$100m US sports analysis giant announces move to Leeds

Hudl, the US-owned digital sports analysis firm, has chosen Leeds as the location for its newest office.

Specialists in the field of sports performance and integrated video analysis tools, the company works with the likes of Leeds United and Leeds Rhinos using the Sportscode software, alongside international giants such as Barcelona, Bayern Munich and PSG.

The $100m company, headquartered in Lincoln, Nebraska, has offices in 15 countries and over 1000 employees.

Hudl chose Leeds for its EMEA leadership base to complement existing offices in London, Frankfurt, Marseille, Amsterdam and Barcelona.

Courtney Rodgers, VP of marketing and business operations at Hudl, said: “We looked at a number of locations and eventually chose Leeds. We are excited about the digital, data and creative strengths of the City Region and are also attracted to the Tech Hub that is now up and running at Platform.

“Together with the great national and international connectivity it’s a compelling package as Hudl continues to grow around the world.”

Roger Marsh OBE, chair of Leeds City Region Enterprise Partnership (LEP), added: “It’s great to welcome global tech brand Hudl to Leeds City Region. Our investment in creating the spaces where digital and creative companies can thrive is clearly paying off and the scene is growing.

“The LEP Inward Investment team have supported Hudl to move here and we’re looking forward to launching a new product in April to incentivise more digital companies to locate in the region.”

Councillor James Lewis, Leeds City Council’s executive member for resources and strategy, also commented: “It was fantastic to meet the Hudl team and hear about their exciting plans.

“This is the latest international tech business which has looked to Leeds to support its growth, reinforcing our status as a leading city in the digital sector and supporting our ambitions to become the UK’s first 5G city.”

Hudl is set to employ around 300 new staff around the world in the next 12 months. This includes up to 20 people in the business development and marketing teams who will be based at the new Leeds office.