ABOVE: A short example of the training vision players are able to watch. Coaches are able to voice over different instructions and point out different aspects of the vision as the player watches (unable to watch? Try YouTube here)
ON THE BACK of 18 months of intense internal development, Port Adelaide has formalised an experience technology partnership with Jumpgate VR, an Adelaide-based virtual reality studio that is rapidly expanding throughout the AFL industry.
Port Adelaide began its relationship with Jumpgate at the start of 2015 and has developed a range of football development and supporter experience packages, including coaching ‘masterclasses’ for players and the popular Renault Reality Zone at home games.
The partnership will continue to explore new ways of educating Port Adelaide’s footballers as well as bringing the Power’s nation-leading game day experience to a bigger audience.
Port Adelaide has gained special permission from the AFL to extend its 360-degree vision of key moments like its team run-out, Never Tear Us Apart, March from the Mall and the most intimate moments of its team briefing and warm-ups in the rooms to a global audience on digital platforms, particularly after the club's recent expansion into China.
There is also planning to use VR technology on visits to community groups and remote areas.
The unprecedented experience will be cast to the world through Port Adelaide’s official Facebook page and website portadelaidefc.com.au.
The formalised partnership will give Port Adelaide supporters and players a cutting-edge experience like never before.
“The original intention of our work with Port Adelaide was to explore the value that virtual reality had in the football industry, obviously we found fan engagement as a very valid one,” Jumpgate managing director Anton Andreacchio says.
“But the coaches also saw the value in VR as a coaching and teaching tool, which we have been exploring for the last year and a half.
“Providing VR production services is a fraction of what we’re doing with Port Adelaide now, we’re actually working to develop the content and understand where we fit in the teaching space.
“Moving forward our goal is to make sure it has value now and positioning our technology for growth with live streaming and augmented technology in high performance sport.”
Port Adelaide’s football development manager Aaron Greaves has led the integration of Jumpgate’s technology into its programs.
After 18 months of development, he says the Power is beginning to see the benefits of virtual reality instruction with players translate to the field.
“Jumpgate has filmed different components of our training and our players can then review the vision, talk through what’s happening with our coaches and repeatedly review footage to give a greater understanding of what we’re trying to do,” Greaves says.
“It allows our line coaches to keep educating our players in different ways, to give a better understanding of our playbook and do so without any load or movement on the athlete.
“It’s probably still quite experimental, but we’re already starting to see the benefits of increased player knowledge by exposing them to different scenarios in a game.
“We’re now beginning to track the players’ growth in this area and hopefully see the correlation between what they’re watching and their on-field performance.”
