Box on back of Canadian women's soccer players.

June 3, 2013 9:52 PM

During the Canada vs USA friendly women's soccer match, many of the Canadian players had a single rectangular shaped protrusion located high between the shoulder blades and under the jersey. What might this be?
posted by Feisty to Sports, Hobbies, & Recreation (3 answers total)

Best answer: Maybe it's a GPS to track their movement/speed throughout the game. Football (AFL) players wear them here in Australia.
posted by MT at 10:07 PM on June 3, 2013

Response by poster: Makes sense. It looks terribly uncomfortable though.

Player #4 on left, in red.

Player in red and goalie in light blue.
posted by Feisty at 10:25 PM on June 3, 2013

Best answer: What you are seeing on their back is a suite of sensors in a rectangular package that fits between their shoulder blades. It is held in place under their jerseys by a rear pocket that is part of a specially designed sports bra. The sensors include GPS location, heart-rate monitor, gyroscope, and accelerometer. For a bit more detail, see the articles Canadian women’s soccer squad wired to win and Canadian women’s soccer team fitter than ever.
posted by RichardP at 10:47 PM on June 3, 2013