Sports technology aims to improve athletes’ competitive performance and can be used in a variety of ways to improve individual performance and the sport as a whole.
Whether it’s providing athletes with improved equipment or using technology to change game management, the world of sports technology holds great potential and has the potential to transform the way humans perform and compete.
The UK in particular is seeing a rapid growth in the sports tech industry, with total market revenue predicted to reach $98.98 million by 2027, according to Statista.
The UK sports tech market is thriving, driven in part by the success of technological innovation across the country and continued participation and success in sport. This includes a wide range of sports, including football, rugby, tennis, cycling and Formula 1.
Naturally, the nation’s strong interest in sports further fuels the desire to innovate sports-related technologies to help athletes and teams be as successful as possible.
Let’s talk about the top 10 sports tech startups in the UK.
Top 10 UK sports tech startups
Here are the top 10 UK sports tech startups to watch.
1. Block
BLOK originally started as a London-based boxing and yoga space but has since evolved into a hybrid studio and digital fitness platform.
Though the company was founded in 2016, it wasn’t until the pandemic hit in 2020 that BLOK founders Ed and Reema Stanbury decided to branch out into the virtual fitness space. Their aim was to offer people a personalized, multidisciplinary approach to fitness that was accessible and sustainable.
The company began producing fitness videos through BLOKtv in May 2020 and saw 35% month-on-month growth in its first year. Since then, BLOK has partnered with numerous celebrities and brands, including Beats By Dre.
2. Coach Logic
Founded in 2012 by rugby teammates Andy Muir and Mark Cairn, Coach Logic provides advanced video analysis to players and coaches.
The platform allows anyone to create and edit footage that can then be shared and viewed by everyone through the Coach Logic app.
Developed by athletes for other athletes, the startup facilitates increased virtual engagement between athletes and coaches by allowing unlimited members to watch footage, analyze highlighted issues, and discuss improvements.
3. Energy
Energym was founded by Will Flint in 2017 with the goal of converting human-generated electricity into usable energy.
Energym makes high-tech sports equipment that converts human power into low-carbon electricity that can be used and stored for the future. This includes specially designed exercise bikes that can be used to generate power while burning calories, helping to save on your electricity bill.
Boasting products and packaging suitable for both home and office use, Energym aims to change the future of gyms, what gym equipment can do and sustainable energy generation.
4. Find players
Find a Player is an app that aims to connect communities and athletes to encourage and strengthen team sports.
The idea behind the startup is that for people who want to take part in team-based sports, be it soccer or padel, it can be hard to find people with a common interest, especially if you’re limited to your own group of friends and family.
Founded in 2013, Find a Player allows people to use the app to advertise who or what they’re looking for, where they live and other relevant information, and find teammates to join them in games, with the aim to make organising and playing sports as easy as browsing classified ads, online dating or ordering takeaway.
5. Incisive
Incisiv uses virtual reality technology to offer athletes new ways to train and improve their skills from the comfort of their own home. Founded in 2018, the idea behind the startup is to improve player performance through gameplay.
These advanced VR tools not only simulate gameplay but also have the ability to track and analyze performance, allowing players to improve their abilities. Incisiv’s vision is to make VR technology and hardware accessible to both amateurs and professionals.
6. In Range
Designed with both professional and amateur golfers in mind, Inrange is a UK-based sports technology start-up founded in 2017.
Inrange uses advanced radar technology to track the movement of the golf ball and enable analysis of player performance. In addition to analytical technology, Inrange also adds a social aspect to its technology to provide players with an immersive gaming experience.
7. Performance sports
Performa Sports provides athletes and coaches with real-time performance analysis and coaching. The technology is suitable for coaching a wide range of sports, including field hockey, rugby, basketball, netball, tennis and lacrosse.
Founded in 2010, the sports technology startup allows coaches to track the key performance indicators (KPIs) they want to prioritize within a particular match and derive analytics accordingly.
Video analysis and more can be shared with players online, enhancing coaching power and allowing players to evaluate their own performance in their own time.
8. Pitchbooking
Founded in 2018 and based in Belfast, Pitchbooking is an online booking system designed specifically for scheduling sports training sessions, matches and other events.
Their software is ideal for sports clubs, schools, universities and sporting organisations, allowing them to not only book training spaces and sessions, but also make payments quickly and easily. Pitchbooking also provides analytics based on your activity, and simplifies the scheduling and management of teammates (or opponents).
9. Rezil
Founded in 2020, Rezzil is a high-tech virtual reality soccer training startup. The platform combines advanced software with VR hardware to conduct drills to improve soccer players’ cognitive skills and gameplay tactics.
The drills are designed by highly qualified coaches and athletes to improve players’ fitness, skill and vision and can be used in conjunction with a variety of consoles including PlayStation VR2, PC and Meta Quest.
10. Train As One
TrainAsONE was founded in 2014 by Sean Radford, a rugby player turned runner who was looking for a better and more efficient way to train and decided to create his own platform.
The idea behind TrainAsONE is to use AI technology to provide users with a personalized running training program that takes into account their abilities, fitness, preferences, goals, and more.
A key feature that sets the startup apart from its competitors is that it offers flexible training plans that strike a balance between helping users sustainably reach their running goals while keeping the risk of injury as low as possible.
What does the future hold for UK sports tech startups?
The number of sports tech start-ups in the UK is steadily growing, enabling athletes, coaches and innovators to identify and create smart solutions to address problems and challenges within specific sports.
From VR training programs to sports scheduling apps, in the context of the UK’s large and growing sports industry, the number and success of UK sports tech startups will undoubtedly continue to increase over time.
