Focus on sports for youths

Singapore’s technologically driven Global Indian International School (GIIS) has launched the first-of-its-kind Sports Performance Enhancing Data Analytics System (SPEDAS) at its SMART Campus in Balewadi, Pune, for 3-18-year-old students.

GIIS plans to use SPEDAS across all its 21 campuses, so that students can immensely benefit from data analytics to improve their game.

“SPEDAS in India is primarily for our young student football enthusiast, however we would welcome players from other schools to come and play at our school. Based on the availability of the system, we can accommodate such requests,” said GIIS, the first school to giving students opportunities to excel at the sport.

The high-end technology is already used by international teams and is available to everyone.

Football legend and Indian captain Sunil Chhetri launched SPEDAS in Pune on 24 Jan 2020. GIIS has been using the technology at its Singapore SMART Campus since 2018.

The International School aims at introducing SPEDAS across all its Smart Campuses in India – starting with Balewadi and Hadapsar campuses in Pune.

Chhetri said, “Football is a rapidly growing sport in India. In line with the Khelo India programme, this is the perfect time for Global Indian International School (GIIS Pune Hadapsar and Balewadi campuses) to bring in this cutting-edge football data analytics across its schools in India.

“This will go on to create and nurture the next generation football players from schools. It is the first school in India and South East Asia to introduce such a high-end technology, which I believe would help in fulfilling the aspirations of thousands of football players who can immensely benefit from this SMART football technology.

“I would urge all students who aspire to take up the sport professionally, to make the most of this facility,” he said.

Commenting on the launch of SPEDAS, Arjun Temurnikar, Associate Director (Technology), Global Schools Foundation, said: “SPEDAS is part of our School of the Future initiative which allows students to develop 21st century skills. It is a technology which brings football data analytics to the coaches and students to help enhance player performances and better team coordination.”

SPEDAS uses advanced sensors, which are placed on the field, on the players and in the football itself, which maps the movement of each component in the field in real time. The players’ moves and techniques are recorded statistically and is later be analysed by the coach to help improve their performance in subsequent games.

This advanced system tracks each player with very high accuracy, and we can see the player move on field in relation to the ball and the other teams in real time. Providing crucial data to improve on-field game has been brought into schools for the first time by GIIS in the age group of 3-18-year old students.

“Our aim is to offer the best developmental tool and opportunities to transform development of football in India and build future national and international players,” said Temurnikar.

Such a technique will not only help improve the game for the players, it will give them a solid platform to understand the game better and excel at the sport right from school level, he added.

This first-of-its-kind initiative is also used by GIIS in other sports like basketball at SMART Campus at Singapore.

Not only do the SMART Campuses leverage proprietary data analytics software to improve learning and teaching across the school, they will also provide Sports scholarship to deserving students.

Using its global network of schools to its advantage, GIIS encourages the use of its smart sports technology through its student exchange programmes for students across the globe and grant scholarships in sports to deserving students.

Speaking on the SPEDAS launch, GIIS Deputy Chief Operating Officer Rajeev Katyal said: “GIIS believes in giving each deserving student a chance at excelling in the field of their choice.

“We are offering over 200 GIIS Global Sports Scholarship, to give deserving soccer players to be part of GIIS and benefit from the SPEDAS SMART Football program.”

Excellence in sports is one of the ‘gem’ in GIIS’s award-winning 9GEMS holistic framework which promotes value-based learning beyond academics.

This framework focuses on individuality, leadership and innovation amongst students, as well as emphasises on excellence in visual and performing arts, personality development, universal values and ethics, community and care and overall skill development amongst all students. fiinews.com