Cool Tech for Football Fans

 AI isn't just helping players - it's making football more fun for fans too!

Team apps now learn what you like. If you always watch a certain player's highlights, it will show you more of them. Some stadiums use face recognition so you can enter faster.

Soon, computers might even do the commentary in different languages! You could chat with a virtual version of your favorite player. But some people worry this tech knows too much about us.

The future could bring personalized games where your TV only shows your favorite players. Cool - but will it feel the same as watching with friends?

Finding Future Stars with AI

 

Football teams used to have to send scouts to watch hundreds of games in order to identify talented players. Using notebooks these scouts would sit in stadiums across the globe in an attempt to identify gifted footballers. It wasn't always accurate and took a long time.

Teams now have artificial intelligence (AI) as a secret weapon. Thousands of players can be watched at the same time by these unique programs without becoming tired.

Here's how it works:

Player Report Cards: Software such as SciSports function as teachers for students. They provide each player a score based on their stats, including how many goals they have scored, how quickly they run, and how accurate their passes are.


Discovering Hidden Gems: The computer is skilled at identifying quality players in minor teams that are usually not noticed by major league teams. It's similar to finding a R50 note in the pocket of your old jeans!

Future Prediction: Major teams like Barcelona's young players will make use of this technology. The computer is able to observe young players and predict which ones will grow up to be superstars.

Computers are not perfect football experts, There are some things they just can't do.

• They can't see if a player is a good captain who helps teammates
• If a player stays late to practise more, they are unaware of it.|
• They might overlook athletes with unique abilities who don't have a lot of numbers in terms of goals and assists.

For this reason, astute teams employ both:

• Using computers to swiftly identify intriguing players

• Human scouts will observe these athletes in action and assess their personalities.

Scouts can see better with the help of super powerful glasses but human eyes are still required to make the ultimate choice. This is how some of the biggest stars of today were discovered.

Even more advanced technology may be developed in the future, such as computers that can monitor players' facial expressions during gameplay or measure how hard they practice.

However, one thing is certain: the process of locating football players will never be the same!

AI Refereeing - The VAR Revolution

 

Football is now using computers [AI] to help referees make better calls. First came VAR (video replays), but now there's something even smarter.

At the 2022 World Cup, FIFA used:

• 12 special cameras
• Watching each player's body in 29 places
• Taking 50 pictures every second
  
  Compared to humans, this computer system can identify offside positions in a matter of seconds! However, there are issues:
  
  Too Perfect?
  
  Goals are occasionally disallowed because a player's armpit was slightly offside.
  Because you can't even see it without extremely slow motion, fans claim that this is unfair.
  
  Not Always Fair?
  
  In the tenth minute, the computer may declare a foul
  but fail to notice the same situation in the 80th minute.
  
  
  
  Next steps:
  
  Computers that use eye-catching animations to explain their calls
  New algorithms that right away detect false injuries and fouls
  
  The big question is whether football fans would accept having robots make all of the crucial calls in place of human referees?
  
  
  
  
  
  

How AI is Transforming Player Performance Analysis

 

Nowadays, football is more than just running and kicking. These days, teams integrate artificial intelligence (AI) in smart computers to assist athletes stay healthy and train more effectively.

During practice, athletes wear special vests equipped with small GPS trackers. These trackers monitor their running speed, distance travelled, and even their signs of tiredness. Liverpool Football Club, for example, recorded thirty percent fewer injuries after using this type of technology!

The artificial intelligence can look at player videos to identify small errors in passing or shooting that coaches might  not realise. The AI assists managers in determining when to switch tactics or make substitutions throughout games. Although some people dislike all of this technology, teams who make use of it are more likely to win!