National Rugby League expands its three-year relationship with Catapult

April 7, 2022

The National Rugby League (NRL) has expanded its relationship with global sports data and analytics company Catapult, in an exclusive deal to utilise performance technologies across all functions of the league, including match officials.

While Catapult has been the performance technology supplier to the NRL since 2019, this deal sees for the first time, all 16 teams in the NRL and six NRLW teams, in addition to the Australian National teams and NRL referees, using Catapult's Vector SaaS technology to empower data-driven decisions to improve player performance, quantify decisions to help prevent injuries, and inform return to play.

Catapult continues to provide live game data to support the NRL’s broadcast commitments via their partnership with Telstra. This data is captured from Catapult’s proprietary ClearSky Local Positioning System, installed across NRL's network of stadiums and will be used by the NRL to deepen fan engagement during games.

Catapult’s Vector SaaS technology delivers next level accuracy, usability, and efficiency to empower critical sports science and tactical decisions. Vector’s SaaS technology provides an integrated and comprehensive view of performance, in real time, leveraging the latest data science to help players and teams find answers to complex performance questions.

This deal with the NRL follows a number of significant league-wide, multi-solution contracts Catapult has closed recently. Most notably the AFL - which is the company's largest league-wide deal globally - as well as a significant deal with the German Football Association. The German FA deal is particularly notable, as it validates the market demand for Catapult's combined suite of solutions (video and data) since it acquired SBG Sports Software in June 2021.

Will Lopes, Chief Executive of Catapult notes “we are immensely proud to continue our longstanding relationship with the NRL. It’s an honour to continue working with them and see expanded use of our technology across the entire league. The NRL has been at the forefront of research and development in sports for decades and we believe the decision to continue partnering with us is a testament to the power of our performance technology.”

The NRL has long been a leader in technology adoption, and Catapult has played a pivotal role in allowing the teams to stay at the forefront of innovation and adopt leading-edge technology to optimise and drive continuous improvement in player and team performance.

Graham Annesley, Executive General Manager - Elite Football adds “Catapult’s solutions are a trusted part of our league and fan experience. We’re growing our work with Catapult into new parts of the league because their innovations allow us to track and improve the performance of our players and ultimately improve the game for our fans.”

This Sunday, Catapult will provide live match data via Telstra for the NRLW Grand Final to highlight the impressive athleticism of the players and bring fans watching at home closer to the game. Data such as Max Speed and Distance Covered will be shared live on the 10th April broadcast.

Catapult empowers more than 3,425 elite teams around the world with its integrated SaaS platform, providing athletes and teams with a comprehensive view of performance.

Image: The Gold Coast Titans are long-term users of Catapult AMS. Courtesy of Catapult Sports

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