The National Hockey League (NHL) is modernizing its environmental impact monitoring throughout the organization with the help of an end-to-end, cloud-based system dubbed “NHL Venue Metrics” which is powered by SAP Business Technology Platform (SAP BTP).
The NHL has made it a priority to take measures to lessen the damage it does to the environment while still preserving the traditions that gave rise to the sport. To this end, the NHL made a commitment in 2010 to integrate sustainability into its business functions and minimize its overall effect on the environment whenever it was feasible to do so. Measuring the known consequences of its activities on carbon emission is a significant part of the initiative that was made.
According to NHL Green’s 2014 and 2018 sustainability reports, the League’s carbon footprint is significantly impacted by venue operations. There was a program called NHL Green Metrics used to assist gather statistics, but its underlying information technology infrastructure had become obsolete, necessitating an upgrade.
Omar Mitchell, Vice President of Sustainable Infrastructure and Growth Initiatives at the National Hockey League, said that updating the NHL’s system for collecting environmental data was an arduous process. He continued, saying that they turned to SAP — a trusted technology partner — to develop a solution that would allow them to meet their sustainability goals.
The German enterprise software giant teams up with industry leaders in IT, non-government organizations (NGOs), management consultancies, sustainability rating systems, and standard-setting bodies to expedite the adoption of green business practices. Furthermore, SAP has also worked closely with the NHL to revamp the statistics platform on NHL.com and include cutting-edge analytics that have made NHL.com/Stats the go-to source for hockey data.
The SAP-NHL Coaching Insights App for iPad, also developed through the collaboration between SAP and the NHL, gives coaches real-time access to individualized player statistics and data visualizations so they can make on-the-fly adjustments to their strategies and tactics. Last year’s updates streamlined the app’s user interface even more and provided coaches with access to immediate in-game data and statistical analysis.
NHL’s Sustainability Goals Backed by SAP Business Technology Platform
This year, the NHL and SAP have once again joined forces to create a cloud-based digital platform for measuring the League’s and its clubs’ carbon footprints. Using the comprehensive platform known as NHL Venue Metrics, the NHL can monitor and analyze the recycling, waster, water, and energy indicators that make up the carbon footprints of its clubs’ and venues’ operations.
“A core tenet of our environmental sustainability strategy is continued measurement and analysis of our known carbon footprint, particularly our arenas where our games are played. We’ve been tracking this data for a number of years. But in order to take that effort to the next level, we needed to leverage the experts at SAP to help us build a scalable platform that would be a game changer out of the gate,” Mitchell explained.
The NHL asked all 32 clubs and venue operators to begin using the platform in September, and they have been entering data from 2018 through mid-2022 to establish a baseline. Three components make up the framework:
- Teams and their arena partners may use a data gathering app to input and submit consumption and venue management information
- A processing engineer in the form of a computation and verification program that may help the NHL double-check and verify the information that the arenas have provided
- A data visualization tool that provides the NHL, its clubs, and its arenas with actionable insights
It is anticipated that the data will help the NHL get closer to its sustainability goal of lessening its environmental impact. Teams and venues will have access to data such as league averages, similar-market venue comparisons, and year-over-year utility usage trend research.
Commenting on the latest expanded partnership with the NHL, Amy Schulz, Senior Director of Global Sponsorships at SAP, said that besides helping the League achieve their sustainability goals, the German tech giant is pleased to be a part of the league’s efforts to keep hockey alive for future generations. She further shared:
“Our latest effort brought together two organizations that value and recognize the transformative role that technology can play in accelerating more sustainable business practices. With the enhanced capabilities of SAP Business Technology Platform, NHL Venue Metrics will streamline how the NHL tracks environmental impact across the League that will influence goal-setting for the future.”
