SOCCERBEE: GPS Performance Tracking for Soccer Players

You're watching professional soccer players these days, maybe

training, maybe a match, and you see them, right?

Those vests? Oh yeah, definitely.

Kind of snug fitting, sometimes under the jersey, sometimes

over. They look a bit, well, techie,

and you can't help wondering what is that?

What's going on inside? It's a great question, and yeah,

it's become such a common sight. You know, those vests, they're

usually housing some pretty sophisticated tracking gear,

right? Systems designed to measure

performance. Yeah, and it's not just for the

pros anymore. Increasingly, it's for, well,

any player serious about getting better.

And that's exactly what we're going to dive into today.

We're going to unpack 1 system in particular that's really

making waves. Soccer B.

Yeah, Soccer B So our mission today really is just to break it

down based on what we know. What is it?

How do you actually use it? Which sounds surprisingly

simple, by the way. What data does it track?

Because there's a lot. And maybe most importantly, how

can you, the player, or maybe your coach, use all this

information to genuinely improve your game?

Think of this as your guide, your shortcut to understanding

how this tech works in soccer. We want to show you how

performance data is changing the game, giving players insights

that, well, used to be only for the absolute top tier.

Absolutely. It's about training smarter,

really understanding your performance in a new way, and

let's be honest, maybe proving what you can do with actual

numbers. Yeah, exactly it.

It's a cool intersection of sport and tech.

Shall we get into it? Let's do it.

OK, so starting right at the beginning, Soccer B, what is it?

Fundamentally the core concept. OK, so at its heart Soccer B is

Agps tracking system, but it's specifically engineered for

soccer. Its main job is to monitor what

a player does physically during training or a game.

OK. And then, crucially, it turns

all that movement data into insights about performance.

It basically quantifies your physical output on the pitch.

Quantifies it. GPS tracking.

Got it. And you mentioned the vest, that

seems key. What are the actual bits of

hardware involved? Right.

So the main piece, the tracker itself, is called the B EE

device. It's designed to be really

small, very lightweight. The idea is you shouldn't really

notice it when you're playing. It shouldn't get in the way of

running, dribbling, anything like that.

Pretty unobtrusive. The B EE device, OK.

And the vest, yeah, it's not just like a pouch for the

device. It sounds more critical than.

That much more. This is actually really

important. You could technically try

sticking the BE device somewhere else, maybe a pocket or strap it

on somehow, right? But for the system to work

accurately, the device needs to be held stable in a consistent

spot on your body. And that's exactly what the

dedicated soccer B vest does. Wearing the vest, make sure the

GPS antenna inside the BE device stays steady.

It minimizes errors, signal drops.

Think of it like needing a stable tripod for a camera to

get a clear picture. The vest is the tripod for the

GPS. That makes total sense.

So the vest isn't just optional, it's really needed for reliable

data. It anchors the whole thing.

I noticed they even sell the vest separately.

Things called vest vest only and X vest X vest only alongside the

full sets like the B Pro 2 set and B Lite 2 set.

That kind of highlights the vest's role, doesn't it?

It really does. The vest is key for accuracy.

Now. You know, sometimes with new

tech people worry about complexity.

Is it going to be a hassle to use every day?

Yeah, definitely. But the information we have

really stresses how straightforward Soccer B is.

It seems designed for players who want to focus on soccer,

not, you know, fiddling with gadgets.

Simple but powerful. That's the dream combo, so walk

us through it. What are the actual steps from

getting ready for training to actually seeing your stats?

OK, it genuinely seems like just a few steps.

Step one, get ready. You just turn on the BE device

full power button. Then you slip that device into

the pocket on the back of the Soccer B vest.

That's literally it. Putting it in the vest basically

tells the system you're starting a session.

Turn it on, put in the vest. Simple enough.

Step 2 play or train this is the easy part you just go out and

play your game. Training session, practice

match, whatever. You wear the vest, the BE device

is in there and you just play soccer, right?

The system just captures everything in the background.

