The Atlantic, for many, is an ocean… the world’s second-biggest body of water, the resting place of the Titanic, and the ocean that does NOT serve as home for Sharknado. For fans of sport, the Atlantic represents the most definitive border in international sports culture. To the left, the game of football is played by behemoth-sized men in pads and helmets hoping to carry an oblong ball into one end of the field or the other to earn six points (seven after the point after). To the right, the game of football is played by strict adherence to the name: with feet.
Both games are lucrative by business evaluations, and while they couldn’t differ more in terms of the game itself, football – in America and England – rules the financial day. Forbes consistently ranks Manchester United among the most powerful teams in sports (taking the top spot this year) with the NFL and other soccer clubs all but dominating the rest of the top 25… and if private commerce has taught us anything, to the richest go the spoils.
When the spoils earned come in the form of technology, it’s clear the motto holds true. Behold… The Hawk-Eye, the gold standard in goal-line technology and the latest toy of desire for those touting the wallets to advance it.
Talk of goal-line technology has been prevalent in soccer circles for some time, and with several noteworthy debates rising from the game’s highest stage – the English Premier League – over recent seasons, the time for action arrived. Leaving last season EPL officials suggested goal-line tech was an experiment deemed worthy of consideration, and it didn’t take long for the complete buy-in to come.
Those decisions came well before the latest season was on the radar. That timing proved beneficial for multiple reasons, not only allowing the initial ire from traditional footy fans to die down, but also allowing league officials to work with Hawk-Eye to develop an enhanced system designed to function specifically for their game and their desires.
Now, with the season underway, we have been introduced to the official EPL goal-line tech system – a simple-yet-effective design placing wristbands on game officials that alert when the ball has been deemed a “goal” by the Hawk-Eye sensors (and effectively backed by an elaborate system of real-time HD video review to verify those notifications and provide focused footage of the play to broadcast partners).
In fact, we’ve seen it in action…
… and now the NFL seems to be in the market to follow their lead.
Hawk-Eye utilizes a network of cameras leveraging high frame rate collections in conjunction with vision processing techniques to determine the exact location of the ball. Those cameras are integrated, providing a central system processing 3D images from their recordings in real time. For the EPL, software is focused only on the ball’s activity in the goal area. Testing has solidified millimeter accuracy in ball position, all but eliminating the need for replay (though it’s available, just in case). Field conditions and environment are negated by this process while players are automatically removed via software from the digital evaluation. It tracks the ball, designates area for review, and connects those factors to produce a digital reaction to their interaction.
“That comes from the fact that there is no human element,” Hawkins notes. “It is based on automatic tracking, as soon as the ball goes over the plane the signal is sent… there are no subjective decisions.”
Hawk-Eye has developed similar technologies for a variety of sports, including tennis, GAA, cricket, snooker and baseball. However, their website (as of today) fails to note any advances for the American version of football. Hawk-Eye inventor Paul Hawkins has admitted to talks with American sports teams, but has refrained from sharing names or details.
That said, no league seems more ripe for technological leaps than the NFL. While the need for true goal-line evaluation is obvious and should be an easy play for Hawk-Eye (or another developer), there are several opportunities for detection/screen sensor applications that could provide benefit for NFL officiating.
For example, determining receptions versus the “trap” (catching a ball that has bounced off the field, rather than a legal reception made while the ball is in flight) jumps immediately to mind. Improving the system of determining fumbles via hand sensors and screen tracking on the field could be a worthy advance. Evaluating ball placement after the play, converted (or failed) first down evaluation, the quarterback’s forward progress versus the line of scrimmage… all position-based events that could benefit from “goal-line” technologies (and we haven’t even considered biometrics, player performance mapping, or real-time broadcast enhancements).
For now, the NFL is on the outside looking in while the EPL has this technology developed and on the field. We’ll be watching for the day that changes, with hopes it’s just the start of a new era in football tech.