Fitogether: Leading Sports Data Innovation with Tableau

Founded in 2017 by three graduates from Pohang University of Science and Technology, including CEO Jinseong Yoon, FitTogether has achieved remarkable success in the football data analysis market in a short period. Notably, in January 2020, just two years after its founding, FitTogether scored the highest in the EPTS test conducted by FIFA in Barcelona, Spain, surpassing industry leaders like Australia's Catapult and the UK's STATSports to achieve first place in the FIFA Quality test.

To understand what EPTS is, think of the special bra tops worn by the players during World Cups. These devices collected real-time movement and biometric data from the players. FitTogether is a Korean startup designated by FIFA as a preferred supplier in the EPTS field for five consecutive years.

FitTogether's EPTS system is a more advanced version of the equipment seen at the World Cup, capable of precise location tracking down to the centimeter.

Fitogether's most significant technological differentiator is the accuracy of its location tracking. The technology boasts centimeter-level precision, made possible by the fusion of two core technologies:

1. RTK (Real-Time Kinematic) GNSS Technology: Fitogether is the first in the world to introduce RTK technology, primarily used in construction and surveying, to the sports field. Unlike standard GPS, the RTK system uses additional correction devices to precisely calibrate satellite signals.
2. Integration with IMU (Inertial Measurement Unit): To measure movements that are difficult to capture with GPS data alone, FitTogether integrated IMU sensors with a data resolution of up to 1000Hz. These sensors measure the inertial changes of players, allowing for precise analysis of complex movement patterns such as jumps, dives, and direction changes. This enables the measurement of tilt and angle changes, collecting multidimensional data beyond simple location tracking.

This ultra-precise technology makes a significant difference in actual games. For example, when analyzing a player's sprint pattern, standard GPS technology can only detect average speed changes, but FitTogether's system can accurately measure minute accelerations and decelerations, providing a more precise evaluation of a player's explosiveness and endurance. This detailed data critically impacts coaching staff's decisions, from injury prevention to tactical analysis.

Based on their world-leading technology, Fitogether initially expanded their market share by aggressively distributing products to about 550 teams. However, as the startup environment deteriorated in 2022, they faced the challenge of proving a sustainable revenue model. Ki-hyuk Park, who took charge of the business team during this period, had a crucial task.

"Our challenge was to prove that we could generate revenue." In the face of a harsh investment climate for domestic startups, an effective sales strategy needed to be redefined.

One of the biggest internal challenges Fitogether faced was the inefficiency of data management. Sales and customer data were primarily managed through Excel and Google Spreadsheets, and although Salesforce was used, data was still recorded in Excel sheets, leading to constant issues with data integrity. Each manager managed data individually, making it difficult to view the market from a unified perspective, and repetitive report writing consumed a lot of time.

To overcome these challenges, Fitogether began to actively adopt and utilize Tableau. They found Tableau to be a powerful tool to help them integrate various data sources and provide consistent insights.

They actively used Tableau dashboards to identify sales opportunities and precisely select customers to target. Dashboards were created to allow all sales members to view where to focus from a common perspective, and daily meetings were held based on these dashboards.

The results were remarkable. In 2023, Fitogether's solution sales grew by 138% compared to the previous year. Additionally, the time required for reporting was significantly reduced, and decision-making speed increased.

A particularly meaningful change was that 'all members see the same data and judge based on the same criteria'. This made sales strategy establishment and resource allocation decisions much clearer and more consistent, which in turn led to execution capabilities.

In addition, CS/CX data and sales data can be managed in an integrated manner, which enables quick identification of correlations between customer issues and sales opportunities and proactive response to potential churn customers. Another major achievement was the establishment of a system to periodically monitor customer usage status and early detection and response to teams with declining usage rates.

Fitogether began to utilize Tableau not only for internal operational efficiency but also as a core element of the services provided to customers. In 2025, the company plans to officially launch a rebranded product that includes Tableau-based data analysis services.

Fitogether's EPTS equipment collects over 400 types of physical data in real-time, including player movements, speed, position, and heart rate. This raw data is automatically cleansed and processed into a structure compatible with Tableau. Based on templates set for each customer, the data is visualized and delivered to various stakeholders such as coaches, managers, and players.

Ki-hyuk Park explained, "The level of user analysis varies greatly. Some high school coaches in Korea want to see the data but don't know how, while sports scientists at professional clubs in the UK analyze the data very meticulously. We approached this by providing various templates to meet these diverse needs."