You don't need to touch it or think about it while you're on

the field. So just focus on the game.

Love that. What about when you're done?

Sessions over, game's finished. Step three finish up.

You just take the device out or reach back and turn the BE

device off. That signals the end of the

recording for that session. OK, off it goes and all that

data just collected is sitting on the device.

How do you get it out and see what it all means?

Right, that's Step 4. Sync the data.

You need the Soccer B app on your smartphone.

OK, the app. You open the app and there's a

simple process to connect your phone to the B EE device.

Usually it's Bluetooth. It then transfers all the

recorded data from the device over to your phone, pulls it all

across. So the app is like the command

Center for your data. Exactly.

And that leads right into Step 5, analyze.

Once the data is in the app, you might need to add a couple of

quick details, maybe what position you played, was it a

game or training, that sort of thing.

But here's the clever part. The system uses machine learning

algorithms. These algorithms automatically

process all that raw GPS data. They crunch the numbers for you.

So it does a hard work. Totally.

It calculates your stats, generates visualizations.

It's all presented in the app ready for you to look at and

understand. You don't need to be a data

scientist. That automated analysis is huge

Sync. Maybe tag the session and boom,

there your stats. Frees you up to actually think

about what the numbers mean. OK, Speaking of numbers, what

are we tracking here? What specific metrics does

Soccer B give you? This is where it gets really

interesting for players. It tracks metrics that directly

relate to how you play and what you contribute physically.

First up, speed. Crucial.

Yeah, but it's more than just your single fastest moment.

It actually breaks down speed into different intensities.

So you see your top speed, sure, but also how much time you spent

doing high speed running. It even counts your actual

number of sprints. That's really useful because

soccer isn't just about having a top speed, it's about repeating

those high intensity efforts, right?

Making those bursts count, recovering, going again, seeing

Sprint counts and high speed distance tells you a lot about

your match fitness for those moments.

Exactly. It quantifies that explosive

ability and your capacity to sustain it.

Then there's distance. Simple enough.

The total distance you covered during the session or game.

Your total distance covered, that's like your engine right?

Shows your work rate, your stamina over the whole duration,

how much ground you actually covered for the team.

Precisely. It's a fundamental measure of

endurance and effort, and related to that there's often an

overall measure of effort or work rate, kind of a summary

score reflecting how hard you work during that session.

OK, so speed, distance, overall effort that covers the physical

output. What about where you are doing

all this? Running soccer is a game of

space and position. Absolutely critical.

And yes, Socbee tracks your positioning on the field, and

it's not just like a little dot moving around.

The app visualizes this really well.

You get things like your activity range, detailed heat

maps, and even directional maps. Heat maps.

I love those. You see them on TV analysis

showing a player's main areas of action for your own game.

That must be incredibly revealing.

Are you staying in your zone? Are you getting into dangerous

areas? Or maybe are you neglecting

certain defensive duties? They give you that instant

visual snapshot of where you spent your time.

The directional maps add another layer showing your movement

patterns. Are you making forward runs?

Tracking back, moving side to side?

It builds a picture of your tactical movement.

And there's also something called a total score.

A total score. What's that based on?

It's a score calculated based on the performance levels generally

expected for this specific position you played during that

session. Oh that's smart.

So it benchmarks you against the demands of your role.

A midfielder score would reflect different priorities than a

center back score. Exactly.

It adds context to your row numbers.

And underpinning all of this, remember, is the GPS tracking

technology working together with those machine learning

algorithms. The tech does the heavy lifting

on calculations so you get the clear results.

OK, that paints a clear picture of the what and the how.

But let's get to the why. Why should a player, or a coach

for that matter, bother using soccer?

B. What are the real, tangible

benefits? How does it actually help you

win more games or become a better player?

Right, this is the core question.

The data is a means to an end, and Soccer B seems designed to

provide several clear advantages.

Let's break those down. How does this tech translate to

actual on field improvement? Well, first and foremost, it's

about performance enhancement. Simple as that.

Using Soccer B gives you objective data to improve how

you play, leveraging technology to refine your skills.

