The Rugby Football Union agreed to a four-year deal making IBM an official partner of England Rugby. IBM and England Rugby will work together using IBM Cloud and AI technology as well as sports industry expertise to help deliver the RFU's strategic plan. The partnership will attempt to leverage IBM's technology for a competitive advantage in key areas including the community and professional games as well as with supporters. The renewed partnership follows five years of working together, during which IBM has implemented a technology-enabled plan for the RFU's customer relationship management strategy (RFU). TECH RADAR's Mike Moore reported rugby fans "will soon be able to get even closer to the action using their mobile devices thanks to" the new partnership. The deal will include a redesigned matchday hub and mobile apps to keep track of all the action as well as personalized offers, alerts and more. Players will also "benefit from greater analysis and insight into their own performance," with IBM's systems using video and match data to track every second of play to spot "particular strengths and areas to be improved." At the grassroots level, IBM will provide technological expertise to build a database of players and teams (TECH RADAR, 10/31).
