Football has constantly evolved over the years in all kinds of different ways, from coaching tactics, player rehabilitation and training to even the fan experience. There are many ways that the sport has developed, expanding it around the world, providing exposure to some of the biggest players and teams. One area of technology that is developing the most is the ability of AI when it comes to everyday life. AI has become a tool that can be applied to almost every field, and sport is no exception. Football, in fact, began experimenting with technological systems long before elements such as online slots entered the gaming market. Now, with AI advancing rapidly, the question is how it could shape the future of the game.
Coaching and Tactics
One big part of football is the coaching and tactics side, with it being one of the most tactics based sports in the world. AI has the ability to play a massive part in football tactics, using factual information and statistics. One way AI can be used is by assisting in play calling based on statistics and real time game data. This can help to improve coach decision making based on statistics occurring in the current game, making some calls potentially more effective. AI can also be effective at analysing the opposition’s play before a game, exposing breakthrough opportunities as well as weaknesses in the squad, completely based on real game statistics and data. Finally, with all of this information collected based on both teams’ stats, AI can produce real game scenarios that can model what could occur during a game, allowing for preparations. There are millions of different outcomes that can be simulated, providing a strong advantage to the team if prepared correctly.
Player Performance and Development
Player performance and development are extremely important for every athlete, and are something that every player strives to do more effectively. In the modern day, player performance and development are ruled by coaches and human opinion, allowing sessions to be based around that element of their game. But human error may mislead a player or even cause them to use the wrong drills to be more beneficial towards the player. In the future, it is possible we could see AI being implemented in order to assist personalised training plans based on real statistics from real games. Injury prevention can also be performed alongside other technologies, monitoring the body’s stress, altering workouts and implementing recovery plans in hopes of preventing an injury.
Fan Experience
One of the most important ways that AI can be implemented to benefit football in the future is by improving and making changes to the fan experience. The viewership experience can be drastically improved through AI, supporting all fans, whether it be new to the sport or football enthusiasts. Overlays can be implemented to provide fans with more information, as well as generate highlights for fans. Commentary could also be changed thanks to AI, providing different commentary lines for beginner friendly analysis or more detailed analysis for experts. AI can also be used to collect highlights, stats and stories in relation to fans’ interests across different social media apps, allowing players to consume content that targets them directly.
Officiating
The officiating of games and the enforcement of rules can greatly benefit from the implementation of AI. This can include AI-assisted replays, allowing referees to quickly check and monitor certain areas of the game, resulting in fewer missed calls and a higher likelihood of enforcing the correct decision in a game. In some cases in the future, AI might even be able to replace human referees in some circumstances; however, human approval and verification may still be required.
Business Management
Football has become a big money maker, bringing in billions to the United States and millions to the football clubs individually. Things like finances can be managed by AI systems, making the business side easier to manage, allowing more focus on the football itself. Some factors that can be supported by AI are projecting a player’s value over time after potentially being scouted using an AI system, as well as building a wage structure that will allow competition between teams. AI can even be used as a marketing tool to support the growth of ticket sales, optimising pricing and supporting campaigns to bring more fans into the stadium if needed.
Concerns and Challenges
Like with AI in almost every industry, there are plenty of challenges and concerns that the software will have to deal with. The main concern would be the lack of human input, meaning employees would miss out on their jobs. This may be the case for commentary, refereeing, and marketing steps. In order to overcome this, humans can learn to live and work alongside the systems to allow a more smoothly run system in football.