It's very much framed as a tool to help you train smarter.

Train smarter, not just harder. I like that.

So instead of just running laps, you know why you're running them

and what you're aiming for. Precisely, it delivers immediate

performance analysis insights. As soon as you finish playing

and sync the device, you get data on what you just did.

That allows for really quick reflection and learning.

And those insights let you identify areas for improvement,

right? You look at the data.

Maybe your strength count is lower than you thought, or your

heat map shows you weren't active enough in the final

third. Exactly.

The data points directly to potential weaknesses or areas

needing focus so your next training session can be

targeted. You're not just guessing what to

work on. Takes the guesswork out that

leads nicely into goal setting and tracking.

I gather the app helps with that.

Yeah, you can set specific measurable goals within the app,

maybe aiming to increase your total distance by 10% / a month,

or hit five more sprints per game.

And you can visually track your progress towards these goals.

Setting concrete goals you can track is super motivating.

And I think you mentioned comparing progress to benchmarks

from pro players. That must be a good reality

check and motivator too. Definitely.

It provides context and helps set realistic but challenging

targets at different stages of development.

And looking beyond single sessions, tracking over weeks

and months demonstrates consistency and dedication.

Ah. Right, it's not just about 1

stellar performance. Exactly.

The accumulated data paints a picture of your commitment, your

work ethic, session after session.

That consistency is often what coaches really value.

Yeah, showing up consistently is huge.

It is, and in the competitive world of soccer, having this

insight gives you a competitive edge.

If your teammates or opponents aren't tracking this stuff, you

have a deeper understanding of your physical output.

You can push your limits based on data.

You can ensure you're not falling behind physically.

It helps make every training minute more effective.

That edge sounds vital and for players looking to move up there

was that really striking quote mention.

Talent gets noticed, but numbers get you signed.

That feels significant. It really does capture the shift

in how players are evaluated now, coaches and scouts,

especially at higher levels. They still watch the game, of

course, but they're increasingly looking for objective data, too,

data that backs up what they see, tracking your distance,

your Sprint speed, your work rate.

These numbers offer concrete proof of your physical abilities

and consistency. If you're serious about

progressing, this kind of data is becoming almost essential.

It's like building your performance resume.

Numbers get you signed. Wow, OK.

What other benefits does the data unlock?

It really helps fine tune training strategy.

Coaches and players can use the detailed data, heat maps for

tactics, speed zones for intensity trends over time to

analyze what's working physically, identify patterns

and adjust training loads or drills for better results.

It helps periodize training effectively across the season.

Using the data to plan how you train, not just what you train

and I I guess this plays into player health as well.

Oh, hugely. It's critical for fitness

management and injury prevention.

Pro teams have used GPS for this for ages.

By monitoring metrics like high intensity runs and total

distance, you get a clear picture of the physical load on

a player, right? This data helps coaches and

players themselves make informed choices about when to push, but

just as importantly, when to pull back.

Maybe have a lighter session to avoid burnout, overtraining, and

ultimately reduce injury risk. The SCB Team solution for

coaches specifically highlights condition management and injury

prevention. So it's about sustainability

too, keeping players fit and available throughout a long,

demanding season. That's massive.

And there was a statistic you mentioned that just what it blew

my mind about ball possession. Yes, the fact that in the

standard 90 minute soccer match, the average player might only

they have the ball at their feet for about two minutes. 2 minutes

out of 90, that's incredible. And he said the vast majority of

the game, like 88 minutes, is spent off the ball.

Exactly. And that's where systems like

soccer be become so revealing. What a player does in those 88

minutes, their movement to Createspace, their defensive

positioning, they're pressing runs, the recovery efforts that

often determines their true value and effectiveness.

Soccer B gives you the data to understand and improve all that

crucial off the ball work. That completely reframes things.

Not just about the skills when you have the ball, it's about

the engine, the intelligence, the work rate when you don't.

And Soccer B measures that. It quantifies that unseen

contribution and one last key benefit, especially for players

trying to get noticed, adding data to your portfolio.

