In the world of football, technology and AI is already implemented in a variety of ways to improve the game. Starting with the goal-line technology and var system to accurate match statistics displayed live during the game. In this post, we’ll explore some of the ways that AI is being used in soccer and discuss the impact it’s having on the world’s most popular sport.
Salary of the player
Football clubs are using AI to help them estimate the right salary for their players. AI is being used to analyze the data about performance, statistics, injury history and other factors to determine the appropriate remuneration for each player. This helps the club to avoid overpaying or underpaying their players, which can have impact on team performance.
Virtual assistant
It used to be that the coach and his assistants had to analyse a lot of data: for example watch videos of the match, analyse the behaviour of players or rivals, etc. Now all this work can be done for them by AI. It can analyse all the players, the opposing teams and, on this basis, create an appropriate strategy and game plan perfectly tailored to the available players. It is also devoid of any emotions, e.g. favoring a certain player. This gives coaches more time to focus on their players, to choose the right strategy and to have much more time for analysis.
Analyzing decision making
Researchers from Disney Research, the California Institute of Technology and STATS, a sports data provider, have developed a tool that can help assess the behaviour of defensive players. In a nutshell, this tool is able to create a ‘ghost’ of a player or team based on the data provided, which represents what the ideal reaction to an opposing team’s attack should be. Using this tool, coaches and analysts can visualise and compare both team or player behaviour with the ‘ghost’ and, for example, show players what mistakes they made during the game and how to correct them. “With the innovation of data-driven ghosting, we can now, for the first time, scalably quantify, analyze and compare detailed defensive behavior,” said Peter Carr, research scientist at Disney Research.
Track the players performance
Various companies are using AI technology to track their players on the pitch, collect the necessary data, and later subject it to analysis. Based on videos, this technology can provide very accurate statistics on specific players, e.g. how they move on the pitch, how a player’s position is relevant to others, or detailed information on the actions taken by players. In addition to this, they are also involved in finding new talents and providing clubs with scouting information.
Conclusion
The use of AI in soccer is still in its early stages, but it’s already making a significant impact on the sport. From assisting referees to analysing game footage, AI is transforming the way soccer is played and managed. The popularity of soccer has enabled clubs to invest in new technologies and modern solutions, which will continue to shape the future of the sport. As a football fan, I’m thrilled to see what the future holds and can’t wait to be a part of it!
Links:
- https://thinkml.ai/artificial-intelligence-ai-in-football-soccer/
- https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2017/03/170306092708.htm
- https://techxplore.com/news/2020-06-ai-technology-football-player-analysis.html
- https://www.weforum.org/agenda/2022/09/robot-football-advance-artificial-intelligence-and-automation/
- https://www.zdnet.com/article/ai-is-changing-football-analysis-forever-could-coaches-become-obsolete/
- https://www.sciencealert.com/ai-runs-100-000-russia-world-cup-simulations-to-pick-winner
AI generator use: BING Chat