Manchester City FC, one of the world’s most technologically focused soccer teams (or perhaps group of teams), is set to make another innovative first for a club. In conjunction with two tech companies with which they have partnerships, Opta Pro and ChyronHego, Manchester City are hosting a hackathon at the City Football Academy in Manchester from July 29 through 31.
Anyone over the age of sixteen is invited to register for the event, but there will be a somewhat rigorous application process to compete and stay in the academy’s accommodations, free of charge for two nights.
Teams will be competing for a cash prize, City Football experiences and the possibility of working with Manchester City or one of their other associated teams. Manchester City has not released exactly what the participants will be working on, but they will be gaining special data insights into ten Manchester City games from last season.
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They will use that to provide information and feedback for City Football Group, looking towards solutions for the club both on and off the field. However, it is likely that the hackers will be working with serious sets of data. Both Opta Pro and ChyronHego provide Manchester City with pertinent data regularly.
Opta Pro has an analytic database for the purposes of scouting opponents or recruiting new talent, whereas ChyronHego services Manchester City with player tracking technology.
These are only two of MCFC’s many partners in the tech sphere. Last year, City Football Group teamed up with German software corporation SAP to use their cloud for data analytics. Additionally, Manchester City has chosen companies like LiveLike and Snaptivity to help them with fan engagement, with regards to virtual reality and in-stadium experience, respectively.
For more information on the hackathon, you can go to the official website here or track the #HackMCFC hashtag.