So you watched England bossing it at the World Cup and thought: I could do that. After all, Jamie Vardy was still playing non-league football in his mid-twenties, you tell yourself. You just need a bit of help from the pros to up your game. Well, that help is now at hand.
Playr is a new product for budding footballers that promises to make you better. A GPS pod tracks your performance in matches and the accompanying app tells you how to recover and train in order to improve. That advice is generated using input from performance gurus used to working with the superstars of Manchester United and Vardy himself at Leicester City, so it comes from the very top.
Its the latest addition to a burgeoning sport wearables sector which ranges from the simple, such as watches that track your running, cycling or swimming, to the more sophisticated, like smart insoles that analyse your stride pattern. Playr is no mere tracker though; one of its creators, Benoit Simeray, calls it a “performance enhancement system”.
The kit is a thing of beauty. The GPS pod is a sleek, pebble-shaped design that activates when slotted into the back of a tight sports vest, while the app also looks the part: clearly laid out, intuitive to navigate and easy on the eye.
I tested it at a launch event that included drills and a brief 11-a-side game. I then tried it out in a seven-a-side match with friends. After both sessions, I wirelessly transferred the data from pod to app for the damning verdict on my speed, power, sprints – followed by practical tips on how to get better next time. In my case, I was taken through a running drill to top up my fitness.
Whats clear, though, is that this is not really designed for weekend footballers like me. Its for people who already play regularly, go to football training regularly and are serious about getting better. Simeray – chief executive of Catapult, a well-established maker of similar kit for professional teams – calls these people “serious amateurs” or “elite wannabes”.
At £199, its not cheap. But Simeray cites market research that suggests around 3m people globally would be willing to buy the product at that price. Parents whose teenage children are also keen footballers and aspire to the top level are also a target market.
Using the app is a long-term project and that makes it hard to assess its effectiveness fairly, but its a smart, innovative concept, well designed and if it leads you down the Vardy route to World Cup glory, itll look a snip.
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CityAM
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