9:28am Thursday 2nd September 2010
By Gareth Lewis
HAWK-Eye, the Hampshire based ball-tracking technology that leaves sports fans on the edge of their seats, is up for sale for £20m.
Hawk-Eye Innovations is being sold by owner Mark Getty, the son of US-born philanthropist Sir Paul Getty, who bought the Colden Common based company, which employs 40 people, in 2006.
The technology– which has now become a staple feature for nailbiting decisions in leading tennis tournaments and international cricket – generates heated debate among players and fans alike.
It was developed from research at Roke Manor near Romsey in 1999 first appeared on Channel 4’s cricket coverage in 2001, winning a BAFTA for Sports Innovation. The company, whose valuation could range between £15m and £20m, comes to market just as FIFA the football’s world governing body, has opened itself to the possibility of introducing goal-line detection technology to the sport. Paul Hawkins, founder and managing director of Hawk-Eye, said that although the sales process will kick-off before any decision is made in the football world, it could help attract a buyer.
“It’s a good opportunity for a new partner. We are quite excited about the possibilities in football but there are other things too to be excited about at the moment. We look forward to seeing who expresses an interest in buying the business.”
FIFA has previously rejected the use of technology – despite the Premier League backing the development of a football version of Hawk-Eye, which involved installing camera-based and software systems at Reading FC. But controversies such as Frank Lampard’s disallowed goal for England against Germany in this summer’s World Cup have reignited the debate.
Hawk-Eye, used at Wimbledon, also has a strong position in top-class cricket, where it is used to help judge leg-before-wicket decisions.
The system, based on visually tracking the path of the ball, and then predicting and displaying its most statistically likely path, has also been used in snooker. In the year ending September 2009, Hawk-Eye made a pre-tax profit of £1.1 million on sales of £3.6 million.
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