Mitre are stepping into the future of the game, and they’re taking the ball with them. In a landmark collaboration with performance technology specialists PlayerData, the British brand has unveiled the world’s first GPS-enabled Connected Ball, a piece of innovation that promises to reshape how footballers at every level train, develop and perform.
Currently in development and set to officially launch in Summer 2026, the Mitre x PlayerData Connected Ball integrates FIFA-quality GPS technology directly into the ball itself. No external local positioning systems. No optical tracking setups. Just roll it out of the bag and play. From grassroots pitches to elite training grounds, the ball is being designed to capture rich, real-time data as part of everyday sessions, lowering both cost and complexity through a subscription-based model.
At the heart of the project is PlayerData, a sports technology company already supporting more than 50,000 athletes and coaches worldwide. Known for delivering elite-level insights through wearable GPS trackers, PlayerData’s mission has always been about making data-driven development accessible across the game. Embedding that technology into the ball takes that ambition a significant step further.
For years, physical GPS metrics such as distance covered and high-speed running have become standard in performance analysis. Technical and tactical data, however, has largely remained in the shadows, despite skill execution and decision-making being fundamental to football success. The Connected Ball is being developed to bridge that gap, combining physical GPS data with technical and tactical ball metrics for the first time.
Once released, the ball will allow coaches and analysts to track things like kick volume, pass distance and velocity, and overall ball touches across training cycles. The result is a far more holistic understanding of training demands, player development and even how effectively a manager’s playing philosophy is being implemented on the pitch.
The technology is designed to support a wide range of performance use cases. Coaches will be able to assess whether training sessions are delivering their intended technical and tactical outcomes through live ball-tracking software. Player touches, passes, ball speed and time on the ball can be objectively measured, while total player load can be quantified by combining physical, technical and tactical demands. This also opens the door to identifying hidden loads, such as extra striking drills that wearable GPS units might miss, helping to reduce injury risk. In rehabilitation scenarios, post-injury skill metrics can be compared directly to pre-injury benchmarks, bringing a new level of clarity to return-to-play decisions.
Beyond the day-to-day training environment, the Connected Ball is expected to play a future role in technical development, rehab processes and even talent identification, offering objective measures of technical competency and kicking performance that were previously difficult to capture.
Accessibility sits at the core of the project. Built with scalability and affordability in mind, the Mitre x PlayerData Connected Ball is designed to democratise elite-level insight, making it available from grassroots football all the way up to the professional game. Purpose-built for training, planned features include a six to eight-hour battery life, wireless charging and seamless integration with the existing PlayerData GPS platform, delivering a true plug-and-play experience once it hits the market.
Speed and simplicity are also key. Following launch, ball data will upload automatically to the cloud and be accessible within minutes via the PlayerData app. Initial metrics planned for release include touches and time on the ball, pass counts and distances, and average and maximum ball velocity. Beyond pure analysis, the data is designed to help gamify skill development, keeping sessions engaging, competitive and measurable.
Ultimately, the Mitre x PlayerData Connected Ball represents more than just a new product. It’s a statement of intent from two performance pioneers with a shared ambition to push the game forward. By merging Mitre’s heritage in ball design, using the iconic FIFA Quality Pro certified Ultimax as the foundation, with PlayerData’s cutting-edge GPS technology, they’ve set a new benchmark for football innovation.
To learn how you could be amongst the first to access this groundbreaking ball, visit playerdata.com/mitre
