As a passionate football fan, I have watched football nearly every weekend for the last couple of years. In recent years, I’ve seen how new technologies like VAR (Video Assistant Referee) and goal line technology have changed the game. Like many, I believe that goal line technology has clearly improved the fairness of games by helping referees make more accurate calls. However, the same cannot be said about VAR. Although VAR and goal line technology are the first things that come to mind when people mention the use of technology in football, I wanted to explore the many other ways artificial intelligence (AI) is being used or can potentially be used in the sport.
1) AI Wearable Devices
With AI wearable devices, coaches and managers can now track players’ heart rates, fatigue levels, and recovery times, allowing them to make informed match selections based on each player’s fitness levels. This technology helps prevent overtraining and injuries. Although AI wearable devices are a recent innovation, they have advanced significantly and will continue to do so. Top clubs like Manchester United, Arsenal, Juventus, and Liverpool have recently started using AI wearable devices from StatsSports, a leading company in this field. These devices generate 660 data points per second for each player, including metrics like VO2 max and external workload, which are crucial for monitoring physical performance and preventing overuse injuries. Michael Owen, one of the best footballers of his time, emphasized the potential impact of this technology by stating, “I’m pretty sure that if this type of technology was around at that point, then I might have had a very different career — being at the top of the game for 15 years as opposed to six or seven years. It annoys you in one way but also makes you think how great the technology is, that any big injury could now be detected before it happens, and not hurt anybody else’s career so badly.”
2) AI Driven tactics
As someone who loves playing Football Manager, I enjoy receiving tactical reports on teams and setting up my players to counter opponents. In real life, this process used to rely more on scouts and analysts without much use of technology, leading to subjective opinions. Nowadays, technology has revolutionized this aspect. Analysts can quickly analyze opponents’ tactics using advanced technology, providing more accurate reports in less time. This evolution makes tactical analysis more efficient and helps coaches make better-informed decisions. Liverpool were one of the first clubs globally to use an AI tactic system, known as TacticAI, to generate football tactics. TacticAI mainly focuses on creating strategies for corner kicks by studying thousands of corner kicks from the Premier League, and predicting things like which player is likely to get the ball and if there might be a shot on goal. It also advises on player positions to increase the chances of scoring or decrease the chance of conceding. The table below highlights the significant impact of this approach on Liverpool’s game performances, with noticeable increases in the percentage of goals scored from set pieces and decreases in the percentage of goals conceded from set pieces after the use of TacticAI.
Table 1: Impact of TacticAI on Liverpool set piece (corner) performance
Conclusion
Beyond the familiar sight of VAR and goal line technology on the field, artificial intelligence (AI) is quietly revolutionizing football in profound ways. From advanced wearable devices tracking player fitness to AI-driven tactics shaping strategies, the sport is changing significantly. By preventing player injuries, improving player performances and developing better tactics, it is and will continue to change football for the better.
References
Carey, M. (n.d.). How the growth of Wearable Technology is transforming football. The New York Times. https://www.nytimes.com/athletic/4966509/2023/10/19/wearable-technology-in-football/
BBC. (2024, March 20). Roboklopp: How Liverpool is using AI to help with football tactics. BBC Newsround. https://www.bbc.co.uk/newsround/68617854#:~:text=How%20is%20AI%20being%20used,%2C%20movements%2C%20and%20passing%20patterns.
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