In a modern world where people are constantly pushing to be the very best, many sports clubs are turning to technology to give them the edge. Last year, Hikvision delivered technology to help Dutch Premier football team Ajax to analyse their games and improve their performance. Now Hikvision is using this expertise to help a local American Football team in Hoofddorp, the Netherlands, called the Amsterdam Crusaders.
The team’s management team wanted to be able to see what was going on in the games, so they could identify areas for improvement. American Football is a very organised game, with strict line-ups and pre-determined game plays. These elements make the ability to capture game movements and analyse them a substantial tool in a coach’s arsenal to improve the game.
There was also a more traditional security element to the club’s need. They have suffered in the past from vandalism of the field and break-ins. Hikvision advised directly on this project. Experts came up with a solution comprising 2 PTZ cameras, 2 bullet cameras used with a switch, keyboard and joystick. They also worked with the team to seamlessly integrate the hardware with Hudl software, which enables games to be analysed.
The PTZ cameras could follow the players as they moved across the field, making sure that every movement could be recorded, and so later analysed. The clear images from the cameras are able to provide a platform for the Hudl software to effectively provide analysis.
The solution caused quite a stir in the local American Football community. The Dutch board of referees even requested footage from the Crusaders to help them analyse their own work.
Paul van der Kolff, Chairman of the club, says: “We are very grateful to Hikvision for providing us with the latest technology to help us. Not only do we get crisp images to be able to analyse to up our game, but we also have peace of mind in case anyone tries to get up to no good at our grounds.”
