I wore high tech tracker in Sunday League game to compare my stats to Harry Kane and the results are incredible

I've noticed footballers wearing them under their shirts for years but now it was my turn to test it out.

On a cold and windy morning at Crossley Playing Fields in Chadderton, Oldham, an average Sunday League footballer is wearing some top-tier technology.

Data is so important in top-level football and the very device I am using is regularly utilised by Harry Kane, Harry Maguire and Phil Foden - and a host of elite teams like Liverpool, Arsenal, Paris Saint-Germain and the Brazil national team among others.

It is commonly used so that players can see what improvements need to be made, with clubs able to take the findings and incorporate it into training plans - and even ultimately apply it as an important factor in team selection.

That is at the absolute elite level of football, but how beneficial can it be at the top end of Tameside football league's second division?

This Oldham Hulmeians right-back (in the changing rooms) is attempting to answer that question by testing out the FIFA-approved GPS tracker. Turning up to the pitch in my kit for a 10:30am kick-off with Dom Doyle Villa, I bring my boots, shinpads, tape, STATSports vest and fully-charged GPS tracker and mobile phone with me.

I put the tighly-fitted sport-bra-like vest on over an undershirt and light claret football top and after acquiring GPS signal and getting the necessary three beeps, place the tracker in a bonded heat-sealed compartment at the back before getting stuck into a somewhat vigorous warm-up based around some cones.

I followed in the footsteps of England internationals in wearing a STATSports vest. Image: Danny Hawkins

The tracker is a one-of-a-kind piece of kit which tracks a total of 16 key physical metrics across three key areas of volume, speed and cardio - most notably tracking total distance, max speed, sprints and heat maps.

And through the Apex app, those who use it can then see their session in full and compare their stats to other members of the community and world-class professionals.

Although in drastically different positions in football and in life, I simply had to pick Kane as my 'benchmark' given he is England’s record goalscorer and captain.

So, how will I fare against a man with over 400 goals for club and country? Many might have been critical of Kane looking a little sluggish at Euro 2024 but the Bayern Munich star, beats the man they call the 'Chadderton Cafu' in plenty of aspects - as a breakdown of stats shows.

Total distance covered:

Me - 3.28km

Harry Kane - 14.18km

Average score - 7.82km

Distance per minute:

Me - 28 (m/min)

Harry Kane - 122 (m/min)

Average score - 67 (m/min)

High intensity distance:

Me - 212m

Harry Kane - 3231m

Average score - 1200m

High speed running:

Me -24m

Harry Kane - 1576m

Average score - 380m

Harry Kane got the win on this occasion but I'll come back stronger. Image: STATSports

Max speed:

Me - 6.67 (m/s)

Harry Kane - 10.21 (m/s)

Average score - 7.57 (m/s)

I must reveal that I am largely a spectator for my team’s latest fixture, which sees us go 5-1 down after conceding three goals worthy of a place in the 2006 December Premier League Goal of the Month competition – before completing a remarkable turnaround to win 7-6.

Our all-action midfielder, Joe, bags a 97th minute winner to seal a hat-trick in the 13-goal thriller and he would have been better-placed to wear the vest if we're being completely honest.

My heat map made for interesting reading. Image: Statsports

Meanwhile, I have to settle for a cameo in defence and hilariously, my heat map perfectly captures the pacing I was doing on the sideline watching this enthralling game unfold. For your information, that little dot on the goal-line isn't from doing the nets up - it's from attempting to get the ball out of the net when we score a fifth goal to make 6-5.

Prior to my session, Cian Carroll, head of marketing at STATSports, had estimated that my fellow right-back Trent Alexander-Arnold would typically make around 50 sprints per game when playing for Liverpool and England.

In an article on the STATSports website, top 5% of full-backs typically cover 11.31km, have a max speed at 32.76 km/h and do 47 sprints.

That was the reference point but sadly I'm only able to manage just the one sprint and eight accelerations and decelerations, instead preferring to hold my position and focus on being nice and solid.

It's no surprise the intensity from the workout is deemed "very low" when the app tells me in a comprehensive rundown all 196,000 users receive once their session is synced.

Though I likely would have had better stats had I rocked the vest on the dancefloor at my work Christmas Party on the Friday, at least I received a metric-based achievement after breaking 6m/sec max speed.

Phil Foden trains wearing the STATSports vest. Image: STATSports

But after a taste of it, I remain determined to improve my physical performance on the pitch and now have my sight set on achieving a Pro Score - a personalised rating that compares performance to the world's top athletes once you've uploaded and synced 10 sessions via Bluetooth.

And with it bit more gametime after the Christmas period, you best believe I'm coming for Kane, Foden, Maguire and the rest.

You can buy the Apex Athlete Series – GPS Performance Tracker from £149.99 online from statsports.com.