Current kings of the Premier League, Manchester City, is spending some more of that sweet, sweet oil money on developing yet another wearable, known as Cityplay. This is joins City’s smart scarf and offers insights into one’s football skills.
Playermaker has partnered up with the club to actually develop and manufacture the technology. Football players aren’t exactly known for their UX design skills. Rather than tracking emotions around one’s neck, Cityplay straps onto a boot and automatically syncs the data with a smartphone.
Pump those numbers up, rookie
City’s academy already uses Cityplay, allowing younger players to grow and develop their skills. There are a few players in the club’s first team that could use the technology, though we aren’t naming names.
And when we say skills, we don’t mean elasticos and rainbow flicks. City’s announcement says Cityplay will track “critical football skills” such as a player’s first touch and control. It can also track off-the-ball stats like a player’s speed and agility. Just stick the device into a pair of boots and you’re all set to go. After a training session, sync the device up with a phone to see how you performed.
“We have spent many years improving our knowledge of what it takes to continue to perform and succeed at the highest level,” says Jorgina Busquets, City’s managing director of football education. “Previously used within our Academy, we’re pleased to now be able to offer this to anyone who wants to improve their skills, further expanding the reach of our methodology to those both in the UK and globally.”
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If you thought Manchester City, one of the world’s richest clubs, would let this go cheap, think again. As with everything these days, a subscription fee is thrown into the price. How else will the club sign another €117.5m priced player?
There are three tiers to choose from. The cheapest will set you back £150 (roughly R3,000) for a six-month subscription and the Cityplay kit. Heading up a tier is the annual subscription, costing £190 (roughly R3,900) also with the Cityplay kit. The highest is with a two-year subscription, which costs £240 (roughly R4,900) with a Cityplay kit. After the initial subscription date is passed, a monthly subscription kicks in at £10/m (roughly R200/m).
If stopping all your other subscription services in favour of your football career is something you’re keen on, you can send an email to Mitch Stevens at mitch[at]playermaker.co.za for local enquiries.
