Women’s Origin Becomes First Australian Sport To Broadcast Women’s GPS Data

Last week’s Holden Women’s State of Origin between Queensland and New South Whales marked the first time across women’s sports in Australia that GPS-based statistics had been live broadcast to fans watching at home.

Catapult Sports, the National Rugby League, and Australia’s Channel Nine have been providing live GPS data for the Men’s State of Origin series since 2017, but it is the first time fans were able to see Blues halfback Maddie Studdon top the table of distance over the game, covering 3,032 meters and her teammate Jessica Sergis hit the top speed in the contest, recording 29.4 km per hour.

“Our mantra refers to the same game,” NRL general manager of the Women’s Elite Program, Tiffany Slater, said in a statement about the collaboration with Catapult.

“It’s fantastic to have high-tech devices available for our elite female athletes and coaches, providing real-time performance, data and results to coaches and fans alike.”

Catapult’s head of Australia and New Zealand partnerships, Nicole Pensko, said: “The partnership with the Women’s State of Origin series shows a turning point in the integration of sports science and fan engagement for the women’s game.”

“Through providing live player performance data, we can contribute to the well-deserved exposure the women’s teams are receiving, and we were pleased to be able to play a significant part in this innovation.”