How does that work? You can take specific data

points or visuals from your Soccer B reports.

Maybe your top speech are from a key match, your heat map showing

credible coverage, your total distance run and integrate them

into highlight videos or player profiles you send to coaches or

scouts. It adds objective proof to your

subjective highlights. It backs up the claims.

It's like saying here's the video of me making that run and

here's the data showing I hit 34 kilometers per hour doing it.

It makes your case much stronger.

Providing the data footnotes for your highlight reel, that's

really smart in a competitive environment.

OK, this gives a really strong sense of why this technology is

valuable. Let's maybe circle back to the

specifics of the Soccer B ecosystem, the BE device, the

app features. What other details should people

know? Sure.

So the be device itself, the tracker, we know it's GPS based.

Key thing is it's designed for global use.

As long as you got AGPS signal you're good to go.

That's why they mentioned having over 50,000 athletes using it

worldwide. So basically.

Anywhere outdoors with a reasonably clearview of the sky,

pretty much. Yeah, but it does mean logically

that indoor use is limited. GPS signals really struggle with

roofs and thick walls, so for accurate data you definitely

need to be outdoors in an open environment.

Makes sense? What about weather, Rain.

Heavy sweat? Is the device OK with that?

It's designed. To handle normal sweat and

moisture during exercise. But for really heavy rain or if

you're someone who sweats a lot, they do recommend getting their

separate Soccer B waterproof pack.

It just adds an extra layer of protection against water getting

in or condensation forming inside.

Good to know there's. An option for extra protection

if you need it. And you were pretty clear

earlier about needing 1 device per player.

Why is sharing not really recommended?

Yeah, they strongly. Advise against it, mainly for

convenience and data integrity. The whole system, especially the

mobile app, is set up for individual tracking and

analysis. Sharing would mean logging out,

deregistering the device, reregistering it to another

player's account every single time you swap.

Oh wow, yeah. Just becomes really.

Cumbersome and defeats the purpose of the easy sync

process. A personal device for each

player keeps everything simple and ensures your historical data

stays neatly tied to your profile.

Right. Personal.

Device personal vest. Speaking of the vest, just to

confirm those product names like vest, vest only and X vest, X

vest only, That's literally just buying the vest on its own,

correct? If you need a spare or a

different size, or maybe your original 1 wears out, you can

just buy the vest itself separate from the device

bundles. Got it.

OK, let's move to the layers command center, the occer B

mobile A. We know it syncs and shows the

basics, but what are the cool analysis features inside right

the A? Is where the magic happens for

the player beyond just seeing numbers for speed and distance.

It gives you those powerful visualizations we talked about.

You've got the heat map showing your activity zones.

There's a histogram. This likely breaks down your

session by intensity, showing you visually, maybe in bar chart

form, how much time you spent walking, jogging, running,

sprinting. Gives you a quick look at your

effort distribution. OK, like a.

Bar chart of your intensity zones exactly.

And the directional map showing your main lines of movement

across the pitch, forward runs, lateral shifts, tracking back

so. Instagram for intensity

breakdown, heat map for location, directional map for

movement patterns. That's pretty detailed.

What about that speed analysis? Yeah, that's the.

Speed zone analysis. It's a pretty standard sports

science approach. The app automatically

categorizes all your movement, excluding when you're standing

still into four zones, walking, jogging, running, and sprinting.

It tells you exactly how much time or distance you spent in

each zone. Super useful.

For checking if you're hitting the high intensity demands of

your position or maybe doing too much low intensity work.

And wasn't there a unique feature linking to like how you

feel? Yes, the SCB.

Performance index. This was quite interesting.

It actually asks you to track things like your sleep duration

and your perceived fatigue levels each day.

Oh OK. Then using that input alongside

your on field performance data, it calculates this index score

that reflects your overall condition and even offers some

guidelines. It's trying to connect your

recovery and well-being directly to your potential performance.

