The Western Bulldogs are holding their ground as the only AFL club unwilling to share GPS data with rivals.
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It's understood 17 clubs have agreed to provide GPS information tracked by Champion Data with the other clubs in this competition, beginning from round one. The data is de-identified, allowing each club to get a better gauge on league-wide trends without allowing other clubs the chance to know the specifics of individual players' running strengths and weaknesses.
The sole club that has decided not to relent is the Bulldogs, who have been reluctant to give up their intellectual property. The reigning premiers were continuing to stand firm as of Thursday, a day out from their season-opener against Collingwood at the MCG.
While unwilling to comment on the matter, the AFL did not deny that 17 clubs had agreed to share their data, nor that the Bulldogs were the recalcitrant club. The Bulldogs declined to comment. It's believed talks between the league and club were ongoing.
The interclub sharing of information is similar but distinct to the desire of broadcasters to show player running information from Champion Data as part of their match coverage.
While the AFL Players' Association have been broadly supportive of the idea of GPS data being used in broadcasts, the union has reservations about the added and potentially unwarranted scrutiny directed towards players. No agreement has been reached for Channel Seven and Fox Footy to use the information. It's believed a deal over the matter was likely to come as part of or alongside the new collective bargaining agreement between the AFL and the players union.
One solution proposed has been for only data relating to top-performing runners to be aired as part of broadcasts, which would allow networks to provide an insight without singling out players who could be perceived as relatively unfit or lazy. Officials have noted that running more does not necessarily correlate to winning.
This year marks the first season in a new agreement between the AFL and Champion Data after the latter won the rights to monitor GPS data in the league in 2015.
The Bulldogs have tried to be at the forefront of innovation in the AFL. In February they conducted a "Hackathon" in Ballarat, in which they invited participants from data-related disciplines to solve challenges, some of which related to player tracking and tactical analysis.
