In part 1 of this article, I talked about how AI plays a huge role in the new VAR system, which stands for Video Assistant Referee. I talked about how precise this new system can be, and how much it will change the game. But today, we are going to quickly go over other ways that AI can help players in the soccer industry, (not necessarily only on the field).
The first way in which AI can help teams reach peak performance is by having the players wear wearable technology. These smartwatches can capture huge amounts of key data, such as heart rate, blood pressure, distance travelled, and even running speed. Thanks to these key statistics, AI can make specific training plans for specific players. On top of that, AI can even make specific diets to keep players on top of their fitness! Also, AI can pick out specific positions and roles for players to play during games, based off of their stats during training, which leads me to my next point.
On top of choosing the best players for the starting lineup, AI can also create game plans and game winning schemes. It can even analyse the opposing team’s weaknesses, and make the best possible formations and tactics. In my opinion, this is definitely one of the coolest features.
But this last one is definitely the best. It’s a system called Eyeball. Before this system, scouts had a very difficult time scouting young players from Africa, because of the few routes for players to follow. But now thanks to the system, scouts and coaches can look at potential targets remotely, with very little effort. Eyeball is made up of an 180 degree camera, suspended above the football pitch. The software records and notes down data and clips for scouts to look at, such as sprint speed, shot power, etc. This can make it much easier for scouts to narrow their selection down.
That’s all for today’s article. AI is still in its early stages in the soccer world, and isn’t used by many clubs. But in the future, new features will definitely be developed and added. But as you can see, even today AI can do many helpful things for players and coaches. Tune in next week for the next article!