Market Analysis¶
Why no existing product fits, and what the commercial landscape looks like. This is the research that led to the build-it-yourself decision (ADR-0001).
Can you read an existing tracker from a phone app?¶
Two very different problems:
| Capability | Feasibility |
|---|---|
| Detect that a device is present (BLE advertising: MAC/UUID, RSSI/proximity) | Easy — any phone can scan BLE (Android BluetoothLeScanner, iOS CoreBluetooth). |
| Read and use the tracker's performance data | Hard / usually impossible from outside — closed proprietary BLE (undocumented GATT), pairing encryption, and most devices store-and-sync to the vendor cloud rather than streaming live. |
Reading a commercial tracker's data realistically requires one of: (a) a public API/SDK from the maker (rare on consumer gear, more common on pro), (b) exporting from their app/cloud and building on the export, or (c) reverse-engineering the BLE protocol (hard, often blocked by encryption, and may breach their terms).
Who offers a public API/SDK?¶
Only a few pro brands — and crucially these are cloud APIs, not BLE/device SDKs. You pull data from their cloud after a session syncs; you do not talk to the device over Bluetooth.
| Brand | API | Nature | Catch |
|---|---|---|---|
| Catapult | OpenField Cloud + Connect API; official catapultR R package (SBGSports/catapultr) |
Cloud REST, token auth | Must be a Catapult customer with credentials enabled via customer success |
| STATSports | Cloud integration (Apex/Sonra), Team Id / Custom Player Id | Cloud, for teams/customers | Not an open dev SDK |
| WIMU (RealTrack, via Hudl) | Raw data API access, FIFA-certified | Cloud / pro | Pro system, expensive |
What does not exist: a consumer football tracker that gives you an open BLE SDK to talk to the device directly. Almost everything is: team customer → token → REST/cloud API.
Device pricing (per player)¶
The market splits sharply into one-off purchase vs per-player annual subscription — and the subscription model is what hurts a 10–20 child squad.
One-off (best for a youth team)¶
- Footbar Meteor — ~€100, no subscription. App free (optional €4.99/mo premium). Not true GPS — a calf-worn accelerometer measuring passes, shots, distance, sprint speed. Available via Decathlon (regionally obtainable).
- STATSports Apex Athlete Series — true GPS vest, FIFA-approved, ~€250 one-off. Free Academy app (iOS/Android), lifetime access, no monthly fees.
Per-player subscription (more expensive over time)¶
- Catapult One (Team) — $180/player/year, 2-year commitment, minimum 10 players.
- PlayerMaker / CITYPLAY — boot-mounted, technique focus (touches, passes); ~$180–200 + mandatory membership ~£150/year.
- Pro systems (WIMU, Catapult Vector) — hundreds to €1000+/unit plus software. Overkill for youth.
Total cost of ownership — 10 players, by season (EUR, rounded)¶
| Device | Upfront | End S1 | End S2 | End S3 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Footbar Meteor | €1,000 | €1,000 | €1,000 | €1,000 |
| STATSports Athlete | €2,500 | €2,500 | €2,500 | €2,500 |
| Catapult One Team | — | €1,650 | €3,300 | €4,950 |
| PlayerMaker | — | €3,500 | €5,250 | €7,000 |
(Footbar ~€100/player and STATSports ~€250/player are one-off; Catapult ~€165/player/yr; PlayerMaker ~€175 device + ~€175/yr membership.)
Reading: Footbar is cheapest (€1,000 flat, forever) but is accelerometer-only — no full GPS load profile. STATSports Athlete is the sweet spot for real GPS with no recurring cost. Catapult looks cheaper in year 1 but crosses STATSports during season 2 and keeps climbing. PlayerMaker is most expensive long-term due to membership.
Prices are international retail; for Serbia add VAT/customs/shipping and FX, so real cost is somewhat higher.
The gap this project fills¶
Two structural facts drive the whole project:
- Cheap + open API don't coexist. The youth-affordable devices (Footbar, STATSports Athlete) are exactly the closed ones; the ones with APIs (Catapult, WIMU) are the expensive subscription/pro systems.
- Real-time + "all mine" means building it. Every real-time commercial system is closed.
→ A custom WiFi wearable + owned backend is the only way to get live data + full ownership at a youth-team price. See system-architecture.md.