How Graphics & Technology has Changed Football
How Graphics & Technology has Changed Football
Football is a multi billion-dollar industry followed by billions of people around the world, so it's not surprising at all that it isn't immune to the tech sector's favorite buzzword - "Digital Transformation."
In the late 90's, football was just beginning to gain popularity as a college sport. Fans could only experience the game by attending in person, catching the highlights through newspaper articles or by word of mouth. Today, technology saturates our lives, and we can now watch, listen, download, stream, record, playback, and project all aspects of the game through innovations made in technology. Technology has improved the accuracy, enjoyment and experiences of both Players and spectators on and off the field.
On the Field
In 2012 The International Football Association Board (IFAB) approves GLT (Goal-line technology) and amends the 'Laws of the Game'. The technology is used for the first time ever in the FIFA World Cup 2014 and helps to award a goal to France against Honduras. Later, it is used only in top European domestic leagues (England, Italy, France, UCL, and Germany) and major international competitions.
It has helped in many Critical matches like Juventus v/s Atletico de Madrid in 2019 UCL Round of 16 matches. Where Cristiano Ronaldo's fine header goal allowed by GLT changed the complete context of the game.
In 2017-18 Season IFAB introduced VAR (video assistance referees) in the Game. The technology will apply only to key decisions, such as goals, red cards, penalties, and mistaken identity.
From 2019 VAR will be used in the Premier League and at every stage of the Champions League from the 2019/20 season onwards for what FIFA deems ?game-changing decisions?, including the validity of goals, penalties, red cards and offside.
In the context of football refereeing, the distinction between perception and judgment has important implications for the nature of the errors they are making and for how to learn to correct them. For instance, with respect to offside judgment, the perceptual nature of the flag has given rise to training programs where assistant referees are taught to cognitively compensate for their perceptual mistakes
Off the Field
Over the years, a handful of technologies have had a direct and drastic impact on professional football. Technologies such as on-screen graphics, High-Definition (HD) coverage and surround sound have allowed professional football fans to realistically experience the game from the comfort of their own homes.
Football on TV: A pass to the left, a gap in the defense, an open striker at the edge of the penalty area. Suddenly, the picture freezes. Lines and diagrams appear between the players. An arrow indicates the trajectory of a safe pass to the open striker, others highlight possible goal-scoring trajectories. Such graphic analyses have become indispensable for professional football broadcasters. They help viewers understand the dynamics and tactics of the match as well as the decisions made by the players.
A computer into a match-play analyst helps us to understand some basic facts about football. Not necessarily the rules, the names of the teams or where they rank in the league or rankings table, but something much more important: What is the player on the screen, and where is the ball? In which direction are individual players looking, how fast are they moving, how quickly are they likely to reach the ball? The computer is able to determine the position, speed and movement direction of every individual player and of the ball up to 30 times per second. Based on these measurements, it then calculates which player can reach any square meter of the pitch first and how many players from each team pose a threat to that part of the field. It doesn't take more than a fraction of a second to superimpose the results of this calculation on the TV screen: a dynamic, constantly changing map of each team's zones of influence.
Numbers are not entirely new in the sport: for decades commentators have painstakingly compiled statistics on everything from winning streaks to the most crosses ever delivered in one match. But over the past decade, a far more scientific operation has emerged, changing not only teams results but also how money is deployed on recruiting new talent.
For big games like El Clasico, high-speed cameras are frequently used to provide slow-motion replays of important game situations in every detail. Fans and sports commentators have immediate access to this footage and they increasingly rely on it to scrutinize referee decisions.
One of the best FIFA innovation is Electronic Performance and Tracking Systems (EPTS), a tablet-based system that will give coaches for all the teams access to player statistics and video footage in real-time.
The team's manager supplied with three tabs, one for an analyst in the stand, one for an analyst on the bench and another for the medical team. Match footage will be subject to a 30-second delay, alongside stats such as player positioning data, passing, pressing, speed and tackles.
5G networks are expected to be commercially available in 2019, delivering faster speeds, greater capacity, and ultra-low latency. This will mean better connectivity for fans in the stadium in the future as well as new experiences.
Virtual reality, which creates a controlled environment in which players hone their skills and train safely while recovering from injuries, and where goalkeepers take the same shot again and again until they can save it every time.
Wearable computer advancement in the world of safety and monitoring, wearable computers allow for real-time tracking of a Players's health. Since their creation, the incidents of dehydration, heart attacks and worse, have dramatically decreased.
When Minnesota Vikings offensive lineman Korey Stringer died of heatstroke during training camp in 2001, companies began to investigate ways to monitor health in real-time and stave off tragedies like this. Wearable tech has made a difference in the lives of many Players, by supervising pulse rate, hydration, and temperature through its wireless and microscopic health monitoring system.
Verdict
Yes, the technology is much welcomed and its overall implementation is probably for the betterment of the game and seems here to stay. However, it can most definitely be improved and does have a few teething problems.
The first and probably biggest negative of Technology is the time aspect. Minimum interference for maximum impact was supposed to be the mantra but is this truly the case?
"It takes the excitement out of football; players don't hug each other after scoring a goal anymore, instead they look straight towards the referee. It's removing the adrenaline and my enjoyment of football"- Lazio coach Simone Inzaghi complained about VAR.
Gabriel Jesus saying "VAR is Shit" After his goal was disallowed by VAR in the last minute of the match. This cost Manchester city 2 points.
I am personally still on the fence but can definitely see how technology can be good for the game in terms of fairplay.
