Minnesota Vikings Partner with Zebra on RFID

Zebra Technologies announced a new partnership with the Minnesota Vikings. Zebra is applying its best-in-class RFID tracking technology to capture player and ball data for each of the Vikings’ practice sessions this season, uncovering insights that inform game plans, evaluate player performance, and contextualize player health and safety.

“We’re always looking for new, innovative tools that prepare our players to be their best on game day,” said Tyler Williams, VP, player health & performance, Minnesota Vikings. “Zebra’s tracking solution provides us with the information we need to make educated decisions about on-field performance, player workloads and return-to-play decisions. I’m confident this technology will have a positive impact on our team this year.”

The Zebra MotionWorks Sport system uses RFID tags – which are embedded inside footballs, applied to shoulder pads and sewn into practice shirts and compression gear – to transmit real-time location system (RTLS) data to receivers positioned around stadiums and practice facilities. As a result, the Vikings now receive live outputs during practice to track player progress and workloads in real time.

Zebra’s tracking technology captures metrics such as player speed, including acceleration and deceleration; distance traveled per play and aggregate; ball orientation; player proximity to the ball; and formations among other data points. This information is utilized by the Vikings to calculate and analyze vast amounts of information about every player for every repetition in practice throughout the season.

“We are excited to expand our roster of team clients with such an impressive organization like the Minnesota Vikings,” said Joe White, chief product & solutions officer, Zebra Technologies. “Zebra’s tracking solution will allow the team to analyze practice data in a whole new way. We look forward to seeing this technology translate into on-field success in the upcoming season.”

Zebra is currently in its 10th year as the Official Real Time Location Solutions Provider for the NFL, fueling the league’s Next Gen Stats platform which allows fans, media and teams to understand the game in a whole new way. The company tracks every NFL game – both domestically and internationally – along with the NFL Combine and International Combine.