-shelf solutions. Apps aren’t quite there yet but in the near future, they will be built on top of mobile content management system platforms that provide key features out of the box

 

• Apps are not delivering any value for sponsor brands and need to align with their objectives as well as the rights holder’s. With a well-designed app, canny rights holders can also extend their digital assets and, consequently, improve financial yields from these.

 

Finally, if you are considering commissioning an app, these are the main things our panel suggested you remember:

 

1. The key part of the brief to the designers is demonstrating the challenges you are looking to solve with an app, the developer should come back with their approach to solving these

 

2. If you are a sponsor brand who is paying for the app to be built, ensure that it allows you to deliver on all the objectives of your sponsorship in an integrated manner, rather than being a stand-alone activation

 

3. Think about exactly what you want the app to do and how the success of this will be measured. Put these metrics in place at the start of the build, that way you can measure return on investment properly.

International Sportspeople and Sector Leaders Line Up to Judge ‘Oscars of Sports Tech’

The 2018 Sports Technology Awards, the internationally recognized mark of excellence for tech-led innovation in sports, has announced this year’s judging panel.

 

Amongst the names joining the panel for the first time in 2018 are French footballer, Louis Saha and Wales and Lions Rugby International, Dr Jamie Roberts, Director of Team China and Vice Secretary General of Chinese Olympic Committee, Prof. Aijie LIU and ground-breaking Sacramento Kings Assistant Coach, Jenny Boucek.

 

Other panel debutants include Formula 1’s Director of Innovation and Technology, Pete Samara, International Cricketer turned commentator, Isa Guha and US Ski and Snowboard Chief of Sport, Luke Bodensteiner. The Awards also welcomes back Baroness Tanni Grey-Thompson, Marlon Devonish MBE and Ben Ryan.

 

In what aims to be the most transparent, robust and honest sports awards judging process, the panel has a big task ahead as The Awards receives entries from over 30 countries which represent more than 50 sports. Each judge reviews c. four categories, all of which sit in their field of expertise. All judging is conducted through a private online portal and undertaken without consultation with other judges. Marks are tallied with the shortlist being revealed in February and the winners announced at the Awards ceremony on May 3rd 2018 in London.

 

Rebecca Hopkins, The Sports Technology Awards CEO explained ‘The nature of the Awards mean that we need judges from a variety of sports and with assorted expertise. We also strive to ensure the panel is diverse in terms of gender, age, race and geography. Once again we are delighted with the line up of our judges and immensely grateful to receive support from such an elevated group of industry leaders.’

 

The 2018 Sports Technology Awards judges are

o Prof. Aijie LIU, Director of Team China and Vice Secretary General of Chinese Olympic Committee

o Alicia Klein, formerly-IAAF

o Baroness Tanni Grey-Thompson, Paralympic Champion

o Ben Martin, Amazon Tickets

o Ben Ryan, Olympic Champion Coach

o Betsy Grider, NASCAR

o Daniel Marion, UEFA

o Darin W. White, Ph.D. Samford Univ. Center for Sports Analytics

o Debi Kleiman, Babson College

o Deborah Griffin OBE, RFU

o Devon Fox, PGA TOUR

o Dr Jamie Roberts, International Rugby Player

o Gemma Evans, Sky News

o Heather Bowler, WTA

o Isa Guha, International Cricketer

o James Dickens, Yahoo! Sport

o Jason Wormser, FOX Soccer

o Jenny Boucek, Sacramento Kings

o Jerome Hiquet, Tough Mudder

o Jill Geer, USA Track & Field

o John Rhodes, HOK

o Louis Saha, International Footballer

o Luke Bodensteiner, US Ski and Snowboard

o Mark Capalbo, ASICS America

o Marlon Devonish MBE, Olympic Champion

o Paul Francis, Adidas

o Pete Samara, Formula 1

o Rael Enteen, New York Jets

 

For the latest STA updates, visit our LinkedIn page.

