Ex-Bundesliga Star Developing “Smart Football”

As a player, Fabian Ernst was a standout for Schalke, Hamburg and Bremen and won 24 caps for Germany. Now as a co-founder of the start-up Sport Technology Systems, the 41-year-old wants to impact the game of football in a different sense.

Working with a prototype from the United States, the firm is trying to develop a soccer ball with a built in computer chip players can use to refine their technique.

“This ball can measure and evaluate every contact,” Ernst told northern German regional broadcaster NDR. “The point at which the contact was made, the spin imparted and of course also the speed.”

The price of a smart ball and the corresponding app will be kept below 100 euros, Ernst added, who called the innovation a “coach for your front pocket.” Germany’s football association, the DFB, has signaled interest in the idea and says it intends to meet with Ernst and his new company in the near future.