Through holistic imple­men­ta­tion of Hudl and Sportscode, the WAFL are finding ways to improve through video.

The West Australian Football League (WAFL) is a State League competition comprised of nine clubs, with three grades—League, Reserves and Colts. It’s the premier competition in the state for Australian Rules Football.

Most of their players are semi-professional athletes and have full-time employment or study outside of football. This means it’s all the more critical to have access to footage wherever they are.

We caught up with Luke Sanders, the Operations Manager for WAFL, to talk about the league’s implementation of Hudl and Sportscode this season, and to see how the implementation impacts the league as a whole.

What ultimately led you to Sportscode and Hudl as a league-wide solution for analysis?

“The WAFL competition was investigating a cloud-based solution to store and exchange our match day vision and enable stakeholders to download matches—replacing the need for clubs to physically pick up the vision from the WAFL. Some WAFL clubs were already using Sportscode and Hudl, so it was the best solution for the competition and clubs needs.

“[We] wanted an efficient solution based on the geographical location of clubs and other stakeholders around Australia that needed to access the vision. Hudl provided an exchange solution for the competition.”

Walk me through how the teams use Hudl and Sportscode.

“The competition uploads the vision on a Saturday night or Sunday morning, enabling clubs to download the vision and align to Sportscode. The WAFL clubs then uploaded the coded data to their page and push the vision through Hudl to their players and coaches. This eliminates the need to use desktop computers or laptops and hard drives, [and] enables players to access for review purposes.

“We have also enabled the WAFL umpire’s access to a page where they edit individual packages, which has been a useful feedback tool between coaches, players and umpires.”

How easy was it to implement Hudl?

“The implementation of Hudl has been fairly seamless. However there are clubs that are utilising Hudl to maximum effect and other clubs who are only using the system as an exchange service for vision.”

Can you provide us with an example of a team using both that led to success directly on the pitch?

“I don't have any specific examples of how the teams are utilizing the program specifically, but I personally believe there is a correlation between the successful clubs and the interaction they have between their coaches and players and performance on and off the field.”

How have these tools elevated the play within your league?

“Hudl has enabled the WAFL clubs to interact with players on a platform that is cost effective and reliable, hence elevating the experience for players and coaches.”

What stands out to you the most about Hudl?

“The main feature is the increased efficiency and timing to enable clubs to push the vision to players and coaches, who all have full-time jobs outside of football, assisting clubs with time management.

“The other feature that some clubs are using is the highlights function, enabling quick uploads of vision to social media.

“[Hudl] is the best solution that we have been able to source and links well with the Sportscode product that clubs are using.”

How do you see your league using tools like this in the future?

“The WAFL is committed to ensure that our clubs have access to the most up to date technology and the most efficient solution for the competition, clubs and our external stakeholders.”