That's a really. Holistic view linking sleep and

fatigue data with the GPS data. Very smart and the goal

tracking. Yep, the app.

Features your goal achievement rate.

You get your goals, more sprints, higher distance,

whatever, and it visually tracks how well you're doing against

those targets session by session and overtime.

You can even compare your achievement rate to benchmarks

like those from pro players, which adds motivation visual.

Progress bars for goals, always a good motivator and there's a

bit of community competition built into seems like it.

There's a player card ranking. This ranks you against other

Soccer B users globally based on how much you've used the app for

analysis over the past year. It's percentile based, so

consistent use helps. Your rank adds a bit of a social

competitive layer. Interesting.

Ranking based on engagement with your own data.

And what was that virtual market value thing?

Yeah, that's part. Of what they call the SED

universe. It assigns you a kind of value

based on your season's performance relative to other

users. The exact calculation isn't

detailed, but it likely combines your key metrics.

Speed, distance, intensity, maybe positional score over a

season. That sounds like another way to

engage users and add a gamified comparison element.

OK, so. Ways to compare and engage with

the wider user base. And all this data, these

reports, can you share them easily?

Yeah, the app is designed. To let you analyze and then

share specific data or insights easily with teammates, coaches,

scouts, whoever you need to show your performance to.

Ty's right back into proving your worth with numbers.

OK, that covers. The individual setup pretty

well. B EE device vest mobile app But

soccer is a team game What about tools for coaches managing a

whole squad that's where the. SCB team solution comes in.

It's a separate platform designed for coaches and teams

and runs on APC. So a.

Different interface for the coach?

How does it differ from the players mobile app it's built?

For handling multiple players and comparing them, key features

are things like team data management. 1 central place for

the coach to see and manage the data for everyone on the roster.

It allows for comparative analysis.

You can pull up data for several players side by side on a bigger

screen. Makes it easy to compare

midfielders or see the fitness levels across the back line for

example. Being able to.

Compare players directly, must be really useful for squad

management and selection. Definitely and.

You can do trend analysis for the whole team over time.

See how the team's average Sprint distance is changing, or

if collective endurance is dropping off late in the season.

This helps inform overall training strategy and

periodization for the group. Understanding those team wide

physical trends seems crucial for planning.

How easy is it for coaches to actually get all the player data

into this team platform? Is it a manual nightmare they

emphasize? That it's designed to be easy,

the sources mentioned. Importing data from the player's

individual B EE devices to a coach's tablet or laptop takes

just a few clicks, so it shouldn't be a huge time sync

for the coaching staff efficiency.

Is key there? Can coaches customize the

analysis beyond the standard reports?

Yes, and this. Sounds quite powerful.

The platform allows data extraction and customization.

Coaches can export all the team data as a standard CSV file.

This means they can manipulate it themselves, maybe use other

software, or importantly, they can use it to create their own

custom metrics. They can blend the objective

Soccer B data with their own tactical insights or specific

physical KPIs they want to track ah.

So they can tailor the analysis to their specific coaching

philosophy or game model. That's really flexible.

It really empowers. The coach to integrate the data

deeply into their own methods. This leads to more informed

strategic use, refining tactics based on physical outputs,

managing player loads effectively for condition

management and injury prevention across the squad.

And is this. SCB Team Solutions Something

teams can access now, according to.

The info we have, yes, and it's currently available for free

while it's in its open beta testing phase, free during.

Beta, that's a fantastic chance for clubs and teams to try out

this level of analysis without a major investment upfront.

Yeah, definitely a good. Opportunity, so it really.

Feels like a complete ecosystem. You've got the individual player

covered with the BE device, the Crucial vest and the mobile app

for personal analysis and goals. Then you have the SCB team

solution on PC for the coach to manage the whole squad's data

and various product options like the B Pro 2 set, B Lite 2 set,

the waterproof pack set and standalone vests like vest only

and X vest only seems pretty comprehensive.

It covers the. Bases from individual player

development right up to team level tactical and fitness

management OK so if. Someone's listening and

thinking, right, I want to try this.

