FIFA is happy to announce a renewed partnership with Fitogether as a FIFA Preferred Provider for Live Player Tracking within the framework of the FIFA Quality Programme for Electronic Performance and Tracking Systems (EPTS). The new agreement, which will run until October 2026, follows a successful two-year collaboration period during which significant research was conducted.

A FIFA Preferred Provider (FPP) is a company with extensive experience and expertise in the tracking-technology industry. As part of the initiative, FPPs commit to carrying out research and development for the wider football community in close collaboration with FIFA. Any findings are made publicly accessible with a view to enhancing knowledge and understanding of tracking technologies throughout the industry.

More and more teams are using tracking systems to measure player attributes such as speed, positioning and acceleration. EPTS devices are used not only in training-ground environments but also in stadiums that feature specific architectural designs, structures and materials. These factors can pose challenges for player-tracking devices that use global navigation satellite systems (GNSS) in particular. Some wearable EPTS devices rely on this satellite-based technology to provide the necessary signals and data for positioning, navigation and timing services.

FIFA and Fitogether carried out research jointly to better understand how data quality is affected by the environment in which wearable GNSS devices are used. As part of this effort, Fitogether collected data in several stadiums and training sites across Asia, Europe and North America.

The research aimed to develop a single method to quantify GNSS data performance, factoring in environmental impacts such as stadium architecture and geographical conditions. The proposed model uses Position Dilution of Precision (PDOP), average signal strength and real-time kinematic (RTK) positioning technologies to better understand GNSS signal errors. This understanding is expected to help inform end users about the benefits and limitations of current technologies and to encourage technology providers to improve their systems for the benefit of the football world.

The research findings are now being consolidated and prepared for publication in the Topical Collection on Football Research II.

As part of its renewed status as a FIFA Preferred Provider for Live Player Tracking, Fitogether will continue to explore how core GNSS technology can provide more precise information and infer contextual data that is essential to the game, such as ball position and team possession. Under the agreement, any findings will be shared with the wider EPTS industry via reports, white papers and open-source code.

If your company is interested in showing itself to be an industry leader whilst leveraging its resources to drive research and development in the market, we want to hear from you. The EPTS FIFA Preferred Provider scheme is open to established licensees within the FIFA Quality Programme for EPTS. For further details about the FIFA Preferred Provider scheme, please contact us via quality@fifa.org.