f you’re a soccer fan, you’ve probably noticed players wearing a vest with a small bump between their shoulder blades – that’s likely a GPS tracker, and it may be from Catapult. Catapult’s wearable GPS technology has become a staple in elite soccer, allowing coaches to quantify every sprint, deceleration, and recovery run. In this article, we’ll explore what Catapult offers, its soccer-specific products, and the multi-sport features that make its tools essential in modern performance tracking.
What Is Catapult in Soccer?
With its wearable GPS systems and built-in video-analysis suite providing technical personnel with granular, data-driven insight into player performance, Catapult is a worldwide leader in sports-tech.
Catapult GPS Trackers
Catapult’s trackers feature prominently across top European clubs-including Borussia Dortmund, Chelsea, Ajax, and Bayern Munich-where they record the full external-load profile of every session:
- Top speed
- Total distance covered
- Explosive accelerations and high-intensity decelerations
Catapult One: Flagship Wearable for Players and Coaches
Catapult One is the company’s flagship product line, designed for both professional and semi-professional teams. It is also FIFA-approved and targets both ambitious amateurs and professional academies.
Key Features of Catapult One:
- Comfortable fit: The Catapult One vest is lightweight and ergonomic, designed not to restrict movement.
- Real-time performance data: The built-in GPS tracker sends data during play, allowing coaches to monitor performance on the field.
- Detailed analytics: Data collected includes speed, distance, accelerations, and more-processed via the Catapult One app.
- Customer support: Catapult offers guidance for setup and ongoing use through its support center.
- Workload management: Helps teams monitor training loads, prevent injuries, and optimize performance with instant, accurate data.
- In-app drills library: Translate numbers into actionable training tweaks.
- Post-session dashboards displaying speed zones, sprint counts, and power indices.
Catapult One Pricing
The Catapult One individual plan is priced at $179/year, plus a $34 starter kit, totaling about $213 for the first year.
What’s Included in the 12-Month Subscription:
- Performance tracking during games and practices
- Progress analysis over time with trends and comparisons
- Educational content, including training drills and conditioning videos
Catapult One Team Pricing
The Catapult One Team plan is tailored for clubs and training groups. Priced at $180 per player/year, it requires a two-year commitment and a minimum of 10 players.
The Team plan also includes full access to the Catapult One app and a more comprehensive data suite for team monitoring.
Comparison: Catapult One vs. Catapult One Team
| Feature | Catapult One (Individual) | Catapult One (Team) |
|---|---|---|
| Use case | Designed for individual athletes | Designed for coaches and teams |
| Platform | Mobile app (iOS, Android) | Web platform (PC/Mac via browser) |
| Supported sports | Soccer only | Soccer, Rugby, Australian Rules, Gaelic Football, Hurling |
| Data metrics | Total speed / Total distance / Power / Sprint distance | Includes: Player Load / Max speed / Work rate / Sprint volume / Power score /Impact energy |
| Live data | No | No |
| Third-party integration | Apple Health | None |
Vector Series: High-Performance Solutions
Beyond Catapult One, the company offers advanced GPS solutions for high-performance teams:
Vector Pro
Catapult’s most advanced solution, ideal for pro clubs, offering real-time tracking and analysis of:
- Training load
- Accelerations and decelerations
- Power output and effort intensity
- Indoor and outdoor performance
- Biomechanical and physical movement metrics
Vector Core
A more affordable version of Vector Pro, designed for teams that don’t require every advanced metric. It still offers reliable real-time tracking but with fewer variables.
Pricing for both Vector systems is available by contacting Catapult directly for a custom quote based on your team’s needs.
Catapult Pro Video: Video + GPS Sync Analysis
Catapult doesn’t stop at GPS — with Catapult Pro Video, the company offers a full-fledged video analysis platform. Pro Video fuses multi-angle footage with GPS data so analysts can match physical peaks to tactical events—for instance, isolating a winger’s max-velocity sprint that precedes a cross.
Catapult Pro Video – Key Features
| Feature | Details |
|---|---|
| Multi-angle recording | Capture video from multiple angles |
| Video + data sync | Link video with real-time performance metrics |
| Wireless live streaming | Broadcast video to multiple devices in real time |
| MatchTracker | Track player performance over multiple sessions |
| Presentation tools | Add annotations, overlays, and graphics |
| Cloud collaboration | Share videos and data with the entire team, anywhere |
| Cross-platform access | Watch video on any device |
To get the most out of tools like Pro Video, a solid understanding of video analysis methodology is essential.
Multi-Sport Capability
Catapult isn’t limited to soccer. Its tracking and analysis tools are used across sports like:
- Rugby
- Basketball
- Handball
- Athletics
- Tennis
Toolset
- Live wireless streaming to staff devices
- Match Tracker timeline for longitudinal analysis
- Annotation layer for telestration, overlays, and playlist creation
Cloud sharing for instant squad access
By monitoring metrics like speed, training load, and effort intensity, teams in any sport can improve performance, prevent injuries, and tailor training sessions more effectively.
Catapult: Key Takeaway
Whether you’re an aspiring academy player using Catapult One, a professional club relying on Vector Pro’s advanced metrics, or a performance analyst harnessing the full power of Pro Video, Catapult provides a comprehensive, scalable ecosystem that seamlessly integrates GPS tracking with synchronized video analysis.
This integration transforms raw data into actionable insights-empowering coaches, players, and sports scientists to optimize performance, reduce injury risk, and make smarter, data-driven decisions that ultimately win matches.
