In a game of inches, Raw Stadia can be the difference

Avatar
Raw Stadia
Image via Shutterstock

Raw Stadia is revolutionising the interaction between players and the pitch. The sports technology company – that focuses on surface–player interactions – uses data and analytics to track and measure the playing surface’s condition.

96 per cent of managers and coaches believe that the playing surface influences athletes’ performance and welfare, but there is no technology tracking it. Raw Stadia has entered the conversation. With some eye-watering team valuations in world football, the question could be asked, why isn’t surface technology being used more? According to business insider Forbes, Premier League champions Manchester City had a team value of 4.25 billion dollars (£3.4B). With clubs spending incredible sums of money on players, Raw Stadia has produced the technology to help protect their player investments by measuring the player’s interaction with the surface, and how the quality of the surface fairs before, during and after matches.

Raw Stadia technology operates with user-friendly testing tools being set up on the playing surface to measure key pitch metrics. The testing hardware analyses and collects relevant agronomical data, and sends it to their platform which can be accessed on a computer or mobile device. The weather station tool allows club groundskeepers to track the microclimate inside the stadium and make decisions on its maintenance through data-driven pitch management.  Raw Stadia technology  can analyse pitch density, electrical conductivity, moisture, PH and infiltration. If you want to go more in-depth, grass height, root depth and and how the pitch is absorbing nutrients are all available to analyse.

Players can also benefit from having the innovation made available to them. The pitch can have a key impact on player performance. Raw Stadia technology can measure and monitor the surface conditions and how players are interacting with the playing surface. The Raw artificial athlete tool paired with the Raw rotational traction tester, allows clubs to keep track of all important metrics and gain a clear understanding of how players interact with the surface. Data can be collected from multiple playing surfaces, such as training grounds and the match day ground, and used to determine the best playing surface based on your training needs. Feedback is provided and reported to the Raw Stadia platform from training drills and matches, and the analytics can help players and medical staff make decisions on the management of players.

The advanced technology may sound overwhelming at first, but it is backed by a team of experts specialising in Grounds Management. The Raw Stadia team is led by award-winning Grounds Manager, Reece Watson, who has over 15 years of experience in the management of playing surfaces. Watson is no stranger to the big stage having worked for Premier League club Arsenal. He managed the playing surface in London on his way to founding Raw Stadia alongside co-founder, Jan Stryckers.

Clubs that introduce the technology can expect support from the Raw Stadia team. Experts will come on-site to provide hands on training and advice on how to use the tools and platform. If clubs decide to pursue the technology, they will have access to remote support where they will be guided on how to analyse recorded data. Currently, the renowned technology is used by some of the biggest football clubs in the world – Liverpool, Tottenham and Leicester City to name a few.

In professional sports, the margin for error is slim, and the difference between losing and winning can come down to an inch. Raw Stadia could be that decisive inch. All in all, clubs will expect to see improvements in their surface quality and player performance. The platform, tools, and support provided by Raw Stadia optimise both the pitch and player performances. Football clubs pay an extravagant amount of money to build their teams each year. Raw Stadia is protection on that investment. By reducing the risk of injury whilst optimising performance, Raw Stadia is already establishing itself in professional football. It seems it is not a matter of if, but when we will see them as a more permanent staple in professional sports.

Previous ArticleNext Article

Netflix’s Women’s World Cup deal puts IMG’s technology in the spotlight

Avatar
Image Credit: Shutterstock

Netflix’s first exclusive football deal will see the next year’s FIFA Women’s World Cup at the centre of it’s live-sport strategy. The US-streaming service company has appointed IMG as its production partner for all 64 matches in Brazil, as well as more than 100 hours of live studio programming. The deal includes English and Spanish coverage for viewers within the US, and English and French-language coverage for those in Canada. IMG will also support Netflix’s coverage of the tournament’s draw in December.

The 2027 Women’s World Cup runs from June 24 to July 25 across eight host cities, and will be the first edition to feature 32 teams. The scale of the tournament makes it an ambitious first foray into sports broadcasting for Netflix – which means IMG’s involvement will be of great significance.

IMG’s production engine

IMG has built its reputation on producing and distributing live sport at scale. It’s Stockley Park, London facility includes broadcast studios, production galleries, edit suites and facilities for radio, podcasting, dubbing and visual effects. The company has worked across major properties including the Premier League, Major League Soccer and other international sporting events.

For a World Cup, this infrastructure provides more than a place to make television; it creates a central point where production teams can manage feeds, graphics, replays, commentary, editing and distribution while events are taking place thousands of kilometres away.

Remote production is the key

The most important technology for a tournament spread across eight Brazilian cities is connectivity. IMG has invested in remote-production workflows that allow production teams to work across locations, rather than putting every specialist inside each stadium. Its wider production operation has used fibre, satellite, cloud and IP-based connectivity to move live signals between venues and production centres.

