Weekly Times | BUSH footy is going hi-tech as country clubs take advantage of the technology used by professionals.
As AFL players get a game day break down on everything from their heart rate to running pace, a junior football club in Shepparton is among the associations now looking to tap into similar technology to improve their game.
Jye Chalcraft, 13, and his brother Kayde, 12, use a game-tracking device that pins down the performance.
Father Daryl Chalcraft, who is also coach of the Shepperton United Blues Under 14s, said the GPS devices were giving kids an edge.
“As a coach it’s a great tool to know how far you have pushed the players but those using it can see the results for themselves and then make their own benchmarks,” Mr Chalcraft said.
Developed by Sport Performance Tracking, GameTraka was designed with amateur athletes in mind.
The device straps onto the back of a player and can monitor not just the total distance covered during a game, but track the percentage of time in speed zones and allow players to compare their performance.
Mr Chalcraft said it could also be a useful tool to reduce white line fever from frustrated parents when they could see the results for themselves instead of pushing juniors when they were already performing to their best.
“It’s not about pushing your players,” Mr Chalcraft said. “But rather seeing the results and working on how to have the same impact in each game using less energy.”