Blink Identity: Walk straight into an event 

Liam Watson

Recently, we’ve seen QR codes become as prominent as ever with Covid-19 protocols in mind – particularly for checking in to venues. 

Blink Identity offers the latest solution for quick and easy access to events, as face recognition software can be used as a ticket – rather than having a physical or digital copy on hand. 

Backed by decades of experience, they have been developing identity systems for enterprises in high-risk environments. The biometric matching system has utilised military-grade technology to accurately identify people walking at a typical pace, adaptable to any lighting conditions. 

The basis of Blink Identity is simple – when a sports club or venue is partnered up with the company and has the camera software in place, visitors are required to enrol in the service by taking a ‘selfie’ photograph on their phone. 

Face recognition like a barcode

By taking a photograph in a matter of seconds, this leads to enormous time saved when the visitor has arrived to enter a stadium or venue, where this eliminates the risk of waiting in lines. Blink Identity collects an image of a person’s face to then be converted into a special unique code known as a mathematical template for identification purposes (like a barcode). Basic contact details involving full name and email address are used for a personalised greeting and if Blink Identity needs to contact the person respectively, with this information to ensure that a spectator can be identified at a venue and if any problems arise with the account. 

With a Blink Identity lane in operation, all the visitor needs to do is walk through and the sensor takes another photograph – to be converted into a template – which is then immediately deleted and is not saved on the sensor. This process is simply to compare the initial template (selfie) with the latest version from when the person enters a venue. 

The versatility and reliability of this technology has not only been tested with lighting conditions, but also to adjust for slight changes to a person’s appearance from one photo to the next. For instance, anyone wearing hats, glasses, colored contacts, head scarves or has a beard does not affect Blink Identity’s system. The vast majority of sunglasses, face paint schemes and sequins have also been proven to not change how the sensors operate. The system, which can identify identical twins better than the human eye, caters for any changes to a person’s appearance. In addition, customers wearing face masks are matched using periocular recognition. This is a special type of face matching that focuses on the area of the face around the eye. 

The Blink Identity Sensor

Likened to walking in like a red carpet, Blink Identity is virtually a replica with that same VIP-type feel for successful entry. Once inside the venue, the use of Blink Identity’s sensors can expand towards purchasing food and merchandise, where customer experience is advanced. For instance, if an ID check is required from a customer, a simple face recognition check can be completed, rather than sifting through pockets trying to find a driver’s license or similar.

The ease of this technology is not only positive for visitors, but for companies as well who hold events. Blink Identity integrates with standard frameworks and workflows to handle everything from implementation and enrollment to privacy compliance. By switching to Blink Identity’s system, it connects to existing ticketing, Customer Relationship Management (CRM), point of sale (POS), time & attendance and security systems. This will allow organisations to get a better insight of fan data, promoting increased revenues and analytics. 

As countries start to welcome back more fans on the other side of Covid-19 outbreaks, Blink Identity can help manage the reintroduction of these fans through seamless entry. It’s an extra piece of technology that can certainly speed up the process at popular crowded events.  

For everything you need to know about Blink Identity, you can find it here. 

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GIS Industry Masterclass highlights pathways for women’s sport.

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Image Credit: Soccerscene

This month, the Global Institute of Sport (GIS) held an industry masterclass with guest speakers discussing the future of development in women’s sport.

The masterclass panel had two key speakers:

  • Chantella Perera, General Manager of Sport at KOJO.
  • Yael Reed, a sports marketing consultant who has worked with Newcastle Jets, Football Australia and Netball NSW.

These two industry experts, representing different areas of the women’s sporting world, delved into answering the event’s important goal of growth and sponsorship in women’s sport.

The role that media and commercial partners have in elevating women’s sport was a key point. Discussion was centred around the importance of encouraging broadcasters to invest in women’s sport directly and not just through male sport avenues.

Yael Reed spoke about the importance of media revenue being invested into women’s sports.

“Media partners with broadcast and commercial revenue is ultimately what is invested in the sport, and you need to invest to grow,” she said.

“Broadcast and commercial revenue also contributes to paying the players

“Media and coverage revenue is what is invested into the sport and their support is needed to help sports to grow, but also to benefit from, Women’s sport is no longer the steak knives.”

Chantella Perera, a former professional sportsperson and with KOJO a big leader in women’s sports events, outlined the position of women’s sports:

“From grassroots we see more equity with facilities and infrastructure for girls now. From my field in the event world lens, the investment from clubs and leagues is improving year on year. The disparity is still huge,” Perera said.

“There must be money invested to grow it. Yes, it is changing—a lot more females can do it as a job.

“But I feel we are still talking a lot but not doing a lot. People can make action, and it doesn’t have to be huge actions. Making those small steps towards that change is where we move forward.

“The Matildas’ success at the 2023 FIFA Women’s World Cup has sparked a rise in interest towards women’s football in the country.”

