3 Reasons Canadian High Schools Pick Hudl Athletic Department Packages

It’s no secret that Canadian athletic departments run differently than their counterparts in the States.

Your funding is a fundamental challenge. Budgets are trickier. Privacy is paramount. And your coaches are typically volunteers.

However, more and more Canadian high schools are investing in Hudl Athletic Department packages. The numbers below give a glimpse at the growing number of Canadian organizations using Hudl.

Hudl Athletic Department packages include hardware and software that benefit every team, program or club. 

Hardware, like Hudl Focus, securely records and livestreams events automatically — with full control over film for privacy, always. Hudl desktop and mobile apps make it easy for your coaches and athletes to analyze and communicate anywhere, anytime.

With game film handled, your teams then submit video to Hudl Assist for automated stats. Coaches and athletes can view reports to track progress and form game plans. Data is linked directly to video, making it easy to find key moments for analysis.

Despite the differences in how athletic departments operate, the value of Hudl for Canadian schools remains the same as on either side of the border. 

From British Columbia to Nova Scotia, Canadian high schools shared the top three benefits of Hudl athletic department packages. Here’s a look at what each of these points means for you in the Great White North.

1. Auto-tracking cameras with Livestreaming (and additional revenue)

Canadian high schools love Hudl Focus. Our smart cameras capture HD, hands-free film for every game. And with total control over the video to ensure privacy, Focus is a must-have for high school athletics.

But that’s only the beginning. Hudl Focus cameras also provide simple livestreaming options. 

Hudl Focus livestreams directly to a team’s Hudl profile — no extra work, no extra cost — so fans and communities can tune in to watch and support all year long. 

These Hudl profiles also show stats, schedules, highlights and more. This makes it easy for families and fans to connect with their favorite teams and athletes.

Lauren Green is the athletic director at Jasper Place High School in Edmonton, AB. Green said her program used the Hudl Focus Indoor camera to record and livestream Provincials last year. She said it was a great experience and reduced the amount of work for her paid and volunteer staff.

“It made it so we needed fewer volunteers,” Green said. “With a tournament like that, the biggest value is the ease of scheduling games and not needing anyone up there to be controlling [a camera].”

Every game was livestreamed with a single Hudl Focus camera, without any manual operation. 

Earlier this year, the Alberta Schools’ Athletic Association (ASAA) announced a three-year partnership with Hudl to broadcast all provincial championship games. Fans purchase a pass to view all games after the first weekend, but this pay-per-view model extends to individual schools as well

Hudl athletic department packages include Production Truck broadcast software. With Production Truck, schools can add premium elements to the livestream, such as a scoreboard overlay, play-by-play and color commentary, and even advertisements to bring in added revenue.

2. Time-saving tools

Finding volunteer coaches is enough of a challenge. Asking them to film and stat every game is another task altogether.

So why bother?

One of the biggest benefits with Hudl’s athletic department packages is the amount of time saved for coaches and their teams. With automated video and data, coaches get maximum resources with minimal work.

Ask your coaches if they would like HD video as well as comprehensive team and player stats with no additional work added to their plate. Would any of them turn that down? Would your athletes?

Hudl’s simple, yet powerful tools are intuitive so all of your coaches and athletes can hit the ground running. But, to help coaches and athletes get the most out of our solutions, athletic department packages include a wealth of educational materials.

Every school on an athletic department package also gets a dedicated Customer Success Manager. This is a Hudl rep who is committed to providing dedicated training to every coach, athlete or parent in your program.

With Hudl, you’re minimizing the learning curve by ensuring everyone is successful from day one.

3. Player development for all

According to a recent study, 65% of the world’s population are visual learners. But you don’t need a research paper to tell you video runs the world.

From social media and YouTube to post-COVID teleconferencing and online learning, we use video more than ever. So it’s no surprise the majority of today’s student-athletes are used to using video.

With an AD package, all your teams can use Hudl. Any club or sport, varsity or not as well as boys’ and girls’ programs, will have the same solutions.

Many Canadian high school football teams are already using Hudl in some way — whether they play American rules or Canadian rules football. 

In fact, every football program in British Columbia uses Hudl. When more teams and schools use Hudl solutions, the value only grows.

It’s easier to share film and scout opponents, ultimately raising the level of competition to benefit every athlete. 

But it’s not just football. 

Basketball, volleyball, hockey and more can use all of Hudl’s solutions — Hudl, Hudl Focus, Hudl Assist, and more — to improve and grow.

More than 50% of American high schools are using Hudl Athletic Department packages. But they’re catching on in Canada, too.