Sports Data Campus, KINEXON, and Sevilla FC Team Up to Improve Football Analytics
Author: Dr. Guilherme de Sousa Pinheiro
Sports technology is redefining many of the games we all love, including football. Analytics software is being studied and is ushering in a new era of sports. Thanks, in large part, to the Sports Data Campus, Sevilla FC, and ball tracking technology.
Sports are supposed to be fun, but at KINEXON, we take sports analytics seriously. We always want to make sure that we’re providing the fastest, most reliable data to the organizations we’re working with. But we can’t do this alone.
We often partner with teams who will test innovations for us. This was the case with our ball tracking technology. We not only wanted to test it, but we wanted to ensure that the information it provides is moving the game of football forward.
It took a 3‑legged collaboration to get it done, but the results are inspiring.
The Challenge – Improve Football Analytics
KINEXON is a FIFA Preferred Provider Live Player and Ball Tracking and is one of the world’s leading technology providers of live tracking and data analysis in professional sports. This makes us the ideal partner for any project like this one. But we had to find others willing to work with us.
The Sports Data Campus is an advanced football analytics learning center backed by the UCAM. It’s a learning facility that offers programs designed to educate and shape talents in advanced analytics in football, big data and sports technologies It’s on a mission to drive innovation, boost our understanding of data processing in football, and shape the future of the sports data industry.
We thought that that we could use their help on this project, seeing that these students and educators are as passionate about football analytics as we are. We (KINEXON) felt that collaborating with Sports Data Campus on this project would bolster innovation and deepen the understanding of football data processing. But we needed to find a team that would share our joint passion for advancing football analytics.
The Solution - Teamwork with KINEXON and Sevilla FC
To achieve our goal, the Sports Data Campus and KINEXON joined forces with Sevilla FC, one of Europe’s esteemed football clubs. Sevilla FC opened its doors to us, allowing us to install our advanced Local Positioning System at the club’s facilities to keep track of where players and the ball are in real-time. We implemented player and ball tracking during training sessions and matches.
KINEXON is the only company that’s added sensor technology directly into official footballs. This new advancement lets us track the ball’s location and movement in real-time, with incredible accuracy — right down to the centimeter. We use a Local Positioning System with UWB technology, which tracks both the players and the ball as they move. The information that is collected provides coaches and analysts with detailed data about gameplay and tactics.
This high-tech tool generates an enormous amount of rich, high-quality data.
The Winning Goal - Advancements in Football Analytics
Six master theses were born out of this partnership, that dove deep into the nitty-gritty of football analytics. These theses explored critical aspects of football analytics, including:
- The impact of ball possession
- Tactical spatial strategies
- Playing positions
- Acceleration and deceleration patterns in elite youth football
But it didn’t stop there. The students also investigated metrics like:
- Dribble occurrences
- Pass quality as a performance indicator
- Player profiling using ball tracking data
- Physical and technical demands profile between matches and training sessions,
- Evaluating a team’s defensive behavior through tracking and event data
What’s more, the data we collected helped Sevilla FC’s coaches understand player performance like never before. It’s like having an X‑ray vision into each player’s strengths and areas to work on. This data-driven approach not only improved on-field performances but also contributed massively to football analytics as a whole.
The Results Inspire New Technology
The master theses produced by the students brought new perspectives and breakthroughs to the field of ball tracking, fostering scientific innovation and pushing the boundaries of knowledge in sports data analytics.
And the collaborative work of the Sports Data Campus, KINEXON, and Sevilla FC significantly contributed to advancements in football analytics and sports data science. It pushed the boundaries of knowledge and spurred further research and exploration in the sports industry.
But the climax of this partnership was the unveiling of the “Connected Ball Technology” at the Sport Data Forum in March 2023. This innovation, a product of collaboration between KINEXON, adidas, and FIFA, promises to revolutionize everything from player performance to training methods, refereeing, and even the fan experience.
Players and coaches can use sensors in the ball to check their performance and make quick decisions during a game. These sensors can measure things like how fast the ball is going, how it spins, and where it’s headed. This helps them see how different ways of kicking can change how the ball moves.
By using Ultra Wide Band and Inertial Measurement tech, connected ball technology gives match officials real-time data— from the ball. This helps them make better decisions during the game. They can see details about every time the ball is touched. It even helps quickly and accurately figure out things like offsides.
And with tracking sensors in match balls for the very first time, now, teams, TV broadcasters, and social media groups can get lots of data from the ball. This includes shot speeds, how closely players control it, and even the speed and accuracy of dribbles and passes.
Sports Data Campus Students Also Benefit
Students at Sports Data Campus also benefited from the venture. They got to use cutting-edge sports technology and analyze real-world sports data from pro football teams.
It’s like a backstage pass into the world of professional football and football analytics, which prepares them to be top-notch professionals in the industry.
The Hat-Trick - Education, Technology, and Sports
The joint venture between Sports Data Campus, KINEXON, and Sevilla FC is a masterstroke in football analytics. It allowed students to get practical experience with top-tier tech, while Sevilla FC capitalized on data insights to enhance performance.
This combination of education, technology, and sports is setting the stage for a future where data and analytics become the cornerstone of decision-making in football. The successful partnership between the Sports Data Campus, KINEXON, and Sevilla FC exemplifies the power of collaboration in driving advancements in football analytics.
