Prozone

Eyes on the ball goes global.

A Leeds company has developed a system of game-tracking software that is revolutionising the work of leading sports club coaches up and down the country.

ProZone is a unique technology that tracks every movement of every player on the field throughout the game. The ensuing images captured by up to 12 sensors placed around the stadium are fed into a database every tenth of a second to provide an interactive and aerial replay of each game. This precision tracking tool allows football and rugby coaches to analyse each play in detail and enhance the performance of their team.

The sophisticated match analysis system has already been adopted by the majority of the Premiership clubs as well as many of the Championship clubs across the country.

ProZone Managing Director, Ged Holmes said:

“The TV cameras only focus on that small area of the pitch where the ball is in play, but ProZone covers the pitch from every angle so that each player’s movements can be carefully tracked. It’s a fantastic coaching tool and some of the best teams in the country are reaping the benefits of using the system to pinpoint their strengths and weaknesses.”

Developed in association with Leeds Computing School, the ProZone sports performance analysis system is now attracting interest from overseas sports clubs and ProZone has already been adopted by three clubs in the United Arab Emirates.

UK Trade & Investment is now helping the company look at opportunities in the United States, Australia and South Africa. ProZone recently signed up to UKTI’s Passport to Export, a support programme for companies seeking to develop overseas trade, ProZone.

UK Trade & Investment’s, Melanie Tait is based at West Yorkshire Business Link and she is working with the company to identify export services that could help ProZone achieve global success over the next few years.

Tait added:

“In joining our Passport programme ProZone is preparing to become a major international player. Its software system is already revolutionising coaching methods in leading clubs in the UK and we know it has great potential overseas - particularly in the US and Australia. We want to make sure that the company gets to use our specialised export services to win these clients.”

At its busy HQ in Roundhay north Leeds, ProZone employs some 40 full time workers many of whom are qualified sports scientists.

Ged Holmes said:

“Game analysis has become much more technical and the number of coaching staff per sports club has increased to reflect the more scientific approach to sport. We know there is a lot of interest overseas in ProZone, however we want to adopt a strategic approach in mapping out our plans for overseas trade, and that’s why we got involved in UKTI’s Passport programme. We are now looking at some of the other export support services that can help us expand our overseas business.”

Company contact: Ged Holmes at ProZone on 0113 244 9296 gedholmes@prozonesports.com

UKTI contact: Melanie Tait on 0113 3837727 mob: 07740 835793 melanie.tait@blwy.co.uk