The NFL Technology Innovation Hub marks a significant step forward in the league's commitment to integrating cutting-edge technology into the game, its business operations and the fan experience. The Hub is a think tank from which emerging ideas and tech are designed and tested through an entrepreneurial process aligned with the league's strategic goals. The Hub is not just a project or product, but a comprehensive strategic solution that leverages the collective wisdom of talent at the NFL, within its 32 teams and among its market-leading technology partners.
"The strategy and framework for the Hub was critical for sustainability," said Gary Brantley, the NFL's senior vice president and chief information officer. "The vision behind this was to create a cross-functional think tank tied to a framework to monitor and measure technology that truly addresses the league's goals. Integral to this endeavor has been the our strategic work with N-Ovate Solutions, a veteran-owned, woman-owned and minority-owned boutique management consultant company. Their expertise in innovative thought leadership, change and resiliency has been crucial in guiding and shaping this new initiative."
The NFL has led the way in propelling the game forward through the implementation of advanced technology, such as the Microsoft Surface tablets coaches and players use on the sidelines during games, the bespoke private wireless coach-to-coach communication system provided by Verizon and the Next Gen Stats system developed with AWS. Today, the league continues this tradition through the Hub with a focus on applying emerging tech, including generative AI and low-latency augmented reality, to enhance play and the fan experience. The Hub has been at the center of recent tech incubation, such as line-to-gain measurements, which uses optical-tracking technology by Sony Hawkeye.
"[The line-to-gain] initiative was conducted with the support of an internal cross-organization working team and key Football Committees," said Kimberly Fields, SVP football business and innovation strategy at the NFL. "We tested multiple solutions in the background during the 2023 season. A comprehensive approach was taken considering the factors of speed, accuracy and the change implications for players, officials, broadcasters and fans. We wanted to ensure that we considered the long-term and worked with our teammates and partners to design a solution that could expand into new use cases. We must be intentional about how we deploy solutions to ensure they are robust and at the same time portable to travel with the league's international expansion."
One of the aspects of the Hub the league is most excited about is its crowd-sourced development approach. By involving technology partners, startups and innovators in the development process, the NFL fosters a dynamic ecosystem where new ideas can flourish and iteratively improve the system's capacity, function and versatility.
"We are working alongside our technology partners to develop products and solutions that will be impactful, not just to the league but to our partners," said Aaron Amendolia, the NFL's deputy chief information officer. "The experience, depth and ability to scale innovation partners like Accenture bring to the NFL is a powerful multiplier. The Hub offers an opportunity to develop and hone technology in a highly competitive and demanding live environment."
As the Hub moves forward, ideas and opportunities will be submitted into the program to be reviewed by a working group that includes experts in IT, cyber security, digital media, broadcasting, business development, data analytics and player health and safety. The ideas with the highest potential and alignment to the NFL's business objectives will be tested, tuned and turned into an MVP that is presented to the league's executive committee for approval to move into production use. This is an NFL "shark tank" that is set up to lead innovation in sports technology.
"The NFL has long been a leader in innovation and the adoption of new technology," Brantley said. "With this new hub, we are continuing as pioneers in using the latest technological trends and the strategic integration of multiple technologies to enhance the fan experience."