In addition to basic physical metrics, Fitogether offers various advanced analysis templates. Notable examples include:

1. Periodization Dashboard: Tracks and compares player performance over specific training periods. This allows coaching staff to understand changes in player condition on a weekly or monthly basis and adjust training plans accordingly.
2. Training Load-Based Design Template: Designs training sessions based on individual players' training loads and recovery metrics. This template is crucial for creating personalized training plans that consider players' fatigue levels.
3. Squad Risk Dashboard: Manages the overall fatigue and overload risk of the team. This dashboard helps coaching staff identify players at high risk of injury and plan appropriate rest and rehabilitation.

These templates automate repetitive analysis tasks while being intuitively designed for immediate use by coaching staff. A particularly noteworthy improvement is the significant enhancement in coaches' work efficiency.

This time-saving goes beyond mere convenience, creating substantial value by allowing coaches to focus more on in-depth analysis and player development.

Fitogether currently provides services to over 500 sports teams domestically and internationally and operates local offices in the UK and Qatar to expand its business in Japan, Southeast Asia, Europe, and the Middle East.

A significant example of Fitogether's global competitiveness is its collaboration with Aspire Academy, a world-renowned sports institution in Qatar. This relationship began with Fitogether's participation in a bid to supply EPTS equipment to the entire Qatar League and deepened through a rigorous three-month technical verification process. Ki-hyuk Park explained, "Aspire Academy is one of the most stringent institutions in the world for testing the precision of sports data." Fitogether's staff personally wore the equipment and ran to verify the data's accuracy, leading to an official partnership with Aspire Academy, which praised Fitogether for having "the best engine in the world for sports performance analysis." In June 2025, at the Aspire Workshop Tour in Singapore, where about 1,000 sports performance professionals will gather, Fitogether's Tableau-based data visualization solution will also be unveiled.

Tableau plays a crucial role in Fitogether's global business expansion. It helps minimize language barriers by delivering data intuitively to customers from various cultures and languages. While some countries prioritize detailed figures, others focus on trends or comparisons. Tableau's flexibility in dashboard configuration makes it advantageous for localization. Overseas partners have frequently provided feedback that "data reports have become much easier to understand."

The experience gained domestically and internationally, along with advanced analysis cases from collaborations with global institutions like Aspire Academy, continues to drive the development of Fitogether's Tableau-based data portal.

Fitogether aims to expand Tableau from a simple visualization tool to a "platform that directly provides data-driven services to customers." Beyond optimizing internal operations, the core direction is to enable customers to derive actual value from data.

Fitogether plans to gradually expand customized data portals that reflect the needs of each customer. It is crucial to allow each team or institution to configure and continuously use analysis frameworks that align with their philosophy. By standardizing advanced analysis cases verified through collaborations with global sports institutions into Tableau templates and providing them to customers worldwide, Fitogether aims to transition from being a mere equipment supplier to becoming a comprehensive sports data platform company.

Fitogether is also moving beyond primary physical data analysis by developing advanced analytical features using AI technology. They are preparing to integrate an AI algorithm into their service that can automatically detect changing formations and positions over time from player location data. Additionally, they are working on a service that combines GPS data with video, allowing for synchronized analysis of video footage and location data for a more comprehensive understanding.

This centimeter-level precision goes beyond mere technical achievement to actual performance improvement. For instance, while standard EPTS equipment struggles to measure minute accelerations and direction changes, Fitogether's system captures these details accurately, enabling coaching staff to devise more precise training plans and game strategies.

Tableau serves as the key tool for visualizing these details, helping the entire team interpret data from the same perspective, and extracting critical signals from vast amounts of data. It brings Fitogether's analytical acumen to life.

In the sports tech industry, data-driven digital innovation is not optional but essential. However, Fitogether has chosen to address small problems first rather than implementing grand systems. By automating repetitive tasks and making necessary information easily accessible to everyone, they have reached their current position.

Ki-hyuk Park advises companies contemplating data-driven digital innovation in the sports industry, "Start small, focus on the needs of the field, and build steadily. This is the most realistic and sustainable way to innovate."

The journey of data-driven innovation that Fitogether has built serves as the foundation for their leap to the forefront of the global sports data market. With the mindset of starting anew from the starting line in 2025, Fitogether, armed with the powerful tool of Tableau, is advancing towards the global market, symbolizing the realization of data's value in the sports field.