Could this £300 Gadget Have Helped Finally Bring Football Home?

With the defeat of England in the biggest game of the year, did the Oura ring finally help the England Men’s throughout the tournament?

Reports reveal that the FA has supplied Oura health trackers popularised by stars including Prince Harry to Gareth Southgate and team. Adored by royalty and celebrities across the globe, a £300 smart ring has found itself at the forefront of the Euros, adorning the fingers of England players and staff, who were hopeful it could have given them the edge over Spain in the final this evening where Spain were victorious, beating England 2-1.

Bought in bulk in March by the FA – and previously described as “addictive” by defender John Stones – the high-tech piece of titanium monitors the players’ heart rate, sleep, and stress levels, calculating their readiness to train and seize victory on the pitch.

Made by the Finnish health-tech startup Oura, and now in its third generation, the ring is packed with sensors capable of continually monitoring more than 20 different biometrics. These range from standard activity tracking to advanced metrics such as heart rate variability, skin temperature, reproductive cycles, and even cardiovascular age. The science behind it is solid. The ring records key metrics such as heart rate variability, blood oxygen levels, and skin temperature each night, sending the data to a smartphone to compare it to a baseline set by the wearer over prior weeks. Any deviation from the baseline indicates their body is under stress, which can be caused by anything from alcohol or caffeine consumption during the day to overtraining or the flu.

While the smart ring is cutting-edge technology for most, England’s sports scientists and coaches have access to even more sophisticated equipment. However, the Oura ring undeniably has the advantage in pure ease of use, as slipping on a ring is much easier than being hooked up to electrodes and sensors each night. As noted earlier this week, Samsung recently launched their own Oura rival with the Galaxy Ring, and smart rings are rapidly becoming a must-have for gadget lovers and fashionistas alike.

Oura rings are used by teams and sports figures across the world, from Spain’s Real Madrid to the NBA, Nascar, and UFC in the US, as well as high-profile individuals such as Lewis Hamilton, Prince Harry, Kim Kardashian, and Gwyneth Paltrow. 

With tech like this becoming an ever increasing part of the game, athletes will be making the Oura ring a staple in their training for many years to come.