As the NRL competes for audience attention and its share of athlete talent across Australia and New Zealand, technology is playing an increasingly prominent role. No longer content with a traditional broadcast on a Friday night or Saturday afternoon, today’s rugby league fan expects enhanced viewing experiences. Matchday coverage is now supplemented with real-time statistics and analytics, delivering deeper insights that enrich the at-home viewing experience.
Similarly, both aspiring and elite players constantly seeking a competitive edge are turning to data and analytics to provide that competitive edge. Technology is becoming an integral part of both how the game is consumed and how it is played.
The Smart Rugby Ball
For much of the past century, the rugby ball has remained largely unchanged—an ovoid bladder encased in a stitched outer layer. Iconic Australian manufacturer Steeden, the official NRL match ball supplier, is now helping to redefine this tradition. In partnership with sports tracking specialist Sportable, Steeden (alongside its UK-based sister company Gilbert) has developed a rugby ball that incorporates an internal sensor, without altering its feel when kicked or passed.
The embedded sensor captures detailed performance metrics, including distance travelled, spin rate, and impact events, with a high degree of accuracy, and can deliver this data in near real time to coaches, analysts, and fans alike. The technology has already undergone early trials in both NRL and NRLW environments. Looking ahead, it may offer a faster—and potentially less infrastructure-intensive—alternative to frame-by-frame video analysis for adjudicating forward passes, knock-ons, and similar decisions[1].
Why IP Protection Matters in Sports Innovation
The NRL’s adoption of smart ball technology reflects a broader trend in elite sport. From GPS-enabled training vests and smart footwear to fully instrumented stadiums, the modern sport industry is increasingly driven by data, embedded sensors, and advanced analytics. Each of these elements may be protected through various forms of intellectual property, including patents, registered designs, copyright, and trade secrets.
In practical terms, registered IP rights, such as patents and designs, grant their owners exclusive rights to prevent others from making, using, or selling the protected innovation for a defined period. This exclusivity is critical, as it enables sports technology companies to justify the significant investment required for research, prototyping, athlete testing, and scalable manufacturing of new products.
As you watch the upcoming State of Origin series, it is worth reflecting on how the game has evolved—and how technology continues to shape the way we experience it. Where innovation enhances the sport, protecting that innovation ensures it can continue to thrive.
[1] https://www.theguardian.com/sport/no-helmets-required/2024/nov/16/smartball-has-revolutionised-data-in-rugby-and-refereeing-could-be-next