Perera, however, commented on the slow impact it has produced:

“It did have an impact with the eyes and traction, but we are still waiting for the influx of cash,”

“I’d challenge the effect and ask: two years on, have we seen enough from it? I just want to see if we can get more from it.”

A key point regarding investing in women’s sport and central to the discussion was how to invest in the differences between men’s and women’s sport.

Reed expressed her key ways in which this step can be tackled:

“It’s important for brands to consider Who they are trying to connect with? The benefit of women’s sport is it’s fresh and new (compared to men’s sport). There’s a lot to be unexpected. There are amazing people playing the sport and their story needs to be told,”

“I think when you can connect with athletes, with clubs, and harness that promotion and opportunity that’s there with women’s sport.

“The opportunity in women’s sport is to expect the unexpected.” Reed highlighted.

The important question of brand alignment became central to the discussion, with the equation for branding being relevance multiplied by emotion equals impact.

To harness the sponsor’s relevance to the team and the sport, harnessing that emotion and being relevant to the fans and showing up for them and having an impact promotes any brand.

An example presented by Reed was the Suzuki partnership with the Swifts:

“By putting players in their content and in the car the swift has been really positive,”

“The business case is there. We now have a greater asset in women’s sport to take your brands to the next level

“To have a women’s demographic is such a good asset for business branding.”

Women’s sport has faced challenges in gaining support and funding to expand and delve into the ever-growing popularity of the women’s game.

Sponsorships and businesses trying to grow their portfolio and market shouldn’t underestimate the power that women’s sport and football have.

It is unique and it is unexpected, as was discussed centrally in this masterclass.

The ways to grow women’s sport are there, and the benefits are evident. Sponsors need to take the necessary step and will undoubtedly reap the rewards if they do so.

Senseball: A minimalistic design with maximum impact

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Image Credit: Senseball

Ball control, coordination and decision making are three of the most important skills for a football player to master. Mastery of these skills separates players from the rest and allows them to thrive on the field.

Aspiring and current professional footballers need more than raw talent to succeed in the sport. Due to this, reaching the highest levels requires access to the right tools.

Senseball believes their product, a simple ball attached to a handled piece of cord, is one of the tools necessary for developing the mentioned skills.

From 2001 to 2011, Belgian coach, Michael Bruyninckx, and the University of Louvain pioneered CogiTraining, a myelination-based method.

Myelination is the brain function necessary for enhancing motor skills, including footballing ability.

The CogiTraining training method, based on cognitive learning, emphasises rhythm, repetition and decision making under pressure.

These core principles work together to optimise the myelination process, enhancing the brain’s ability to develop motor skills essential for football.

The findings from the ten years of research led to the invention of Senseball.

The idea behind the product combines cognitive science with the only football kick trainer that uses the innovative CogiTraining method.

Specifications, use and benefits

The ball is a size 3, smaller than the standard size 5 used in matches. This challenges users and accelerates the development of ball control and coordination.

Using both feet, players can expect to achieve 1,500 touches in just 15 minutes, improving their two-footed skills. Over the course of a season, players can accrue ~500,000 touches. That is a tenfold increase from the ~50,000 touches provided by traditional training and matches.  

The cord is height adjustable and has an ergonomic handle with grip pads designed for comfort. The ball itself is high quality, featuring a textured design to enhance its durability and improve player control.

Purchasing Senseball’s product grants the ability to connect to the Senseball mobile app.

The app features over 50 guided training videos, personalised drills, and progress training, allowing players to get the most out of the product.

The training videos teach methods that promote symmetrical movement to develop skills in both feet equally.

Unlike traditional training methods, such as cone or passing drills, Senseball allows players to train alone and without the requirement of a full-size pitch.

Additionally, given its compact nature, the ball is ideal for use not just on the training pitch, but also at home or on the go. Injured players can also benefit from the product as it is less straining than other training methods.

Senseball claims its benefits extend beyond the pitch, with research indicating an average 10% improvement in academic performance and enhanced concentration among young players after one year of use.

Australian football ecosystem

Senseball is used by over 500 clubs worldwide, including AC Milan, Leicester City, and FC Metz.

Elite players such as Dries Mertens, Jan Verthongen, Moussa Dembele, and Youri Tielemans have sharpened their tools using the product.

Further, Bruyninckx worked with a sample group of 200 (140 boys and 60 girls) moderately capable players in an attempt to improve their footballing ability using Senseball.

Six of the boys went on to represent Belgium at the international level, while several of the girls went on to make up half of the national women’s team.

Given the product’s status as a proven tool for improving a player’s ability on the ball, it could be a valuable asset for teams competing at the highest level in Australia.

Further, young players at the grassroots level could also benefit from the product.

RSC Anderlecht were one of the first clubs to incorporate Senseball into the training regime of its youth academy.

The results speak for themselves as the club reached the semi-finals of the UEFA Youth League in 2015/16.

Australian clubs may benefit from attempting to replicate this success with their youth academies.

Overall, the mass implementation of Senseball into training schedules has massive potential to significantly strengthen the Australian football ecosystem at all levels.

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