Samsung Galaxy S5 Fitness Features To Help England World Cup Team

All 23 members of England’s World Cup squad and coaching staff will receive a Samsung Galaxy S5 smartphone to take with them to Brazil as part of the Football Association’s (FA) new partnership with the Korean manufacturer.

Samsung, which has been named the official consumer electronics and smartphone supplier to the England team, says the Galaxy S5 will let each player keep in touch with friends, family and fans back home during the tournament.

It says the health-specific features of the handset, which was released in the UK last month, such as the heart rate sensor and fitness applications will be of particular interest to the England squad, as will the sweat, liquid and dust protection in the varying conditions of Brazil.

Samsung England partnership

“We are extremely excited that Samsung will be supporting the England team as our new official consumer electronics and smartphone supplier,” said FA commercial director Stuart Turner. “Samsung has a fantastic heritage in football across the globe and in such an important year, the team will be flying out to Brazil with the best possible mobile devices at their fingertips.”

Samsung will hope the England partnership will contribute to the “World Cup boost” it anticipates will increase sales of its television sets this summer, as it looks to turn around two successive quarters of profit decline. The company also sponsors Chelsea football club and has individual deals with a number of top footballers, including German international Mario Götze who was at Mobile World Congress in Barcelona earlier this year promoting the firm’s ChatOn messaging service.

The FA recently agreed a six year sponsorship and technology deal with mobile operator EE for Wembley Stadium, with the stated intention of making it the most connected stadium in the world.

Football’s governing body in England also has ambitious plans to establish itself as a world leader in the application of sports technology. During a tour of the National Football Centre at St George’s Park last year, the FA CIO Rob Ray told TechWeekEurope that technology was involved with every aspect of football.

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