Skip to content

Sports & animal tracking

Local positioning for sports: precise tracking indoors and out, quick to set up

Base stations (UWB anchors) go on fences, poles or tripods around the field, calibrate themselves while you walk a tag to the corners, and stream live positions to your own analytics. For football, other team sports and equestrian centres.

Request the sports kit details
Noccela Sports Beacon, a white weatherproof base station on a pole

Why player tracking is harder than it looks

Three problems that sports clubs, academies and analytics companies run into.

  1. GPS stops at the door

    Satellite tracking does not work in sports halls and riding halls. In the SPÅT project, GPS-based systems were also too expensive for junior teams.

  2. Nothing can hang above a pitch

    Indoor positioning usually puts base stations on the ceiling. Football fields rarely have one, and balls would hit anything placed above the players.

  3. Set-ups that need a surveyor

    If every anchor position has to be measured exactly, the system cannot move between training grounds and tournament venues.

The numbers sports buyers ask for

Base stations around a football pitch in the SPÅT project
16
Positioning accuracy, up to
10 cm
Configurable update rate
0.1–50 Hz

GPS, local positioning or cameras?

Each technology has its place. GPS is simple outdoors, cameras suit stadium broadcasts, and UWB local positioning gives precise live data indoors and outdoors with a portable set-up.

Comparison of GPS, UWB local positioning and camera tracking for sports
TechnologyIndoorsOutdoorsTypical precisionOn-site infrastructure
GPS (GNSS) wearables NoYesTypically metres; depends on satellite visibilityNone on site
UWB local positioning Noccela YesYesDecimetres to centimetres; up to 10 cmBase stations around the field
Camera (optical) tracking Yes, with cameras installedYes, with cameras installedDepends on cameras and calibration; players must be identifiedCameras around the venue

For a deeper comparison, read indoor positioning technologies compared.

How it works

How a pitch is set up

The sports set-up is built to be carried, put up and calibrated by a coach, not by a radio engineer.

  1. Place the base stations

    Mount Sports Beacons on fences, poles or tripods around the field. In the SPÅT project, 16 covered a football pitch. Nothing goes above the players.

  2. Power and connect

    Use mains power, or a USB-C power bank with the Extension Box, which also connects the base station over Wi-Fi to a local or LTE router.

  3. Walk the corners

    Carry a tag to the corners of the field. The system works out the base-station positions itself: no floor plan and no measuring.

  4. Track and stream

    Players or horses wear tags. Positions stream live to the cloud and on to your own app or analytics through the API.

Products for sports

Outdoor and indoor base stations, the Extension Box for cable-free set-ups, and tags. Ask us about wearable options for players and animals.

Noccela Sports Beacon, a white weatherproof base station on a pole

Sports Beacon

Rugged base station for sports fields, outdoor areas and harsh industrial sites.

Details

Extension Box

Run a base station (UWB anchor) from a power bank over Wi-Fi: no cabling needed.

Details
Noccela Beacon 3 base station in black and white with its mounting plate

Beacon 3

Compact PoE base station for indoor sites, installed like a security camera.

Details
Noccela Smart Tag, a small black asset tag

Smart Tag

Small asset tag for tools, carts, pallets and equipment.

Details

Proof

On the pitch and in the stable

Two public projects: football analytics with SPÅT in Turku, and horse tracking at Harjun Oppimiskeskus with Fidera.

SPÅT / TKOMV Turku · Sports analytics

From 36 to 16 base stations per football pitch, with nothing above the field

Turku, Finland

Base stations per pitch, first layout
36
Base stations per pitch, today
16
Base stations above the field
None
Calibration
Automatic
Read the case study

Harjun Oppimiskeskus · Equine education and research

Horse tracking with 3–10 cm accuracy indoors and 25 cm outdoors

Ravijoki, Finland · With Fidera

Outdoor area
7,000 m², 25 base stations
Indoor area
1,500 m², 12 base stations
Accuracy indoors
3–10 cm
Accuracy outdoors
About 25 cm
Read the case study

Third-party coverage

Qorvo, Noccela’s UWB chip partner, has written about Noccela’s sports work on its design blog: football player analytics with 16 base stations around the pitch (June 2024) and battery-powered base stations that coaches set up around youth football fields (2025).

Build your own sports product on it

Analytics companies, clubs and federations can run their own app, brand and data model on Noccela positioning.

Live positions through the API

Stream positions at the update rate you choose, and query history after the session.
Real-time API

SDK and quickstart

The JavaScript and TypeScript SDK and a step-by-step quickstart get your first positions on screen quickly.
Quickstart

Partners and OEMs

Resell, integrate or build on Noccela technology, as SPÅT did with its own analytics platform.
Partners & OEM

Frequently asked questions

How accurate is the tracking at full speed?
Positioning accuracy is up to 10 cm, depending on the number and placement of base stations. In the horse-tracking project at Harjun Oppimiskeskus, the indoor area reached 3–10 cm and the outdoor area about 25 cm, where fewer base stations were used on purpose.
How many base stations does a football pitch need?
In the SPÅT project, 16 base stations around the perimeter covered a football pitch, down from 36 in the first layout, with none above the field. Each base station covers up to 500 m² per base station.
Do the base stations have to be surveyed?
No. For sports set-ups you walk a tag to the corners of the field, and the system calibrates the base-station positions itself. There is no floor plan to upload and nothing to measure. Read more about automatic calibration.
Does it work indoors and outdoors?
Yes. Sports Beacon is built for indoor and outdoor use, for pitches, arenas and equestrian tracks. In sports and riding halls with a ceiling, the Beacon 3 indoor base station can also be used.
What update rate do live streams have?
The update rate is configurable from 0.1–50 Hz. Higher rates follow fast movements more closely and use more battery, so you choose the rate that fits the sport and the session.
How are the base stations powered outdoors, and in what conditions do they work?
On mains power, or from a USB-C power bank (5 V, at least 2 A) through the Extension Box, which also provides the Wi-Fi connection. Sports Beacon is specified for an operating temperature of 0 to +50 °C; talk to us about conditions outside that range.
Can we use our own app or analytics platform?
Yes. A real-time stream, an HTTP API, webhooks and a JavaScript and TypeScript SDK deliver positions to your own software. SPÅT runs its own analytics platform this way. See the developer hub.
Is the system FIFA EPTS certified?
No. Noccela’s system is not certified under the FIFA Quality Programme for electronic performance and tracking systems (EPTS). If you need certified data for official competitions, check the requirements of your league or federation.
Can the set-up be moved between venues for tournaments?
Yes. That was the goal of the portable set-up: base stations on tripods or fences, power from power banks, connection over Wi-Fi and LTE, and calibration by walking the corners at each venue.
Can horses and riders be tracked?
Yes. At Harjun Oppimiskeskus, horses were tracked on a 7,000 m² outdoor area with 25 base stations and in a 1,500 m² indoor area with 12, for distance, speed, acceleration and time spent in the stalls.

Track your next session

Tell us about your field, hall or track and what you want to measure. We will tell you how many base stations it takes and how the set-up works.

Request the sports kit details Talk about a partnership