Menlo Park, California and Leverkusen, Germany June 5, 2024 – Kitman Labs, the global enterprise SaaS platform providing the only single, centralised operating system for performance intelligence in Sports, today agreed to a renewal and expansion of its partnership with 2024 Bundesliga Champions, Bayer 04 Leverkusen Fußball GmbH.
The Club will utilise the Performance Medicine, Performance Optimisation and Coaching and Development Solutions in iP – combining medical, performance, coaching and talent development data in a single, integrated platform designed to unlock player health, wellness and performance outcomes and inform talent development strategy across the Men’s First Team and Academy (U8-19)
The renewal comes on the heels of winning the Bundesliga championship title – the first in Club history – a European record-setting winning run and a six-year pre-existing partnership with Kitman Labs.
Leverkusen will unify all data and analytics in a singular operating system, iP: Intelligence Platform. The centralisation of the data and combination of these critical data sets will eliminate information silos, enable cross-departmental collaboration and provide practitioners and stakeholders alike with access to real-time reporting and a 360 degree view of all players.
Additionally, by deploying iP across the entire Academy, the Club is providing the infrastructure necessary to support repeatable and reliable programs and systems for success, manage player pathways through performance benchmarking and personalised development plans, leverage evidence-led practices to identify early-stage talent and accelerate growth.
“The technological capabilities and innovation of Kitman Labs has grown significantly over the last six years and after a thorough evaluation, it’s clear that no other provider shares the space. We have experienced it first-hand. Kitman takes a partnership approach to how they operate and invest in the business and its evolution and clearly act as the ‘team behind the team’” said Dr. Karl-Heinrich Dittmar, Medical Director, Bayer Leverkusen. “Prior to adopting the platform, data was fragmented and practitioners were working in silos. iP ensures data accuracy, consistency and drives collaboration across all stakeholders. The inherent analytics capabilities within the platform allow us to convert data into relevant, actionable intelligence – providing insights that help inform decision-making at all levels of the organisation and on and off the pitch.”
“Dr. Dittmar and the Leverkusen Team have been visionary from the start. For more than 6 years, this Club has led with innovation – not only recognizing the role that data and analytics could play in unlocking the Club’s performance outcomes but actually committing to establishing systems, processes and protocols that would support their long term, sustainable success. Dr. Dittmar and the Performance Team have now come full circle and it is personally and professionally gratifying for me and Kitman Labs to see their vision, goals and success come to fruition – creating a competitive advantage in the industry through their consistent strategic planning, preparation and performance. We look forward to our continued collaboration with Dr. Dittmar and the Leverkusen Performance Team and expanding our efforts to help support the health, wellness and performance goals of the entire Academy,” said Stephen Smith, CEO and Founder of Kitman Labs.
Kitman Labs has an established track record of working with top teams and leagues across a variety of sports, including soccer, basketball, rugby, and American football. The company’s technology is in use by some of the world’s most elite soccer organisations, including Ipswich Town F.C., Fulham F.C., Chelsea F.C. and Liverpool F.C. Kitman Labs recently announced the launch and deployment of The Football Intelligence Platform across all Premier League Academies.
iP: Intelligence Platform represents the industry’s largest dataset of talent, performance, and medical data for all stages of the athlete lifecycle.
About Kitman Labs:
Kitman Labs is the world’s leading sports science and performance intelligence company. Kitman Labs powers iP: Intelligence Platform, the advanced operating system used by the largest and most innovative leagues, teams and regulatory bodies in elite Sport and Defense. Our software solutions – Performance Medicine, Performance Optimisation, Coaching & Development and League Operations – have been designed to optimise human performance; enhance overall health, wellness and longevity; reduce injury risk; and drive operational efficiencies and value. Kitman Labs is headquartered in Silicon Valley with offices in Dublin.
About Bayer Leverkusen:
Bayer 04 stands for attractive top quality football – in Germany and beyond. The club was promoted to the Bundesliga in 1979 and seven years later saw the Werkself qualify for Europe for the first time. The Werkself have now been on the European stage for decades and in the top-flight for more than 40 years. In 1988 and 1993 the club set standards by winning the UEFA Cup and the German Cup final. Around 300 people currently work for Bayer 04 Leverkusen Fußball Gmbh. The most successful year in the club’s history ended in the past 2023/24 season: Bayer 04 Leverkusen won the German Football Championship, the German Cup and reached the final of the UEFA Europa League.
Media Contacts:
Bayer Leverkusen
Dirk Mesch
dirk.mesch@bayer04.de
Kitman Labs
International:
The PHA Group
kitmanlabs@thephagroup.com
United States:
Joe Favorito
Jfavorito@kitmanlabs.com