That model can reduce the amount of equipment and specialist staff required at every venue while allowing senior producers, directors, replay operators and graphics teams to work from centralised facilities. IMG has also demonstrated long-distance IP production, including a 20,000-kilometre link between Tokyo and London that carried uncompressed, low-latency video. For Netflix, those capabilities are particularly relevant. The platform is building a single viewing experience for audiences in two markets, but the raw ingredients will come from stadiums spread across Brazil. A resilient network becomes just as important as the cameras themselves.

From stadium to stream

The technology chain does not end when the pictures leave the venue. A modern sports production operation has to manage ingest, replay, media asset management, graphics, audio, quality control, archiving and transmission. IMG’s facilities have been built around those workflows, with master control and transmission capabilities alongside post-production and archive operations.

That infrastructure also gives IMG the ability to turn the live tournament into a wider stream of content. A goal can become a replay, a highlight, a social clip or part of a studio package without waiting for the match to finish. For Netflix, that fits a platform built around on-demand discovery as much as live viewing.

A new test for Netflix

Netflix has already made a significant investment in football through documentaries and other programming. The 2027 Women’s World Cup takes it up a level. FIFA describes the agreement as the first competition Netflix has acquired in full, making the tournament a major test of its live sports operation. IMG therefore has a job that goes beyond producing 64 matches; it must help Netflix build the technical backbone for a month-long, multi-venue broadcast, while maintaining consistent production standards across languages and locations.

The viewer may simply press play and see a World Cup match appear instantly. Behind that button will be a complex network of cameras, connectivity, control rooms, production systems, people and data. That is the real significance of Netflix’s IMG deal: the streamer is bringing the tournament to its platform, but IMG is providing much of the machinery that can make a global football event feel seamless.

The ball is no longer just being improved it is being connected

Avatar

The humble football is becoming one of the more technologically advanced objects on a football pitch.

Across the A-Leagues, Mitre’s new Ultimax Pro is focused on improving what happens when the ball is kicked, while LaLiga has taken the next step by turning the ball into a source of live match data.

The contrast shows how football technology is moving in two directions at once, improving the physical performance of equipment while increasingly connecting it to the digital systems surrounding the game.

Refining the Physical Object: Mitre’s Ultimax Pro

The Ultimax Pro, which will be used across the 2026/27 A-League Men and Ninja A-League Women seasons, incorporates Mitre’s HyperFlow, HyperFoam, HyperSeal and Delta Skin technologies.

Its debossed grooves are designed to reduce drag and improve stability in flight, while the cushioning, bonding and surface technologies are aimed at producing consistent rebound, durability and control. The ball carries FIFA Quality Pro certification, reflecting the testing standards required for professional match balls.

The technology is largely invisible to supporters. Its purpose is to make the ball behave more predictably for players, rather than fundamentally changing the football itself.

Connecting the Ball to the Digital Ecosystem: LaLiga’s Sensor-Driven Approach

LaLiga’s approach is different.

The Spanish competition has introduced a radio-frequency sensor developed by KINEXON into its PUMA match ball, with the technology being used across every LaLiga EA Sports fixture this season.

The sensor continuously transmits information about the ball’s position and the precise moment of contact. Around 12 antennas installed in each stadium capture the data and feed it into LaLiga’s wider technology infrastructure.

That gives the ball a role beyond simply being the object of play.

Knowing exactly when the ball is touched can help officials in a variety of situations. Offside, handballs, deflections and other decisions where a difference of milliseconds can affect the outcome could all benefit.

But the more interesting development may sit outside officiating.

LaLiga is using the connected ball to create xBALL, an official data layer that can feed broadcasts, digital products and future second-screen experiences. Data such as shot speed, ball spin and trajectory could all be incorporated into its media and digital products.

The ball is no longer just something that manufacturers compete to make faster, more durable or more responsive. It can also become a source of proprietary data that leagues can use to improve broadcasts, develop digital products and create new ways for supporters to understand the game.

The Ball as Part of Football’s Intelligence Layer

Mitre is refining the physical object. LaLiga is connecting that object to the digital ecosystem of the match.

Together, however, they point to the same direction of travel.

Football equipment is becoming increasingly intelligent.

The evolution is not necessarily about adding technology for its own sake. In the A-Leagues, the objective is consistency: predictable flight, touch and rebound. In LaLiga, the objective is precision and information: knowing exactly where the ball is and when it was touched.

The commercial opportunity comes from what can be built around those capabilities.

As stadiums become more connected, broadcasts become more data-rich and clubs and leagues collect increasingly detailed information about matches, the football itself can become another input into that infrastructure.

It also changes the relationship between equipment manufacturers and competitions.

A match ball used to be primarily a physical product supplied to a league. Connected technology creates the possibility of the ball becoming part of a broader technology stack involving officiating systems, broadcast platforms, analytics and fan-facing digital products.

The A-Leagues are starting with the physical performance of the ball. LaLiga is showing what can happen when that physical object becomes connected.

The next generation of football technology may not be something players wear or referees use.

It may be the ball itself.

Most Popular Topics

Editor Picks

Send this to a friend