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Playertek wearable GPS tracker for football review

It looks like a sports bra but can it improve your football?

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playertek 1
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There are all sorts of fitness wearables these days aiming to measure just about anything you can think of.

The Playertek wearable is aimed at footballers of all levels looking to improve their game. The package includes a training vest (which looks a lot like a sports bra) and a GPS sensor that you slot into the crop top.

The device pairs with an iOS app (update: there is now Android support). The app collates the data from the device and shows the user stats such as heat maps, performance score and a number of other metrics.

The vest comes in sizes XXS to XXL. It is made from Lycra at the front and neoprene at the back. The GPS sensor is placed at the back. The rear of the top is a racer back, meaning the sensor sits between the shoulder blade. The neoprene rear means that if you wear it next to the skin, you will become sweaty really quickly. Most people wearing this top tend to wear it over another shirt, so perhaps this is the more likely way to wear it.

The sensor sits where it is most likely to get a good reception of GPS. The sensor is designed to take measurements very frequently. We haven’t tried using this on indoor or covered pitches, so we are not sure it will work here. We tested this in the open air.

Before training, you need to pair the device with the app and make sure it is operational. This is straightforward enough to do. Power up, wait for the GPS LED lights to come on and you are good to go.

After the match, you can sync the data collected by the app. This takes about a minute. You can use a map to define the pitch area you have played on – this means the app can disregard off-pitch data that might skew results.

After all this, you are presented with the data. You can compare this with a professional player. This only works well if you have played in the same position all match.

Overall, this is a very good device for helping improve your game of football. We think the vest could be improved by it being all Lycra as the neoprene makes us too sweaty. The vest could also do with being more sports bra-like as this would give chest support to all those that need it (female and male).

Playertek is available from Amazon for £199. Also, see Playertek website.