The sports technology market is rapidly growing and advancing with its innovation, providing new ways for coaches, trainers, and leagues to operate in the digital age. According to a research memo released by Catalyst Investors, “Over $3 billion has been invested globally in Sports Tech since 2010, with $927 million and $1.3 billion invested in 2014 and 2015, respectively.” Software such as GameChanger, an online scorekeeper, HUDL, a video analysis tool, EtrainX, software used to connect athletes and trainers, Sports Engine, a league management system, and iSport360, a tool used to open communication between athletes and instructors, have revolutionized the world of sports and digitized a once manual system.

Gamechanger is a platform used as a scorekeeper and stat-tracker for baseball, softball, and basketball. This software is geared towards coaches, athletes, and youth sports fans. It allows coaches to be better equipped to put their best players out on the field or on the court by providing them with individual player and team statistics with just a click of a button.

Coach of Central Jersey Force Fastpitch, Bob Costa, said “GameChanger has made our dugout much more efficient and it has helped our team get to the next level.” From the perspective of an athlete, the software provides them with their statistics, which highlights the areas in their game that may need improvement. Fans are provided with a real-time simulation of the game so that they can track their child’s or friend’s game from wherever they are.

Athlete of Central Jersey Force Fastpitch, Allison Yan, shared, “While I was injured, I felt like I was on the field with my team even at home. Also, it is going to help me immensely in my recovery with the statistics feature to track my progress.” She went on to say that she feels the software has changed her athletic experience and that it is going to have a large impact on the sports world in general.

HUDL is a company that focuses on using video analysis to assist coaches and players in improving their skills in many different sports. The software also has the capability to create tools for recruiting purposes such as producing highlight reels and providing charts that point out the strong points of the athlete that college coaches are looking for. The technology allows for an instructor to take a video of an athlete and use tools such as voice over and a slow-motion feature, which enables instructors to break down an athlete’s skills and provide instruction for small technical issues that cannot be seen by the plain eye.

Anthony Dorsi, an athletic trainer in the New Jersey area, said“The software has provided me with the capability to breakdown a player's skills and analyze their techniques and share it with them and their families.” HUDL has reached over 114,000 athletic organizations worldwide and has changed the face of mechanical analysis.

EtrainX is a sports technology platform that matches trainers and athletes by sport, skill, location and budget. As an online exchange tool, Etrainx also provides facilities and clubs with the ability to expand their client base and offer quality training. The software is easily accessible on mobile phones, tablets, and desktops, and provides social integration, which serves as an additional avenue of communication. EtrainX provides trainers, facilities, and clubs with a simple-to-use platform to see their services, knowledge, and expertise while getting paid quickly and easily through the use of PayPal that handles all of the business transactions.

Rich Spear, a member of the EtrainX Board of Directors, stated that “this will allow athletes to become more selective and find trainers that suit their specific needs and personalities.” Trainers have also shared their opinion about the software, stating that it has broadened the horizons and opened many doors for them in the world of athletics. Jackie Battaglino, a former college softball coach, shares that technology such as EtrainX would have completely changed her experience when she was a child and is going to allow future athletes to “step up their game.”  

SportsEngine is a program which assists organizations in developing and growing via the internet. This software presents sports teams with all of the necessary tools to create a top-notch website to promote their team. The technology provides organizations with website templates that allow them to provide information and additional details about their organization via their own website. The company has become an extremely powerful source for organizations to promote themselves and develop at a much broader scale.

Recently, SportsEngine was purchased by NBC and has started to expand nationwide. Parkhill Mays, the president of a sports organization, stated that “the platform has made it much more efficient to manage and communicate with multiple teams.” He went on to explain that SportsEngine has helped him to build out an organization of five teams with ages ranging from 12 to 18. The platform has drawn attention to many budding organizations and has helped them to become leading competitors in the world of sports.

iSport360 is a tool that specializes in athlete evaluations. The technology provides trainers with the capability to share feedback with their clients and their families. iSport360 has created a platform that supports player development in an environment that allows players and parents to track their progress. Athletes then have an opportunity to have one-on-one communication with their trainer, allowing them to develop at a pace that is comfortable for them.  

Founder and President, Ian Goldberg, shares that “apps like mine are helping parents, coaches, referees, and players keep track of schedules, streamline payments and registrations, share player feedback, exchange lightly used equipment, post pictures and videos, and improve training and player development.” iSport360 has broadened the horizons of both trainers and athletes and has played a key role in the development of sports technology.

GameChanger, HUDL, Etrainx, SportsEngine, and iSport360 are pioneers in the world of sports technology. Parents, coaches, players, teams, and trainers have begun to embrace technological advances that will lead to improved league structures, performance, communication, and ultimately player development. The combination of all the offerings these platforms provide and their suite of products are likely just the beginning of the advances we are going to see. They have all, through their own vision and unique suite of products, successfully laid the groundwork that will allow for future innovations and advancements in technology.