Image by R82 Photography via FlickrReports from Sheffield say that universities in the city have spun out 150 companies. “Indisputably, sport has brought significant benefits to Sheffield, home to the world’s oldest football club. It contributes about a fifth of South Yorkshire’s economy, generating £680 million in 2006. Close to 150 sports-related businesses have been spun out of the city’s universities. “It is bigger than large-scale manufacturing,” Richard Jones, the chief executive of Yorkshire South Tourism, said.” The latest report on football finances by consultants Deloitte shows that the football wages bill has reached over £1billion with top players receiving £150,000 per week. The mind boggles! Even the Cambridge Rugby Union Football Club has a budget of over £750,000.
But what technology has come out of the Cambridge Cluster which can be sold to the football clubs? Sheffield’s success can be traced back to the World Student Games in 1991 and the 2012 Olympics should give the Cambridge Cluster more opportunities.
It would be good if we could encourage some of the footballers to become angels but I presume that they are surrounded by advisers and few will make investments in new technology companies.
There must be many opportunities. I notice watching golf and tennis on the BBC iPlayer that it is very difficult to see the ball. A little video enhancement would give a much better viewing experience. There is the problem of shadows across stadiums which give a very poor viewing experience and probably explains why matches are scheduled to be played under floodlights. The video could be corrected to reduce the problem of shadows and the bright lights. It is particularly noticeable on videos of Italian football played in strong sunlight. Then there must be the problem of monitoring players temperature and heart rates whilst training and playing. What about a screech eliminator so we at home can enjoy watching Sharapova play? Most of these ideas could play to one of the Cambridge Clusters strengths – mobile phones.
It is time for the Cambridge Cluster to play the game and break into the sporting world so we can also start talking telephone numbers for wages and not salaries!
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