“Welcome to the future of football” – these words greeted me at the World Football Summit (WFS), a global conference bringing together experts from various fields to explore the trends transforming the football world. As a developer of digital solutions for the Slovak Football Association, I attended this conference hoping to find inspiration for the future development of our projects. However, I wasn’t entirely sure what a sports conference could offer in terms of technology. In the end, reality surpassed all my expectations.
The conference highlighted that football is no longer just a sport; it has evolved into a vast technological platform filled with opportunities to create cutting-edge IT solutions. This was evident from the companies in attendance, most of which were startups and firms focused on integrating artificial intelligence into the game. From training analysis to detailed match statistics, everything can now be processed from a single video recording. These are the four innovations that stood out to me the most:
- ResPo-Vision introduced a remarkable program capable of identifying players from video footage using AI, analyzing their movement, and generating customized perspectives on specific plays, tailored to the needs of referees, coaches, or even social media. As an added bonus, the program provides comprehensive statistics for each player.
- BIGBRO.AI showcased software that not only generates heatmaps but also provides essential player movement analysis alongside detailed statistics.
- The English startup VEO has developed specialized cameras with dual wide-angle lenses capable of capturing the entire pitch. AI processes the footage and generates a final video, providing a comprehensive overview of the match.
- Moments LAB revealed a tool that can generate a comprehensive report for advertising partners based on video footage. The report includes details such as how often a sponsor’s logo appeared to viewers, how long it was visible, and even its size on the screen. The product also includes a powerful search engine, enabling users to retrieve detailed statistics on logo visibility in relation to specific players.
Social Media as the Primary Information Source
Beyond AI, one of the major topics at the conference was how football promotion is evolving. Today’s fans don’t always sit through an entire match; instead, they turn to social media to catch the highlights and key moments. Ironically, this often means they spend more time engaging with football content than if they had watched the whole game. That’s why the ability to quickly generate and share this content is crucial—and technology plays a central role in making it happen.
In conclusion, my experience at WFS was both inspiring and eye-opening. The solutions I encountered offer tremendous potential to digitize and enhance the football experience for everyone—from fans and players to sports management professionals. I’m excited to see what the future holds.
