ARLINGTON, Texas — The UFL has formalized its technology innovation through the creation of FAST (Football Advancement through Sports Technology), a program to test, develop and iterate products for the benefit of its own league and also the broader sport of football.
Born from the merger of the USFL and XFL in 2024, the UFL already has introduced a series of new tools — drone and helmets cams, TrU Line first down measurement, expanded player-coach communications and sideline video — and now will seek to make further progress with FAST. Media partners Fox Sports and ESPN are key collaborators, as is Apple, which provided iPads to players and coaches and Apple Watches to the officials.
“We realized the UFL had become a tech accelerator, so we set out over the offseason to put some rigor around that and build a program all centered on our new headquarters,” said UFL SVP of Technology Scott Harniman, who oversees the program along with VP Bradley Campbell.
For the first time, all eight UFL teams are holding training camp and practices in the Arlington area, with meetings rooms and offices at the league’s new HQ. Having 600 players and coaches working in the area will expedite the feedback loop. Choctaw Stadium, the former home of the Texas Rangers, has been converted into a football stadium and outfitted with private 5G networks.
“Being able to give all these partners a playground in Choctaw Stadium is, I think, really going to be what allows us to move, no pun intended, fast,” Harniman said, noting that the development cycle of idea-to-game field can be as short as weeks with proper validation.
The program is launching with three members in its first cohort, all of whom have been paired with a league objective:
- Mindfly will provide an immersive player POV camera. Unlike the prior placement on helmets, the new iteration will use a vest that affixes the camera to the chest plate of the shoulder pad.
- SkillCorner will use computer vision to provide tracking data from the All-22 camera feed.
- Sportable will offer sensor-based ball and player tracking that can be used for broadcast, officiating or performance metrics.
“We wanted to really make sure that there was an outcome for everything that we’re doing,” Harniman said. “Everything that we’re doing, from an innovation standpoint, is to improve the game of football. [CEO] Russ Brandon is unbelievable — a great mentor, great leader — and definitely provides us some great latitude with what we’re doing. But gimmicks are not allowed.”
UFL EVP of football operations Daryl Johnston said it was eye-opening to see the positive fan response to granting access to what he previously considered walled-off “earned spaces” — the huddle, locker room, sideline. He’s now an advocate for tech and noted the players are excited to be part of trials. The Mindfly camera vest will debut during joint UFL practices today.
A collaboration with Google Cloud and Syracuse’s sports analytics program will seek to develop new predictive models to aid coaches in deciding whether to try for a one-, two- or three-point conversions after touchdowns. Johnston also mentioned that Bolt6 and Sportable might be able to combine their camera- and sensor-based technologies to help officials spot the ball.
“As much as people looking at us and going, ‘Oh my gosh, they pushed the envelope with technology’ — the ‘tech incubator’ phrase comes out — it’s just a lot of good football people that are not afraid to step out of their comfort zones," Johnston said, “and when there is a better way to do it, let’s do it.”
