FieldTurf SmartTeam Project Aims to Unlock Secrets Behind Athlete Performance & Safety
FieldTurf and a consortium of renowned education institutions and technology partners launch the SmartTeam Project and embark on an innovation journey to analyze millions of data points captured through athlete monitoring & advanced biometrics.
At FieldTurf, the athlete has always come first. It’s what inspired our very creation. Our founders were consumed with creating a better surfacing solution for athletes. 25 years and 25,000 installations later, that obsession for innovation is still very much alive across our entire team.
Athletes are faster, bigger, and stronger than those of generations past. That evolution and perpetual demand for progress have extended beyond the athlete to encompass everything from the equipment they use to notable advancements in nutrition, training, equipment, coaching, surfaces, analytics monitoring, and more.
With the thousands of potential solutions offered to athletes, the question that FieldTurf now seeks to answer is:
“what’s the perfect combination for ultimate performance & safety?”
Introducing the FieldTurf SmartTeam Project, an innovation project to connect the athlete & the surface with leading technology to gain a deeper understanding of performance and safety to achieve breakthroughs that Change The Game.
“Pushing the boundaries of innovation in athlete safety has always been in our DNA and the SmartTeam Project continues our transformation journey. SmartTeam is our bold commitment to accelerate our development and continue to be the trusted resource and industry leader.” said Jason Smollett, Director of Innovation & Product Management, FieldTurf.
The FieldTurf Innovation & Performance Center (FIPC) has sourced the latest and most advanced technology in athlete monitoring, analytics, and sports surfacing to connect its partner school, Milton High School, in Georgia.
Over the next (3) years, with the help of advanced biometrics and real-time analytics, the SmartTeam Project will collect millions of data points obtained through athlete monitoring wearables, video analytics, and surface testing. The project’s mission is to translate the findings into tangible learnings that could result in meaningful change for athletes.
The technology will record in-depth athlete biometrics (heart rate, speed, distance, player load), head impacts in real-time and monitor recovery, strain, and sleep. The SmartTeam Project will leverage an advanced video analysis tool and connect to the world’s only smart field technology to monitor field activity and maintenance. This technology will enable the recording of live events and overlay them with precise field surface conditions obtained through a battery of industry testing.
“It's incredible to be a part of this project that’s attempting something that’s never been done,” said Ben Reaves, Jr, Head Coach, Milton High School. “It’s crucial for any team, in business or sport, to have a culture of constant improvement and growth. Like FieldTurf, our program’s number one priority is keeping our athletes safe and unlocking their maximum potential. We’re excited to continue to empower our athletes and push the boundaries with the FieldTurf SmartTeam Project.
The project will be led by Program Manager Thayne A. Munce, PhD, FACSM - Assistant Scientist & Manager in the Environmental Influences on Health & Disease Group and Director of the Athletic Health and Performance Lab at Sanford Research (Sanford Health, Sioux Falls, SD). Dr. Munce is also an Associate Professor in the Department of Pediatrics at the University of South Dakota Sanford School of Medicine and has a Graduate Faculty appointment in the Division of Kinesiology and Sport Management at the University of South Dakota. He is a Fellow of the American College of Sports Medicine (ACSM) and serves on several sports medicine leadership boards, including the Sports Medicine Advisory Committee for the South Dakota High School Activities Association, the Leadership Board of the National Youth Sports Health and Safety Institute (NYSHSI), and the Medical Advisory Panel for USA Football.
“When I heard of SmartTeam, I immediately wanted to be a part of the project team.” Said Thayne A. Munce, PhD, FACSM, “The methodology and technology utilized is genuinely innovative. It’s an honor to be involved, and I’m confident that together with the FieldTurf Innovation & Performance Center, we’ll deliver breakthrough results.”
About FieldTurf
FieldTurf is a world leader in artificial turf, with over 25,000 installations. Trusted at every level, FieldTurf is at the surface of professional franchises, renowned collegiate institutions, and elite school & municipal programs. With an unwavering dedication to player safety, innovation, quality, and sustainability, FieldTurf has been a leading choice for artificial turf over the past 25 years.
About Tarkett Sports
Tarkett Sports, a world leader in athletic surfacing and construction, offering a comprehensive portfolio of sports flooring solutions through its brands: FieldTurf, FieldTurf Landscape, Beynon Sports, Renner Sports, GrassMaster, Tarkett Sports Indoor and Tarkett Sports Construction. With a wide range of products including artificial, hybrid and residential turf, running tracks, tennis courts and indoor athletic surfaces, the Tarkett Sports family offers the ultimate surface experience.