Sportable, Sage to bring data expertise to global sport

Sportable, a global data collection and analytics platform, is partnering with Sage to bring deeper, AI-led insights to the biggest sports in North America and beyond. 

Sage and Sportable will develop a global sports index, bringing together millions of AI-led insights generated across the sports world by Sportable technology. It will provide open access for anyone to identify trends and better understand key indicators of high performance and game strategy.

The first index to be launched will be rugby-focused, with future versions planned for soccer, American football, and more.

Sportable specialises in advanced technology that tracks balls and players across a number of sports, including rugby, Australian rules football, American football, and soccer. Its proprietary hardware is underpinned by AI and Machine Learning, which turn thousands of data points into real-time, automated insights on how players and the ball move during a game and in practice. 

The Gilbert x Sportable Smart Ball, for example, has been used in elite professional-level rugby games since 2022. It works with wireless beacons around the field to show live game data, such as how far the ball is kicked or passed and how much territory a team gains as it attacks.

The technology helps players, coaches, and teams use these insights to make performance, tactical, and recruitment decisions, while broadcasters and fans benefit from immediate game analysis.

Sage will present the vast amount of data gathered by Sportable’s expanding presence in the sports world and add to its existing portfolio of sports brands, as it helps to deliver business and sports analytics at scale.  

Commenting on the partnership, Dugald Macdonald, co-founder and CEO of Sportable, said: “The Sportable team has created a fantastic, applied technology product that is proven to bring new levels of insight into elite sport both from a performance and fan engagement perspective. To have an opportunity to further bring that to life in partnership with an organisation like Sage, and usher in an accelerated period of growth and learning as a result, is truly exciting."