FIFA teams with Hawk-Eye on technology

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FIFA and Hawk-Eye Innovations have teamed up to establish the Football Technology Centre with the aim of improving on-pitch decision making.

FIFA said that the joint venture will explore and develop emerging technologies in football with a focus on the generation of algorithms to automate the detection of on-pitch events for optimal decision making.

Besides the automated collection of event data, the link-up will involve the development of automated offside technology that instantly provides match officials with consistent and accurate information, thus helping to further speed up the decision-making process for positional offside incidents.

These applications and other future developments aimed at improving the effectiveness and efficiency of football operations will be made available to the wider football community.

FIFA Secretary General Mattias Grafström said, “This joint venture is just another example of the extent to which FIFA is harnessing the use of technology to optimise football operations and to play a leading role in technological developments for the benefit of our 211 member associations.

“It will have a positive impact across football as it will help to automate the provision of valuable information, facilitate decision-making processes and ultimately improve the football experience for all stakeholders.”

Both organisations have been collaborating since 2017 to optimise the use of football technologies in several FIFA tournaments with a view to enhancing the operation, integrity and fairness of the game.

Beyond offside calls, the Football Technology Centre will explore a range of automated data collection tools and emerging technologies to improve the effectiveness and efficiency of football operations.

These solutions are intended to be accessible to the wider football community, providing a “significant resource for global improvements” in match officiating and operations.

Rufus Hack, Chief Executive Officer at Hawk-Eye, added, “Given the highly competitive nature of Football and the constant evolution in the sports technology industry, Hawk-Eye continues to consider the future with a strategic approach.

“We’re incredibly proud to collaborate with FIFA on this joint venture, to continue creating innovative solutions that will make the beautiful game more understandable, precise, fair, and exciting for everyone at all levels of football.

“The creation of the Football Technology Centre is a natural evolution of our relationship with FIFA and will leverage technology and AI to pave the way for the future of football officiating, performance and fan engagement.”

Exploring both existing and emerging technologies to positively impact the sport remains one of FIFA’s key goals as part of its Strategic Objectives for the Global Game: 2023-2027.

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