Erling Haaland gets his pee analysed: How smart urinals are used to monitor player performance

In the world of football, the biggest stars are constantly seeking a marginal edge on the training ground. Now, the hunt for these gains has reached the restroom. A new phenomenon is spreading through the training facilities of top European clubs. The so-called 'S-urinal' (where the 'S' stands for 'smart') is making inroads, equipped with touchscreens and sensors that analyse players' urine.

Elite football clubs are frequently turning to 'smart urinals' to gain a competitive edge in sports science and player recovery. Spanish startup company Kamleon has developed the so-called 'S-Urinal', which streamlines the process of monitoring player hydration and replaces lengthy and tedious manual testing with real-time biometric analysis.

Roughly a quarter of the clubs in England's top flight have adopted S-Urinals at their training facilities. Manchester United was an early adopter, integrating the units during renovations at their Carrington Training Complex. They have since been joined by heavyweights Arsenal, Manchester City, Aston Villa, and most recently, Ipswich Town.

Players like Erling Braut Haaland, Declan Rice and Rayan Cherki will log in or select their profile on a touchscreen mounted above the urinal. Built-in sensors then measure key biomarkers automatically, including urine specific gravity, volume, colour, and electrolyte concentration.

The system gives the player an instant score out of 100, colour-coded for quick interpretation.

The process is automated to save time:

1. When a player needs to urinate, they tap their name on the touchscreen.

2. The player urinates as usual.

3. Inside the bowl, optical sensors measure the urine’s specific gravity (USG), colour, and concentration in real time.

4. Within seconds, the data is transmitted to the club’s medical support staff, while the player receives immediate feedback displayed on the wall: a green, yellow, or red colour, combined with a hydration score from 1% to 100%.

If a player receives a score corresponding to a yellow or red colour, the support staff can intervene immediately, providing instructions on exactly what type and amount of fluid the player needs to consume.

Another important metric that can be helpful when tracking a profile is urine frequency, particularly if an atypical pattern is emerging.

Players affected by Ramadan fasts have allegedly found routine testing beneficial when additional care and attention are required regarding their physical health.

Assessing and monitoring hydration is not a recent development - teams have been doing this for a long time. But the S-Urinals have sped up the process and differ by eliminating the requirement for outdated manual testing, which earlier was a very monotonous and lengthy process.

Studies suggest hydration status may influence the body’s physiological stress response, with potential implications on recovery. A 2020 study in the European Journal of Sport Science, according to the New York Times, synthesised data from 24 studies to present notable findings related to USG.

The analysis indicated that 66.2 per cent of evaluated professional players were either hypohydrated or dehydrated, placing them at risk of performing below their usual average.

Mark Ashton, the CEO of Ipswich Town, praised the S-Urinals during a recent tour of the new training facility on the club’s official website, stating: "The player’s face appears on the screen, he clicks it, uses the toilet as normal, and the results are immediately analysed upstairs, and we then know the hydration levels of players, which is key to us. When we show people around, they almost can’t believe we have these in place."

The trend is also actively expanding past football, with several NBA and NFL franchises adopting the tech to optimise player recovery.

Coaching and performance teams are always seeking extra support and methods to operate faster and more effectively. And while going to the restroom can still be a serene and mundane personal routine, the information and insights generated may now make a difference on the pitch.