Labosport is a proud member of the The European Alliance for Sports Engineering Education (A4SEE), a consortium of Universities and Industry partners that strive to improve the education of both student and professional sport engineers and to improve cooperation between industry and academia.

Labosport is dedicated to the A4SEE mission through active participation as well as hosting Innovation Marketplace events at its locations in France and the United Kingdom. Labosport provides students the opportunity to learn about the industry’s business and technical needs for future surface characterization.

To learn more about A4SEE, please visit its website: https://a4see.com/

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• FIFA Research Institutes increase their continued support for the Football Technology & Innovation subdivision
• Projects spanning across the FIFA Research, Quality and Innovation Programmes as well the Football Technology team
• Applications to become a FIFA Research Institute will be received every two years with each institute required to meet a defined eligibility criteria and agreed provision to the publication of work in scientific journals

At the recent FIFA Quality Programme Conference and Research Symposium, Labosport, Sports Labs and Victoria University were announced as the first FIFA Research Institutes for Football Technology Innovation. This marks the long-term formalisation of FIFA’s collaboration with these three thought-leading research institutes, seeking to further increase the application of science in football.

Research is central to all the key activities within the FIFA’s Football Technology & Innovation sub-division, playing a vital role in exploring, validating and implementing a variety of products, surfaces, technologies and innovations. Through joint projects, particularly in the last decade, FIFA has built relationships with these institutions and their contribution to football technology is apparent through a number of global standards and scientific publications.

There are many challenges which face the industry and require FIFA’s input, from the democratisation of technology, to new legislation, sustainability and much more.

The expertise of the FIFA Research Institutes will be harnessed in three key areas:

• An agreed amount of technical and human resources made available for the duration of the term, to be allocated to relevant research areas within the FIFA Football Technology & Innovation subdivision.
• Benefitting the wider sports research community by committing to publish their findings in peer-reviewed journals.
• Providing empirical evidence to guide the discussions within the FIFA Quality Programme’s Technical Advisory Groups (TAG), which develops the testing standards and requirements for each product category.The three FIFA Research Institutes are known to many but are introduced below:

Labosport have worked closely with FIFA since the inception of the Quality Programme for Football Turf in 2001. Throughout this time, Labosport have tested products and field installations around the world, and their research and innovation has helped to bring new test methods and standards to the FIFA Quality Programme.

In addition to playing surfaces, Labosport are also involved in other FIFA Quality Programmes such as Goal-line Technology, Futsal Surfaces and the FIFA Quality Programme for Football Goals. Labosport’s core contribution as a FIFA Research Institute will be to accelerate numerous projects to better understand playing surfaces (both natural and synthetic), and to translate this knowledge into new test methods and standards.

Sports Labs’ collaboration with FIFA started in 2005 with a relationship that utilised their expertise in testing surfaces and a variety of different sporting equipment. Since then, as a FIFA Accredited Test Institute in 7 different quality programmes that include everything from playing surfaces to wearable technologies, Sports Labs has become a core contributor to the Research and Standards team.

Whilst one of their key strengths is in understanding the interaction between the player and the surface, their diverse experience across the majority of the FIFA Quality Programmes puts them in a strong position to develop new test methods across the board. Examples range from adapting existing test methods for new offside technologies to developing new measurement techniques for the quality of footballs.

Victoria University (VU) first worked with FIFA in 2016 carrying out fundamental research to establish the feasibility of a standard to assess the accuracy of Electronic Performance Tracking Systems (EPTS). This early research led FIFA to develop and refine a test protocol, which has now assessed over 40 different tracking systems.

VU, a FIFA Accredited Test Institute for EPTS, has recently expanded its EPTS testing to include tracking provided from broadcast video (FIFA Basic), and skeletal tracking used for applications such as semi-automated offside technology.

VU and FIFA will continue to collaborate to generate further knowledge on how technologies can be assessed beyond measuring accuracy and how they can be best understood to help improve the game.

In order to become a FIFA Research Institute a series of eligibility criteria must be met.

