Vindico providing state-of-the-art app for health monitoring

Welsh company partners with the EIHL

The Elite Ice Hockey League is thrilled to have partnered with Vindico to ensure the 2021 Elite Series has everything it needs to get underway.

Welsh tech leaders Vindico are providing the Elite League with a state-of-the-art Pre-Event Screening application. The innovative app – SWAPP Lite – ensures that everyone entering the Motorpoint Arena has completed a health diary and uploaded details of their COVID-19 tests.

The app was first rolled out for the Welsh Rugby Union’s Autumn Internationals campaign in 2020. Its success meant it was the go-to safety solution for the WRU’s recent Six Nations championship campaign at the Principality Stadium, too.

Aside from developing technology that keeps sports teams safe during the pandemic, Vindico are also hockey fans, and have been supporters and sponsors of the Cardiff Devils since 2016.

"We are required to submit information about everyone who enters the arena to Public Health England, and this app gives us everything we need to do at the touch of a button,“ explained Mike Hicks, Head of Hockey Operations for the EIHL.

 "They have experience of similar-scale events, and have been a vital part of our preparations for the Elite Series. We are delighted to be working with them, and very grateful for their work in such a short space of time.“

All players, staff and volunteers will complete the health diary on their mobile devices in order to enter the arena, and undergo a further temperature check upon arrival. Players, coaches, and team officials will be tested every day before entry, and upload their results to the app.

Vindico's MD, Jo Polson, said: “Even with games being played behind closed doors, there is still a huge responsibility to keep teams, staff, contractors, and the media safe.

“Bringing SWAPP Lite to the Elite Series in the Motorpoint Arena Nottingham means we yet again get to help sport take place safely.

“We’ve taken what we’ve learned from rugby and added new features to meet the unique challenges of this mini tournament.

“Additions including accreditation standards, access zones, daily COVID testing, and outputting data direct to the NHS have all been added. SWAPP Lite will continue to evolve to play its part in bring sport back safely, and we’re looking forward to the next challenge.”

About Vindico

Founded in 2014, Vindico is a team of blue-sky thinkers and problem solvers – led by MD Jo Polson, backed by Technical Director Ryan Griffiths, driven by Head of R&D Professor Paul Lewis, and facilitated by the Company’s tech incubator.

Their aim is to transform ideas into concepts, concepts into prototypes and prototypes into products that change the way businesses operate – for the better. They call it: ‘Thinking Purple’, which means asking better questions to deliver better outcomes. And it’s more than a catchy slogan. It’s the brand’s ethos and mission, and it underpins everything they do. It’s also what clients ranging from Parc Y Scarlets to Ice Arena Wales have come to know and trust.

Since launching, the tech innovators have grown to a team of 14 of the finest thinkers and innovators that the UK has to offer. They have offices in Cardiff (at Ice Arena Wales) and Swansea (at Parc Y Scarlets), and have enjoyed recession-proof, pandemic-proof, year-on-year growth thanks to their unrivalled technical expertise.