Artificial intelligence to scout future football stars

Artificial intelligence could give savvy clubs an edge when searching for the best footballing talent. Technology developed at Loughborough University analyses player movements against novel AI algorithms to assess performance.

Traditional scouting is labour intensive and open to human bias, according to project lead Dr Baihua Li, whose project is funded by Innovate UK and is in collaboration with football performance data company Statmetrix.

Based on current advances in AI and deep learning, Dr Li and the team have used an AI model to detect the body limbs and poses of players so their movements can be recognised and then analysed. Image courtesy of Ben Lumley Photography

Some automated technologies are on the market already, but they are only able to track players on the pitch – to determine distance covered and speed – but they cannot provide detailed information on the actions taken by players.

Li proposes a hybrid system where human data entry can be accelerated and supplemented by camera-based automated methods to meet the high demand for low-cost timely performance data generated from large amounts of football videos.

The technology is now at commercial trials and it is hoped a new product can be on the market and available for football clubs by the end of 2020.

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