Where do they actually buy soccer?

B. The sources.

List a few main places, their own official shop online and

also Amazon US and Amazon UK. So pretty accessible through

major online retailers in those regions.

Good to know. And while you said the setup is

simple, turn on play, turn off sync, analyze, you know, tech

being tech, sometimes things don't connect smoothly.

Do they offer any quick troubleshooting tips?

Maybe for phone connection issues?

Yeah, the. Classic why won't it sync

problem. They do address that.

They mentioned that usually connection issues are more

likely due to phone settings than the actual BE device

itself. As the devices are tested, their

main tips from the FAQ seem pretty practical.

OK, what? Are they first?

Make sure location services are on end on your phone.

GPS tracking needs that. Second, check the app

permissions for the Soccer me app.

Does it have permission for location and Bluetooth?

Bluetooth is essential for the sync right permissions.

Are often the culprit. Third.

Just double check that Bluetooth is actually turned on overall on

your phone. Sounds basic but easy to

overlook. And finally, specifically for

Android users, they mentioned checking the private DNS

settings. If that's set to some custom

address, it can sometimes mess with device discovery.

Setting it to offer automatic might help.

Those are good. Actionable steps, check

location, check permissions, check Bluetooth is on and maybe

that private DNS setting on Android.

Simple things first. Exactly.

Often solves the problem and you know, stepping back for a

second, it's interesting thing with the community aspect here.

Well, they mentioned over 50,000 athletes using Soccer B

globally. So when you start using it,

you're kind of joining this quite large growing community of

players all tracking their data. And they also talk about a

bigger goal, something about aiming for a fairer and more

inclusive sports industry ecosystem.

How does soccer? B.

Fit into that through data. Democratization, as they put it,

data. Democratization, meaning making

this kind of performance data available to everyone, not just

the big pro clubs with huge budgets, precisely that.

Giving individual players, maybe players at smaller clubs or in

grassroots programs, access to the same kind of objective data,

the tools to understand it and the ability to use it, to

improve, to manage their fitness, maybe even to get

noticed. It's framed as a step towards

leveling the playing field a bit, where your hard work and

potential can be measured and shown regardless of your team's

resources. That's actually a.

Really compelling vision, empowering the individual player

through data, giving them more control over their own

development path. Yeah, it puts the.

Tools and the insights directly into the player's hands OK, so

let's. Try and pull this all together,

then Soccer B. You've got the lightweight BE

device worn in that essential vest for accuracy.

It captures a ton of objective data, speeds, sprints, distance,

positioning via heat maps and more.

Right. It's designed for ease of use.

Turn on play, turn off sync to the mobile app.

The app, powered by machine learning, does the analysis

automatically, giving you instant insights and the

benefits. Are pretty clear you can train

smarter 0 in on areas for improvement, set and track

concrete goals, you gain a competitive edge, manage your

fitness better to hopefully prevent injuries and.

Crucially, for players aiming high, it provides those

objective numbers that can help you get noticed.

Because, yeah, numbers get you signed.

And for coaches? The SCB team solution offers

that team wide perspective, comparative analysis, trend

tracking, custom metrics, better strategic planning and squad

condition management. It's about backing up the eye

test with hard data. It really does.

Make you reconsider the game, doesn't it?

Especially that stat. Only two minutes on the ball in

90 minutes. It just hammers home how much of

performance happens off the ball.

Absolutely. That 88 minutes of movement,

positioning, work rate, that's the foundation.

That's often what differentiates players at the highest level.

Understanding and improving that is key.

So here's something. To chew on as we finish up, if

knowing every detail about your movement without the ball, every

Sprint, every recovery run, every positional shift is

becoming so crucial for elite performance, how might getting

your hands on your own data, really digging into the numbers

behind your game, fundamentally change how you approach soccer?

What hidden potential, what areas you maybe didn't even

realize needed work, could those numbers reveal about your impact

on the beautiful game?

SOCCERBEE: GPS Performance Tracking for Soccer Players

About this episode