March 26 – Nike and WSL Football, the governor of English women’s football highest leagues, have teamed up to push further into performance tech, with the rollout of connected ball and tracking systems set to bring a new layer of data into the Barclays Women’s Super League (WSL).
Working alongside partners Sportable, the initiative will see FIFA-certified Connected Ball technology embedded into Nike’s official matchballs, alongside player-tracking systems deployed across both league fixtures and the training ground.
“Nike’s new partnership with us is built on innovation and putting players first,” said WSL Football chief revenue officer Zarah Al-Kudcy. “Their desire to elevate the role of the ball through Sportable’s technology will enable us to provide enhanced performance data to our clubs as well as tell richer stories to our fans. We are excited to be the first football league in the world to use this technology.”
The WSL becomes the first league globally to adopt the system at this scale – a move it says underlines its positioning as a testing ground for innovation in the women’s game.
Sportable, meanwhile, said its focus is on building a fully integrated data environment, linking training and matchday insights into a single ecosystem.
“It is a privilege to work with Nike and support WSL Football on a project that will meaningfully impact the progression of the women’s game,” said CEO Dugald Macdonald. “The opportunity to create a consistent, data-rich view of performance, from training pitches to stadiums, is truly groundbreaking.”
He added: “We are excited to help unlock the next level of insight for teams across the league and their fans via an enhanced, data-rich, broadcast experience.”
The system captures detailed metrics – encompassing ball speed and spin as well as player movement, workload and tactical shape – figures which Nike say offer clubs a more complete picture of performance across a season.
Already in testing, the technology is being adopted by several WSL clubs, with a league-wide rollout planned from the start of next season. The long-term aim seems to be a fully connected setup, where every touch, movement and decision is tracked consistently across both training and competition.
Contact the writer of this story, Harry Ewing, at [email protected]