SPORTS TECHNOLOGY OF THE YEAR
Accredit Solutions
In an industry-first transformation, the National Football League (NFL) partnered with Accredit Solutions to implement a centralised, biometric-led credentialing and access control system across all 32 clubs and 30 stadiums. Previously reliant on fragmented, manual processes, the league sought a scalable and secure way to eliminate credential fraud, improve ingress efficiency, and standardise security operations.
Following a successful 2023/24 pilot, the platform was mandated league-wide for the 2024/25 season. Accredit’s solution introduced encrypted digital credentials, dynamic QR-coded wristbands, real-time security enforcement, and biometric authentication via Wicket, integrated seamlessly with existing systems across all venues.
The result was a secure, digital ecosystem that processed over 2 million applications, more than 550,000 unique individuals, and nearly 300,000 biometric scans in a single season. Game-day security, operational oversight, and the experience for VIPs, media, and staff were significantly improved.
The NFL now sets the global benchmark for credentialing in professional sports, with the platform studied by other leagues as a blueprint for the future.
As Tom Standley, President of Accredit Solutions, said: “Major League Sports pour millions into fan engagement — why cut corners on security? The NFL didn’t.”
Leaders don’t just manage accreditation, credentialling and access control – they own it.
Bundesliga In-Match Analysis – DFL
The Deutsche Fußball Liga (DFL) proudly presents the “Bundesliga In-Match Analysis”, a pioneering technology designed to transform live football broadcasting. This state-of-the-art system automates the creation and delivery of video clips enriched with real-time data and analytics during Bundesliga matches. By leveraging advanced machine learning algorithms, it identifies key moments in the game, enhancing them with detailed statistics and dynamic graphics. This automation facilitates the immediate dissemination of engaging content to fans worldwide, directly during live broadcasts.
The “Bundesliga In-Match Analysis” significantly reduces manual efforts and operational costs traditionally associated with producing enriched sports content. It streamlines production workflows, ensuring that content is delivered more quickly and with greater accuracy than ever before. For fans, this means deeper insights into the game’s dynamics and an enriched viewing experience that brings them closer to the action.
This innovative solution not only meets the rising demand for interactive and data-driven sports content but also strengthens the global appeal of Bundesliga broadcasts, reinforcing Bundesliga’s position as a leader in sports innovation. The system’s seamless integration and scalability demonstrate DFL’s commitment to enhancing sports media production and consumption, ensuring the Bundesliga remains at the forefront of digital sports broadcasting.
Caytoo
Introducing a new way to solve the number 1 challenge commercial teams face when selling sponsorship…..
Getting meetings with relevant brands at a time when they are in market is the biggest challenge for any rights holder. Timing is the biggest driver of deal flow. 9/10 rights holders say that they struggle to do regular, systematic outreach. We believe that 98% of outreach they do goes nowhere – the chance of getting into an inbox, being seen, getting opened and getting responded to is slim.
So we’ve developed a new way of tackling both problems in one go…
The caytoo platform, launched in December 2024, monitors the global-to-local news agenda to spot companies who are a good fit with our clients’ rights, engaging in relevant commercial activities which could be the pre-cursor to them investing in marketing dollars. We have combined “traditional” search and new AI technologies in an innovative way into a single platform designed specifically for the sponsorship industry. That includes the complex search strings we have developed to spot stories which exactly match the client’s brief.
Freemans Event Partners
Freemans Event Partners, a leading technology-driven event services provider for venues including Silverstone, Allianz Stadium, and Lord’s, has introduced a UK-first innovation: mobile Guinness self-serve bars developed in partnership with Diageo and Drink Command. This solution integrates advanced self-pour technology, real-time contactless payments via FEP PAY, and a fully mobile setup to redefine bar service at live sporting events.
Each unit features 24 self-serve taps, enabling fans to pour a pint in under 45 seconds while Challenge 25 age-verification points uphold licensing compliance. The bars utilise a high-capacity keg system delivering 99% efficiency, significantly reducing waste and ensuring consistent, quality pours through intelligent pour control and temperature calibration.
Deployed at tech-forward sporting environments like the Guinness Six Nations and Cheltenham Festival, the bars have shown measurable improvements in speed, throughput, and customer satisfaction. Their modular, mobile design supports scalable implementation across both stadia and greenfield sites, eliminating the need for fixed infrastructure and enabling data-rich, low-contact transactions.
This innovation exemplifies the power of targeted technology in sport by improving operational efficiency, reducing environmental impact, and unlocking new revenue opportunities. With strong demand confirmed, Freemans is preparing further deployment across its 650+ annual event days and beyond.