 

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STA Asia Pacific Created with Leading Chinese Agency, CoSports

Today, 15th November 2017, The Sports Technology Awards – dubbed ‘the Oscars of sports tech’ – announced its new relationship with leading Chinese sports agency, CoSports, to expand the brand across Asia, starting in China.

 

The Awards, already a global competition recognizing tech-led innovation in sports, will work with CoSports to create multifaceted events to inform the market and introduce brands from the west to leading Chinese sports organizations.

 

The first ceremony will take place in China in 2018 offering an entirely different proposition to the existing London event which is currently in its fifth cycle.

 

Rebecca Hopkins, CEO of The Sports Technology Awards Group, said ‘Our collaboration with CoSports comes at a very exciting time for sports and technology in China. These industries are priorities within the government’s Five Year Plan and the passion for both sectors – amongst consumers and Chinese businesses – is evident throughout the region.’

 

‘It bears saying that the Sports Technology Awards Asia Pacific (STAAP) does not duplicate our London ceremony as that remains a globally unique entity. With CoSports, we will create a wider proposition which adheres to our values of informing, recognizing and celebrating tech-led innovations in sport. CoSports’ track record in China makes this an industry-changing partnership, a prospect which excites us both.’

 

Yibo Feng, CEO of CoSports, added ‘The Sports Technology Awards enjoys an excellent reputation worldwide, so it made sense to engage with its management team when we decided to expand further in this sector. We have a wealth of initiatives planned throughout the whole country, creating a very compelling proposition for companies in the west targeting the Chinese market, as well as Chinese and Asian brands, and business leaders seeking to elevate their profiles.’

 

For the latest information about the STAs, join our LinkedIn Page or find us on Twitter

 

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Top Tech Trends

It was once observed that cosmetic companies ‘sell hope, not make up’ and, as with other hope-led sectors, in sports, there is a lot of snake oil sold.

It was this, in part, which led us to launch the Sports Technology Awards in 2013. Our ambition was to create a global entity which recognized and celebrated tech-led innovation in sports that were rigorous in how it determined the best in the sector.

Four years, thousands of entries, hundreds of brands, submissions from over 30 countries representing more than 50 sports, we believe we have done this – not least of all in thanks to the industry-leading figures and elite athletes who have supported us as judges.

Part of what keeps the Awards relevant is that all categories are reviewed and updated for each cycle. This process has resulted in the management team becoming very aware of trends in the sector. Here are four, exciting examples of what we’ve spotted…

 

Wearables

The stand-out category for the first cycle of the Awards was undoubtedly Wearables. Industry interest in elite sport was at peak levels but over the past few years, several things have happened.

There is less difference between brand propositions The market has shifted hugely towards the mass market (elite athletes don’t need to be told to take 13,000 steps a day)

The professional sports market interest appears to have moved to the new kid on the block – analytics The wearables market is undeniably thriving; Fitbit is the most popular health and fitness app and boasts 213.6m users in the US alone.

For the elite end of the scale clear industry leaders, which constantly deliver exciting, ground-breaking work have emerged, probably thanks to natural market aggregation.

 

Fan Engagement

This is the current hot topic in the sector and has been for a couple of years. As stadiums battle broadcasters, sports vie to stand out and fans get ever more sophisticated, organizations across the board are seeking out ways to grab attention, engage more deeply and, ultimately, attract the consumer dollar.

This area is undoubtedly serving sports well as demonstrated by the unprecedented growth in sports influence and fan consumption levels. However, some things never change, approximately half the world’s population tuned into the 2016 Rio Olympics … via traditional TV!

 

Athlete Welfare

Following on from analytics, we believe this is set to be the next major growth area for sports technology. The subject is very broad, spanning doping, head injury, mental health issues, child protection and equality and those who govern sport have a moral, financial and reputational imperative to address this as a priority.

The reason we believe technology has such an important role to play in welfare is that it enables governing bodies – most of which are very process-led – to create a process of care that is demonstrable, universal and measurable.

