More than $100,000 has been paid to players as a result of the PSA partnership with Sports Data Labs ©PSA

The Professional Squash Association (PSA) has announced that more than $100,000 (£75,000/€84,000) has been paid to players as a result of its partnership with Sports Data Labs.

Both parties struck a deal in 2018 which has seen "in-game physiological data assets" become available for commercialisation. 

Sport Data Labs use "heart data capture and tracking technology" to provide the PSA with "real-time human data".

This is then shared with official broadcasters in a bid to enhance the viewing experience, as well as being made available to commercial partners such as betting companies.

Players who consent to their data being used are rewarded with a share of the revenue, which is allocated across the PSA's major platinum and World Championship events.

Progressing further in a tournament results in a bigger share, while players can also use the data for their own performance analysis.

"Our partnership with Sports Data Labs has been a game changer in terms of the way we are able to commercialise the physiological data of our players and has had huge benefits for both the PSA and our athletes," said the PSA's chief operating officer Lee Beachill.

"Not only has this partnership resulted in financial gain for our athletes and the association, we have also been able to enhance our broadcast product, enabling fans and casual players to compare their performances with that of our athletes. 

"The data gained from Sports Data Labs' technology has highlighted that our players are amongst the fittest in world sport.

Players who consent to their data being used are rewarded with a share of the revenue ©Getty Images
Players who consent to their data being used are rewarded with a share of the revenue ©Getty Images

"We are incredibly excited about the potential of this partnership and believe it can connect us further with spectators as well as enable us to enhance our relationship with betting partners, who will be able to use this data to engage with customers in a more in-depth way than ever before."

When the deal was signed in 2018, the PSA said squash had become the first professional sport to strike such a partnership. 

"Sports Data Labs, the PSA and its athletes are all working towards the same goal, which is bringing in more revenue for players and the tour as well as providing more performance insights for players that will help them optimise their in-match performance," said Mark Gorski, the Sports Data Labs founder and chief executive.

"Real-time, in-game physiological data opens up entirely new categories for sponsorship and we believe one of the biggest opportunities moving forward will be in sports betting. 

"Our goal is for this partnership to be the model for how in-game athlete data can be utilised across professional sport.

"We believe that the PSA and Sports Data Labs are set-up to really prove the value of human data. 

"With the support of the players and the commercial model that we have in place, we couldn't be more excited about where our future is going with the PSA."