Combining Video and Player Telemetry for Evidence-based Decisions in Soccer
Håvard D. Johansen, Svein Arne Pettersen, Pål Halvorsen, Dag Johansen · 2013
Technology is changing how soccer clubs train and interact with their supporters. Systems that provide ac- quisition and visualization of low-level player telemetry, like distance covered and speed, are already being widely adopted. A key observation is that such data when correlated with actual in-game video footage is a powerful tool for evidence-based decisions. As data volume and complexity grow, efficient tools for auto- mated high-precision retrieval become essential. This paper describes the unique combination of a radio-based sensor platform and several custom video retrieval systems in operational use at Tromso Idrettslag (TIL), a Norwegian premier league soccer club. The systems have been developed using an experimental computer- science method where several prototypes were built and deployed for evaluation in close collaboration with the intended users. Although our method of computer-system prototyping has not yielded commercial quality products, it has enabled us to construct several novel systems combining low-level player telemetry with video retrieval, annotations, and user-centric security.