 

Size Doesn’t Matter

Whilst many regard this as a universal truth it applies fully to the Sports Technology Awards. The Awards attract entries from many of the biggest brands in sport but also from SMEs and Start-Ups – from bootstaps to Series A, and what we have learned is that size is no indication of innovation. 35% of STA winners have been SMEs which have taken on huge industry organizations and beaten them.

As the closing date for the 2018 Sports Technology Awards looms (29th November) we are really excited by what this year’s entries will reveal – and when we know we’ll report back!

‘Are Apps Sports’ Best Friend or Worst Folly?’

The Sports Technology Awards have teamed up with London Sport and Pioneers in Sport to host a debate and networking event on 14th November 2017.

 

Held at the newly launched House of Sport, the discussion will be ‘Are Apps Sports’ Best Friend or Worst Folly?’ featuring industry experts, Simon Ryley, RightNow Digital, Teresa Aguilar, Pivot Sport and Archie Woodhead, In Crowd Sports, with the session moderated by our CEO, Rebecca Hopkins.

 

Full details on attending the event can be found at http://londonsport.staging.wpengine.com/event/sports-technology-awards-debate/#buy-tickets

We usually deliver the script in a hi-tech way but this year we went one step further and delivered the MC, Mark Chapman, on a RolleyGolf trolley. Watch Mark’s thoughts on the #STA2017 ceremony below.

Mark Chapman – Sports Technology Awards 2017 from Sports Technology Awards on Vimeo.

 

Big thank you to RolleyGolf for providing the trolley for Mark’s big entrance!

 

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In a ceremony attended by industry leaders and elite athletes, the 2017 Sports Technology Awards revealed its winners, which included Wimbledon, the NBA, the Tour de France and the Sacramento Kings along with a raft of other innovative sports and technology brands.

The Awards, a British initiative which attracts entries from over 30 countries, was hosted by sports presenter, Mark Chapman, and celebrated 19 categories, representing around 70 sports and over 100 brands. It was judged by 32 industry-leaders including elite athletes, Dame Katherine Grainger, Baroness Tanni Grey-Thompson, Olympic rugby coach Ben Ryan and England Manager, Gareth Southgate.

 

The winners are:

• Best Elite Sports Facility or Venue – Sacramento Kings, Golden 1 Center
• Rights Holder of the Year – The Championships, Wimbledon
• Outstanding Startup – Football Whispers
• Most Innovative Sports Partnership – Hewlett Packard Enterprise and DS Virgin Racing Formula-E
• Most Innovative Fan Engagement Campaign – Dimension Data – Tour de France
• Most Innovative Wearable – STATSports
• Best Web Development – NBA Facebook Messenger with WSC Sports
• Most Innovative Sponsor – Dimension Data – Tour de France
• Best App – Find A Player
• Best-Integrated Digital Media – CricHQ
• Most Innovative Live Sports Experience or Event – BT Sport – UEFA Champions League Final
• Best Technology for Managers and Coaches- Performance – ForceDecks
• Best Technology for Managers and Coaches- Athlete Welfare – DNAFit
• Sports Tech Young Exec Alexandra Willis – AELTC
• Best Technology for Commercial Returns – KORE Software
• Best Participation Technology – LTA ClubSpark
• Best New Innovation – RightNow Digital
• Best Digital TV Product or Broadcast Innovation – NeuLion 4K Live Streaming
• Best Technology for Fan Engagement – NBA Rapid Replay

 

Rebecca Hopkins, CEO of the Awards explained ‘we are immensely proud that the Sports Technology Awards has become the international mark of excellence of the sector. We have worked hard to create a judging process that both robust and transparent, meaning that startups can compete with established brands fairly; every short listee is exceptional and all winners really are the best on the market at this time. Consequently, all brands represented today should be delighted with what they have achieved.’