• 5 years collaboration with the Football Technology & Innovation subdivision
• Allocation of set amount of research resources to agreed FIFA research projects
• Minimum of 5 scientific publications pre-application with dedicated resources to publication through their term as a FIFA Research Institute
• Demonstrable interdisciplinary research skillsThe application period for new FIFA Research Institutes will be open every two years with the next application period taking place from May – August 2024. This initiative offers a great opportunity to maximise the research resources available to FIFA whilst contributing to real world challenges in collaboration with the industry and academia.

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New Cloud-Based Track Management

Both systems use a common database architecture, live data visualisation and hardware, but each system has a bespoke track testing protocol and reporting system.

The platform features national and individual track views to allow various stakeholders to see the track information without contacting the respective track manager. Each site is hosted on a secure website with individual login credentials.

The mytrackmanager version provides the national track manager oversight of 32 racetracks with the ability to go into each racecourse and see detailed results for the current race meeting and trend data over time, whilst the mygreyhoundtrack version features six regional tracks.

A feature of the platform is attaining live data entry from the track; it is achieved by incorporating a 4G LTE tablet. The hardware is a commercial of the shelf (COTS) 8.7” 4G LTE tablet with a shockproof water-resistant casing designed for a variety of working conditions track managers often encounter.

Track managers upload track readings into the portal using the built-in 4G connectivity, reducing potential errors in data handling over the paper-based systems used previously. The system calculates the various track ratings, removing the need for track managers to complete mathematical calculations.

The track management portals also have a communication feature which allows for shared document libraries, calendars or other critical stakeholder information. Settings allow for the document to be view-only or available for download, which is great for templates.

This communication feature also allows for connection to a client’s cloud storage and enables the user to share files and images with an individual track or across the entire group and vice versa. This feature will rapidly evolve as track managers make use of the power of cloud computing.

To enhance this feature, NZSTI has deployed a series of templates for operations management, budgets, health and safety and track managers can utilise these through the portal.

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Labosport’s Rotational Traction Athlete (RTA) Sensor, paired with our Lightweight Rotational Resistance (LWRR) device, is designed to deliver reliable, field-ready data for artificial turf evaluation. Whether you manage sports surfaces or conduct certification tests, our system offers the accuracy and efficiency you need, fully aligned with international performance standards.

What Is the RTA Sensor?

The RTA Sensor is a compact, highly accurate tool developed to measure rotational resistance on synthetic turf. It supports all major FIFA test protocols, including:

• Peak Torque Measurement (FIFA Test Method 2024-06)
• Rotational Shear Stiffness (FIFA Test Method 2024-07)
• Lightweight Rotational Resistance (FIFA Test Method 06a – also endorsed by World Rugby)
• Low-angle grip (Torque at 10°)

This makes it one of the few devices on the market capable of fulfilling multiple test methods with a single setup. Discover the LWRR device here.

Key Benefits of the Labosport Rotational Traction Athlete (RTA) Sensor

Compliance with the Highest Standards

Labosport’s RTA Sensor fully complies with the latest FIFA Quality Programme for Football Turf (2024 edition) and the 2015 standards. It meets precise requirements for torque range, angular resolution, and signal sampling ensuring valid, repeatable test results in both lab and field settings.

User-Friendly interface and Efficient

Thanks to its intuitive interface and optional app integration, the sensor is easy to use by technicians in varied conditions. It is lightweight, mobile, and fast to deploy, with data stored and displayed in real time for immediate review.

Insightful Data on Player-Surface Interaction

The sensor captures critical values related to low-angle grip and rotational dynamics. For example, measuring torque at 10° rotation reveals how traction at shallow angles may influence athlete perception and performance. This aligns test outputs with real-world player experience.

Trusted by Professionals Worldwide

Labosport’s equipment is used by leading laboratories and field testing professionals around the world. As a pioneer in sports surface science, we ensure every product we release meets the highest technical and practical standards.

Ready to Upgrade Your Testing Equipment?

Equip your lab or sports testing operation with a robust, certified RTA system built for precision and performance.

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