KINEXON Player and Ball Tracking Options
As I mentioned before, KINEXON is a FIFA Preferred Provider Live Player and Ball Tracking. Our company is one of the world’s leading technology providers of live tracking and sports analytics.
Our latest technology is the GPS-based player tracking system “KINEXON PERFORM GPS Pro.” Released in 2023, it’s the best in its class. It gathers three times more real-time data than other similar systems. For the first time, it offers live access to all important performance data. Plus, it syncs live with the Amazon AWS Cloud, allowing for quicker and more adaptable data analysis.
We are also developing women-specific requirements. This approach is already being used to develop menstrual cycle-syncing workouts for women athletes.
And whether it’s the “iBall” by Derbystar/SELECT or balls from other makers, KINEXON’s ball tracking can be integrated into any football or handball.
We have plenty of information available if you’d like to learn more about our GPS, LPS, and IMU player tracking devices, that have been scientifically proven to deliver results.
And if you’re interested in ball tracking, you can also watch our recorded demonstration on how ball tracking works, watch our webinar on ball tracking tactics, or download the ball tracking brochure at the bottom of this page.
More stories
How Basketball Performance Data Connects the Court and Weight Room
What happens on the court shapes what athletes need in the weight room. Purdue’s Jason Kabo shares how he cross-references KINEXON performance data with sprint testing and other measures to adjust training, manage individual workloads, and guide daily decisions.
From Jump Count to a More Complete View of Volleyball Load
Jump count is one of the most familiar metrics in volleyball, but it only captures part of an athlete’s physical performance. Looking at movement intensity, like acceleration or changes of direction, and position-specific demands can provide the context needed for a more complete view of the overall load.
Limited Camps, High Demands: Preparing for International Handball Tournaments
The Women’s EHF EURO and Men’s World Championship present a similar challenge for performance staff: preparing players for an intense tournament with limited time together. How can national teams use the camps leading into competition to better understand and manage individual load?
How Drill Intensity Shapes Weekly Basketball Load Targets
Basketball coaches need more than a list of practice drills. Historical performance data and drill intensity help coaches refine practice plans, manage individual workloads and adjust the next session based on what athletes actually completed.
Sustainability: Can the Athlete Maintain Intensity Throughout the Duration of the Game?
Matching game workloads are only part of athlete preparation. Can players sustain high-intensity efforts when fatigue builds? Read more from Dayannara Munoz, KINEXON Sports Customer Success Manager, about how performance data helps coaches assess changes in output, compare practice with competition, and prepare athletes to meet the demands of the entire game.
How Individualized Football Performance Data Improves Load Management
Football performance data helps coaches move beyond team averages to individualize load management. By combining GPS metrics with each athlete’s role, historical data, and readiness, coaches can identify the right exposure, reduce excessive stress, guide recovery, and better prepare every player for game day.
Beyond the National Team Window: How the DHB Connects Performance Data
National teams spend only a fraction of the season with their athletes. See how the German Handball Federation connects club and national-team data to maintain performance context across the season and support individual decisions when players move between environments.
One Athlete, Two Jerseys: Connecting Athlete Monitoring Between Club and Country
When athletes move between club and country, their performance history moves with them. The 2026 FIBA Women’s Basketball World Cup highlights why monitoring continuity matters when athletes arrive with different workloads, competition exposure and preparation behind them.
The Role of Connected Ball Technology in Modern Officiating
From ghost goals to offsides, officiating technology has steadily raised fairness in football. But the one element at the center of every decision, the ball, has until now been silent. Connected Ball Technology (CBT) changes that, giving football’s most iconic object its own voice.
COMPETE Vision on a New Level: Refined for Faster Insights
The latest COMPETE Vision update streamlines the entire performance analysis workflow, from camera setup to automated reporting. Faster uploads, improved player identification, automated court calibration, and smarter player assignment help coaches spend less time managing technology and more time turning objective data into coaching decisions.
How KINEXON Game Insights Gives Basketball Coaches the Tactical Advantage
Basketball coaches already use in-game tracking data to evaluate their athlete’s physical exposure. As more teams adopt performance tracking methodologies, that same underlying data source can extend beyond physical optimization and be utilized to compare rosters, assess opponents, and understand the demands behind each matchup.
From Data to Decisions: Six Key Takeaways from Elite Handball Performance Practitioners
Elite handball is one of the most physically demanding team sports in the world. Within sixty minutes, players sprint, decelerate, jump, throw, change direction, absorb contact, and repeat those actions under fatigue, all while making split-second tactical decisions.
From Potential to Performance: How AI, Ball & Player Tracking Are Transforming Talent Identification in Youth Football
How can AI, player and ball tracking, and expert scouting work together to identify football talent? Discover how Skillers Academy, SAP, and KINEXON Sports combine connected technologies and human expertise to create a more objective and accessible approach to youth talent identification.
How Xavier Women’s Basketball Optimizes Daily Load Targets for Low- and High-Minute Players
Optimizing daily workloads goes beyond keeping players fresh. For Xavier’s Gil Weinstein, Head Strength and Conditioning Coach, daily (and weekly) performance reports helped connect practice loads to game demands, guide workload adjustments, and support 99% player availability throughout the 2025 – 26 season.
Inside Columbia Women’s Basketball’s Approach to In-Season Load Management
Managing in-season workloads takes more than tracking minutes. Performance data helps basketball coaches individualize weekly targets, adjust practice plans, and keep high-minute players, role players, and scout team athletes prepared to perform.