Intelligent Metadata Generation – DFL
The Deutsche Fußball Liga (DFL) leverages Intelligent Metadata Generation (IGM) to revolutionize how video content is enriched, searched, and repurposed across its vast archive and live match footage. As the governing body of the Bundesliga and 2. Bundesliga, the DFL produces thousands of hours of content annually, distributed to over 200 countries. To meet growing fan demand and maintain global reach, IGM automates labor-intensive tasks like goal detection, player tagging, audio transcription, and clip summarization, enabling faster content discovery and smarter recommendations.
Powered by AWS services and custom orchestration, IGM processes various video types, autonomously deciding which AI models to apply, such as face recognition, shot detection, and LLM-based event extraction. The system achieves 85% accuracy in goal detection for archive footage, linking moments to official STS event data. This innovation bridges structured and semantic search, delivering enriched metadata for segment-level and full-clip content, enabling queries like “all goals by Harry Kane” or “fun fan scenes.
IGM’s success is evident in measurable outcomes: increased efficiency for editors, faster search response times, and consistent metadata quality. Internal teams validated its accuracy through test runs and manual QA, confirming its ability to handle diverse video formats. By automating video understanding at scale,
LIV Line – LIV Golf
The LIV Golf LIV Line technology transforms the viewing experience by using advanced algorithms and machine learning to scan greens with unmatched precision. It reads putts based on optimal speed from any camera angle—ground-level, close-up, or wide shot—analyzing slope, speed, and break to predict ball behavior accurately. This multi-angle adaptability allows fans to understand the contours of the green and compare their reads with the players’ strategies. As golf embraces innovation, LIV Line sets a new standard for insight and interactivity in the sport.
Spectatr.ai
Spectatr.ai is an AI-powered sports media technology platform transforming how sports content is created, distributed, and monetised. Designed for federations, leagues, broadcasters, and OTT platforms, it converts raw match footage into dynamic, shareable content in real time—automatically detecting key moments, player actions, and sponsor visibility using advanced computer vision and machine learning.
Our core suite includes real-time highlight generation, AI-driven media asset management, and hyper-personalised fan engagement. With mobile-first delivery, multi-language support, and AI storytelling agents, we enable immersive experiences across any platform—instantly.
Currently live across 10+ sports and trusted by partners like Table Tennis England, Northern Super League, Spectatr.ai has driven a 45% increase in social media engagement through AI-curated highlights. Our footprint spans the UK, USA, Canada, Australia, and South Asia, supported by a diverse team of 50+ experts from top institutions and leading sports-tech firms.
More than just automation, Spectatr.ai empowers content teams to scale storytelling, unlock new revenue streams, and bring fans closer to the action. By setting a new benchmark in AI-for-sports innovation, we’re not just enhancing workflows—we’re shaping the future of global sports media.
Stairmedia and OMM Sport Technology
Stairmedia is revolutionising stadium advertising with its innovative LED technology, transforming previously overlooked stairwells into prime digital media assets. Up until now, hidden in plain sight, the vertical stairways that sit proudly opposite the world’s TV cameras in sport stadiums, have been a relatively untapped source of commercial revenue. With the Stairmedia’s innovative application of LED technology these stairwells are now a source of significant incremental revenue for stadiums across the world.
The effectiveness of Stairmedia’s technology is already evident at The Etihad Stadium, where Nielsen tracking has demonstrated both impressive audience engagement and substantial commercial returns. Sponsors benefit from enhanced brand exposure, while clubs enjoy increased advertising revenue without compromising the fan experience.
Stairmedia are immensely proud of this creative, and technological solution that enables Clubs and Stadiums across the world to both generate revenue, improve brand visibility, and enhance the overall match-day experience for fans.
The Future of Football: Bundesliga in 360° and 10K – DFL
The Deutsche Fußball Liga (DFL) introduces “The Future of Football: Bundesliga in 360° and 10K,” marking a milestone in live sports broadcasting. This innovative project was executed in partnership with Softseed during the 2024 Supercup, featuring the world’s first live football broadcast in 10K resolution combined with 3D mixed reality, delivered through Apple Vision Pro headsets.
Designed to cater to the evolving demands of a tech-savvy audience, this initiative integrated ultra-high-definition visuals with immersive three-dimensional depth and 360-degree views, offering fans an unparalleled virtual in-stadium experience. Advanced HEVC compression technology was employed to manage massive data volumes at 1TB per minute, while keeping latency remarkably low at just 35 seconds.
The initiative’s success was confirmed by the exceptional feedback from over 120 guests at BayArena, who experienced this immersive technology firsthand. Their reactions emphasized the superior clarity, depth, and immersive quality of the broadcast, significantly enhancing the viewer experience.
“Revolutionizing Football” not only redefines sports broadcasting standards but also reinforces DFL’s leadership in sports technology innovation, paving the way for further advancements and global expansion in how viewers engage with live sports.
