Introduction

OK, let’s face it. Supply chain applications are one thing, but whenever I speak on RFID (Radio Frequency Identification), the one subject that consistently draws the most attention is golf balls. In my talks on RFID technology, I always include a slide or two detailing how Radar Golf, a small start-up in Roseville, California, has developed a system to RFID-enable golf balls, so that by using its handheld Ball Positioning System (BPS) you can find your chip-embedded ball in the brush, in the creek, in the tree, or wherever else it may land. While creating new efficiencies in distribution and new opportunities in retail may mean billions of dollars, the prospect of not losing golf balls anymore is what really excites people about RFID. Sports are typically one of the areas where people can readily see applications for RFID technology.

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The wide world of sports is no doubt one of the sexiest applications for RFID on the horizon, and innovative companies across the globe are rushing into sports applications for the technology. We are seeing that, as with the golf ball example, the games themselves can be enhanced through the use of RFID technology. We are also seeing that RFID can be used to secure ticketing and enhance the in-stadium spectator experience. RFID can also create new metrics – and new gambling opportunities – in the sports world.

Goodbye to Bad Offside Decisions

We are seeing exciting, in-event applications of RFID technology in sports ranging from football (both the American oblong ball variety and that played in the rest of the world) to road racing in all its forms. Indeed, the most noteworthy in-game example to date comes in the world’s most popular sport – soccer. The Erlangen, Germany-based Fraunhofer Institute for Integrated Circuits has developed an RFID-based system to give complete visibility to the soccer field. Both the ball and a shin-guard on each of the 22 players are outfitted with RFID-chips, and readers positioned to scan the entire field can read the position of both the players and the “Smartball” up to two thousand times each second. The Fraunhofer system will not only allow for referees to consult the data to potentially aid in correctly calling disputed goals and troublesome offside decisions, but for soccer clubs and their fans to access performance metrics on their teams and individual players. The system, which is being tested by Adidas and by soccer’s world governing body, FIFA, is likely to be approved soon for tournament use.