Come into the arena of Soccer tech startups – the new innovators conducting a revolution on the pitch. These companies are on the cutting edge of using sophisticated technologies to improve everything from athlete training to fan experience.
The oldest sport in history, dating back to 206 BC, Soccer, is referred to as “The beautiful game”. There is an extraordinary ability of this sport to attract billions of fans with its outstanding performance, the skill and fitness of the players, and the intricacy of the game’s strategy. Behind this display of these glamorous skills, the game of soccer is driven by two core elements: the immense human tenacity of the players and the constant influx of technological innovations.
Come into the arena of Soccer tech startups – the new innovators conducting a revolution on the pitch. These companies are on the cutting edge of using sophisticated technologies to improve everything from athlete training to fan experience. Here's an inside look at how soccer tech startups are reshaping the beautiful game.
AI is revolutionizing soccer training and procedures. The Irish giants such as STATSports (UK) use wearable technology together with AI to monitor how the players move during the game in terms of work rate and movement of distances covered and also their acceleration and deceleration patterns. Based on this information, coaches can prepare customized workouts and enhance the performance of the players and also minimize the occurrence of injuries.
This is a sport that requires excellent technical skills. Playmaker (USA) is an example of an entity that has developed a mobile application that is capable of leveraging AI and computer vision to help analyze players’ techniques. Players can film themselves practicing shooting, dribbling, and passing and get results immediately for their technique in comparison to that of professionals. This way of focusing on specific skills speeds up the skill-learning process by practicing only the most relevant skills.
SciSports (Netherlands) is one of the AI-powered platforms that is disrupting traditional scouting models. These platforms aggregate and process a huge volume of player performance data from professional games, lower leagues, and official and unofficial sources. With the help of algorithms based on artificial intelligence, SciSports helps to highlight athletes who demonstrate potential and allows accurate forecasting when buying new players during transfer seasons.
It is not only the players that are the focus of soccer tech startups as Fanseat (Israel) demonstrates with its fan-centered interactive mobile app. Such apps enable fans to vote in live polls, connect using augmented reality, or participate in challenges during matches. The experience becomes more engaging for the fans when they can vote for the best player on their phone or take part in AR replays to get a closer connection to the game or players.
Soccer of the future is very much connected with technology. The rapid evolution of AR and VR technology has already resulted in numerous solutions, but more are likely to follow. Imagine virtual reality training like games in which players need to test their playing style against various opponents during particular tactics. Or augmented reality tools that project player information above the field when the game is being played so that spectators have an opportunity to see what the coaches are strategizing.
Despite the sports tech revolutionizing the world of soccer at a rapid pace, India has yet to discover the potential of soccer tech. Major Indian soccer clubs such as Bengaluru FC and Mumbai City FC have begun to experiment with wearable technologies and data analytics to better track the performance of players and manage training.
Yet the implementation of AI AR/VR and other futuristic solutions in India is still in its infancy. More Indian sports tech start-ups and greater investments in the sports technology domain are essential in order to come on par with the global competition.
These technological advancements in the sport of soccer can be instrumental in the adoption of this technology in cricket and other sports in the future. The prospects of improving training, injuries, talent identification, and engagement with fans might transform Indian sports so that they can rise to the international platform.
Sports tech startups are changing the ways the beautiful game is played and watched. The future of soccer is further likely to be a highly technological experience with enhanced performance and skill building as well as taking the game to another level through enhanced interaction with the fans.