Revealed: How the Premier League’s offside decisions will now be made using 28 IPHONES which can track 10,000 parts of a player’s body at 200 frames per second – and promises to END dreaded VAR chaos
The Premier League is set to tighten up offside decisions this season using 28 iPhones in every stadium as part of a futuristic technology dubbed ‘the Dragon’.
The team behind ‘the Dragon’ believe they can cut the average VAR check by 30 seconds – a relief for frustrated supporters.
Their technology collects up to 10,000 data points on each player’s body (up from 29 previously) and makes decisions at lightning speed.
Genius Sports will initially be able to capture a maximum of 100 frames per second, about double the current total, but will eventually be able to hit 200 frames per second.
The Premier League plans to introduce the technology after one of the autumn international breaks, which could happen as early as September or as late as November.
The Premier League is to deploy 28 iPhones on each pitch to improve offside decisions
Semi-automatic technology will be supported by technology that captures 100 frames per second
The phones can be combined to track up to 10,000 data points on each player’s body
VAR offside decisions have proven controversial – either through controversial decisions or miscommunication by officials
The sports data and technology company has been working with the NBA through Second Spectrum since 2018.
The new technology is expected to be rolled out later in the 2024-25 season.
Genius Sports’ network of iPhone cameras spread throughout the stadium capture high frame rate video from multiple angles to help tackle tricky offside situations.
Dragon’s machine intelligence allows the phones to communicate with each other and process the visual data simultaneously.
“You go from having 30, 40, 50 data points about a player to, no, I’m actually going to be tracking the contours of your body,” said Mike D’Auria, EVP of sports and technology partnerships at Genius, according to Wired.
‘You’re going to miss the kick point in a lot of cases (with current technology). The kick point is going to be between two frames of video – you’re going from one frame where the ball isn’t on the foot yet to the next frame where the ball is off the foot and has gone the other way.’
Genius hopes to solve this problem by recording information as small as muscle mass, differences in skeletal structure and gait patterns.
They claim their technology is the first of its kind and is powered by GeniusIQ, their next-generation AI and data platform.
The phones placed around the stadium can communicate with each other and combine images
It is believed that the technology will significantly speed up the decision-making process
Semi-automatic offside technology was used at the 2024 European Championship, while Genius has been working with the NBA since 2018
The semi-automated offside technology was deployed with great success at the 2024 European Championship.
Thanks to 3D modeling, the position of a player on the field at the moment the ball is kicked can be accurately displayed. This is certainly better than with current technology.
D’Auria claims Dragon can scale to as many as 100 connected iPhones if Premier League executives want to go that far.
“The introduction of semi-automatic offside is an important step in maintaining the flow of play in the Premier League,” said Premier League Chief Football Officer Tony Scholes.
‘We are confident that by using the latest and most accurate technology we will significantly reduce the time required for offside decisions, provided the offside lines are applied consistently.
‘The experience for all participants, including supporters, will also be improved through faster communication and clearer visuals around offside decisions.’
Dragon’s capacity will initially be limited to 100 frames per second as the Premier League strikes a balance between price, accuracy and latency.
The system can also anticipate impending events, such as a player making a through pass while making a run, and can increase the frame rate accordingly.
GeniusIQ can monitor factors such as a player’s center of gravity and skeletal structure
Premier League CEO Richard Masters admitted the VAR process needs to work faster
Fans will be kept up to date with refereeing decisions this season via an X account called @PLMatchCentre, the Premier League has announced.
And League CEO Richard Masters has admitted VAR needs to improve.
“Everyone wants to improve it,” he said.
‘We need to find a solution to the length of the delays and the experience of the supporters in the stadium.
‘We have semi-automatic offside mechanisms that we can implement this season if the time comes, and we’re also doing other things that we think will improve the fan experience.’