Mark Hunter, the Awards’ Director and Olympic Champion, added ‘as well as celebrating each category winner, we wanted to highlight entries – largely from very new companies – that also excited the judges; competition for the top slot is exceptionally tough but we urge people to look out for Cicari, MiaoHi, Refsix, Spalk and Stadion. These are highly innovative start-ups all of which should have very bright futures.’

As well as celebrating innovation, the Sports Technology Awards enjoys a reputation for being innovative in its own right and this year was no exception. On the day, Mark Chapman entered on Rolleygolf, a new style of golf trolley, and Augmented Reality – courtesy of AR company, Skignz – was an innate part of the Awards. Guests were also treated to a hugely insightful ‘Sports TechTalk’ by leading sports architect, John Rhodes of HOK.

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Leading Sports Architect, John Rhodes, will Deliver Inaugural Talk on ‘The Stadium of Tomorrow’

 

The Sports Technology Awards has today announced an exciting new initiative, Sports Tech Talks, the first of which will be delivered at the Sports Technology Awards’ ceremony in London on May 4th.

 

The inaugural talk, which will be a short, powerful and informative format, similar to TedTalks – will be delivered by John Rhodes, director of HOK’s Sports, Recreation and Entertainment London practice. Rhodes’ chosen topic will be ‘The Stadium of Tomorrow’ and will offer unrivalled insight for team and venue owners, sponsors, coaching staff and heads of facilities and commercial.

 

Rhodes’ experience spans designing and creating high-profile facilities in professional sports as well as entertainment, including F1 circuits, horse racing tracks, high-performance training facilities and conference and exhibition centres. Some of his stand-out projects include Silverstone, the Dubai World Expo and Leeds Arena, and his team is currently working on the new Nou Camp Arena in Barcelona and the 2020 World Expo Concept.

 

The Sports Technology Awards are now in their fourth cycle and are a globally unique and highly respected celebration of tech-led innovation in sports internationally. Awards categories reflect visionary work across every aspect of sport, the judging panel comprises experts from across the sector and the ceremony is attended by senior industry figures, influencers and athletes.

 

Rebecca Hopkins, CEO of the Awards, explained the rational behind the new initiative: ‘The STA brand commands an exciting degree of international respect and is valued for the unrivalled insight we offer the sector. The Awards has helped end-users identify relevant, best-in-show tech and enabled the companies doing good work create a strong, commercial point of difference. Additionally, we have always showcased new tech at the Awards’ ceremony so it seemed a very natural step to introduce new thinking too. Tedtalks are a universally popular way of communicating on important topics and we hope our Sports Tech Talks will mirror this.’

 

‘John Rhodes is the perfect keynote speaker for the STA’s, he is a world leader in his field, advancing the design of world-class sports venues and will provide a key insight into the future how we will experience live sporting events”.

 

John Rhodes, director of HOK’s Sports, Recreation and Entertainment practice, said: “I’m honoured to be delivering the first Sports Tech Talks; having been an Awards’ judge for the past two years, I rate them highly and am delighted to be supporting them in this. The technology affecting architecture in sport is very exciting and will completely  revolutionize sporting venues.”

 

The Sports Technology Awards ceremony will take place on May 4th, 2017, at the Roundhouse, London.

Each year, the Sports Technology Awards presents the MC job to a new host and we are delighted that the 2017 ceremony will be overseen by Mark Chapman.

 

Mark, a lifelong sports fan, is best known for his work anchoring BBC’s Match of the Day 2 as well as his work on the Rio 2016 Olympic Games.

 

He will be joined by fellow sports personalities and industry leaders, who are coming together to celebrate the leading sports technology and its most innovative use.

 

Tickets to the ceremony are limited to 650 places and are selling fast. To make sure you are part of this exclusive event act now and reserve your place.

 

With the deadline to buy your table fast approaching, don’t delay, simply click here and get your tickets now.

 

The Sports Technology Awards

May 4th 12pm-5pm 2017

The Roundhouse, London

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