The Australian National Rugby League Teams have joined forces with leading sports science technology company Kitman Labs to develop a national programme to advance athlete performance and understand the factors affecting injury risk. The programme stretches across the Kangaroos, Jillaroos, Junior Under 20 and schoolboy squads, all of whom will use Kitman Labs during international camps and fixtures to monitor players, quantify injury and performance metrics, and inform coaches of player status.

Troy Thomson, Head of Performance at the NRL, commented, “International rugby league is the pinnacle of a player’s career and it is important that the on- and off-field support matches that status. We have a duty to both the players and the clubs to use best technology available to deliver the best training and treatment programmes.

“Kitman Labs is leading the field in sports science and analytics and their advanced technology allows us to make the most of the limited time we have available with the players during international camps. It provides us with a platform to deliver key real-time health and performance information to our coaches and back to the player’s club.”

Stephen Smith, CEO of Kitman Labs, added; “The Australian National Rugby League organisation has fully embraced the evolution of sports performance and we are looking forward to helping them progress their player development and performance strategies by using data and analytics.  Not only are we simplifying their processes, we’re providing advances insights and communication tools.”

Thompson added: “The feedback from the players has been superb and the simple and effective user interfaces have made it very easy for us to integrate Kitman Labs as part of our performance structure.”

Kitman Labs has a strong base in the NRL at the club level with North Queensland Cowboys and the Canberra Raiders already using Kitman Labs as a core component of their performance program. In addition, some of the world’s leading rugby leagues and teams use Kitman Labs to keep their players healthy and playing their best.

ABOUT KITMAN LABS

At Kitman Labs, we’re committed to the evolution of performance. Through advanced statistical analysis, rigorous scientific research and unparalleled industry experience, our system evaluates athletic injury with unprecedented precision and embodies the cutting edge of injury risk prevention technology.

Kitman Labs works with over 150 teams worldwide, with its systems available in 30 different languages. SARU, Hurricanes, Union Bordeaux Begles, Cell C Sharks, Toyota Verblitz are among the company’s other rugby union clients. We also have partnerships with elite clubs in major sports worldwide, including Chelsea, Everton, Celtic, Rangers, UFC, National Rugby League (Australia), Buffalo Bills and New York Yankees.

Our experienced team of sports scientists understands the nuances of each sport we work with and respects the uniqueness of every team and every athlete. Our system has been designed to determine the individual needs of each user and was developed to excel in the data-driven world of elite sports. We’re committed to harnessing data enabling our users to find the true sources of injury – and to intervene before injuries ever occur.  

Kitman Labs’ Athlete Optimisation System recently won the inaugural Performance Technology of the Year prize at the prestigious BT Sport Industry Awards 2018. The System is proving increasingly popular within elite sport because, for the first time ever, individual athletes’ data is processed in one place.

This enables coaches and sports science staff to interpret all individual data via real-time, intelligent alerts to help them understand athletes with unprecedented precision, make informed decisions and gain a competitive edge.