Football is a multi billion-dollar industry followed by billions of people around the world, so it's not surprising at all that it isn't immune to the tech sector's favorite buzzword - "Digital Transformation."
In the late 90's, football was just beginning to gain popularity as a college sport. Fans could only experience the game by attending in person, catching the highlights through newspaper articles or by word of mouth. Today, technology saturates our lives, and we can now watch, listen, download, stream, record, playback, and project all aspects of the game through innovations made in technology. Technology has improved the accuracy, enjoyment and experiences of both Players and spectators on and off the field.
On the Field
In 2012 The International Football Association Board (IFAB) approves GLT (Goal-line technology) and amends the 'Laws of the Game'. The technology is used for the first time ever in the FIFA World Cup 2014 and helps to award a goal to France against Honduras. Later, it is used only in top European domestic leagues (England, Italy, France, UCL, and Germany) and major international competitions.
It has helped in many Critical matches like Juventus v/s Atletico de Madrid in 2019 UCL Round of 16 matches. Where Cristiano Ronaldo's fine header goal allowed by GLT changed the complete context of the game.
In 2017-18 Season IFAB introduced VAR (video assistance referees) in the Game. The technology will apply only to key decisions, such as goals, red cards, penalties, and mistaken identity.
From 2019 VAR will be used in the Premier League and at every stage of the Champions League from the 2019/20 season onwards for what FIFA deems ?game-changing decisions?, including the validity of goals, penalties, red cards and offside.
In the context of football refereeing, the distinction between perception and judgment has important implications for the nature of the errors they are making and for how to learn to correct them. For instance, with respect to offside judgment, the perceptual nature of the flag has given rise to training programs where assistant referees are taught to cognitively compensate for their perceptual mistakes
Off the Field
Over the years, a handful of technologies have had a direct and drastic impact on professional football. Technologies such as on-screen graphics, High-Definition (HD) coverage and surround sound have allowed professional football fans to realistically experience the game from the comfort of their own homes.
Football on TV: A pass to the left, a gap in the defense, an open striker at the edge of the penalty area. Suddenly, the picture freezes. Lines and diagrams appear between the players. An arrow indicates the trajectory of a safe pass to the open striker, others highlight possible goal-scoring trajectories. Such graphic analyses have become indispensable for professional football broadcasters. They help viewers understand the dynamics and tactics of the match as well as the decisions made by the players.
A computer into a match-play analyst helps us to understand some basic facts about football. Not necessarily the rules, the names of the teams or where they rank in the league or rankings table, but something much more important: What is the player on the screen, and where is the ball? In which direction are individual players looking, how fast are they moving, how quickly are they likely to reach the ball? The computer is able to determine the position, speed and movement direction of every individual player and of the ball up to 30 times per second. Based on these measurements, it then calculates which player can reach any square meter of the pitch first and how many players from each team pose a threat to that part of the field. It doesn't take more than a fraction of a second to superimpose the results of this calculation on the TV screen: a dynamic, constantly changing map of each team's zones of influence.
Numbers are not entirely new in the sport: for decades commentators have painstakingly compiled statistics on everything from winning streaks to the most crosses ever delivered in one match. But over the past decade, a far more scientific operation has emerged, changing not only teams results but also how money is deployed on recruiting new talent.
For big games like El Clasico, high-speed cameras are frequently used to provide slow-motion replays of important game situations in every detail. Fans and sports commentators have immediate access to this footage and they increasingly rely on it to scrutinize referee decisions.
One of the best FIFA innovation is Electronic Performance and Tracking Systems (EPTS), a tablet-based system that will give coaches for all the teams access to player statistics and video footage in real-time.
The team's manager supplied with three tabs, one for an analyst in the stand, one for an analyst on the bench and another for the medical team. Match footage will be subject to a 30-second delay, alongside stats such as player positioning data, passing, pressing, speed and tackles.
5G networks are expected to be commercially available in 2019, delivering faster speeds, greater capacity, and ultra-low latency. This will mean better connectivity for fans in the stadium in the future as well as new experiences.
Virtual reality, which creates a controlled environment in which players hone their skills and train safely while recovering from injuries, and where goalkeepers take the same shot again and again until they can save it every time.
Wearable computer advancement in the world of safety and monitoring, wearable computers allow for real-time tracking of a Players's health. Since their creation, the incidents of dehydration, heart attacks and worse, have dramatically decreased.
When Minnesota Vikings offensive lineman Korey Stringer died of heatstroke during training camp in 2001, companies began to investigate ways to monitor health in real-time and stave off tragedies like this. Wearable tech has made a difference in the lives of many Players, by supervising pulse rate, hydration, and temperature through its wireless and microscopic health monitoring system.
Verdict
Yes, the technology is much welcomed and its overall implementation is probably for the betterment of the game and seems here to stay. However, it can most definitely be improved and does have a few teething problems.
The first and probably biggest negative of Technology is the time aspect. Minimum interference for maximum impact was supposed to be the mantra but is this truly the case?
"It takes the excitement out of football; players don't hug each other after scoring a goal anymore, instead they look straight towards the referee. It's removing the adrenaline and my enjoyment of football"- Lazio coach Simone Inzaghi complained about VAR.
Gabriel Jesus saying "VAR is Shit" After his goal was disallowed by VAR in the last minute of the match. This cost Manchester city 2 points.
I am personally still on the fence but can definitely see how technology can be good for the game in terms of fairplay.
Comments
Post a Comment