If you ask any Brit about their favourite football team, they’re almost guaranteed to run your ear off listing their favourite team and players in a heartbeat. Football is a big sport and forms a large part of British culture in its special way. One area that old-timers might not have anticipated affecting the game of ‘footie’ is technology.
The introduction of VAR, the globalization of the sport, sports betting platforms on how to find new casino sites that support laying wagers on game outcomes and the introduction of VR have all profoundly shaped the game people know and love today.
This article aims to shed light on the most fascinating and surprising turn of events in sports, which is the impact that technology has had on it.
Video Assistant Referee
The acronym stands, for VAR, for ‘video assistant referee’ which is one of the most pivotal ways in which technology impacted football.
Previously, calls, fouls, corners, penalties and free kicks were all called by the one referee on the pitch, along with the two referees that run at either side of the lines and offer support when it comes to calling ‘offsides’ and was based on what they saw at eye-value. This was the extent to which games were managed and led. Recently, toward 2017 – 2019, VAR was introduced into major leagues such as the Premier League, Champions League, La Liga and other famous football competitions.
The act of VAR was revolutionary for officials, players and spectators alike. The thought around it seems to be split in half, with 50% of people enjoying the accuracy that comes with VAR and the help that it offers officials when making a difficult call, not to mention the security it offers them when deciding around a penalty, which might decide the fate of a championship game.
The other 50% think poorly of the implementation of VAR as it is believed to take away the fun and excitement of a game, as the technology brings a robotic nature into the game and eliminates the chance factor. Spectators live for a wrong call or gaining an edge by a referee not seeing a foul but now with VAR, every single thing is documented, taking away a lot of spontaneity in the game.
Virtual Reality
Virtual reality (VR) is another technological advancement that has significantly impacted the world of football, especially for players, teams and trainers.
The addition of VR has allowed coaches to meticulously train their players like they never have before. With the ability to measure the speed of a player, how a player attacks, defends and tackles are areas in which VR has been able to assist players. The full body tracking that VR allows, has made a massive impact on the success of players.
Now, managers can spend hours hooking their players up to gadgets which track all their important data such as heart rate, breath rate, adrenaline and other personal data. Using this gives managers and trainers the ability to see which small changes they need to make to how the athlete plays to see big and positive changes.
Sometimes it’s a tiny change in the left foot when kicking the ball that can have a huge impact on the success rate of the player. Athletes who play at this level are essentially perfect to the human eye, so it’s technologies such as VR that are now relied on to make small but impactful changes.
Not to mention the simulation arcades that VR allows athletes to play in, flinging passes and scores against the ‘real deal’ but a digital representation of future competitors. The simulation allows for a digital form of a player to exist and play as they naturally would, allowing the athlete to oppose his competitor in a pretend yet realistic game before the big match day. Making the upgrade and implementation of technologies massively impactful for the game and future of football.