Streamlining Offside Decision Making: The Premier League’s New AI-based Player Tracking Technology

As of next season, the Premier League is introducing AI-based player tracking technology to aid in making offside calls. This move is anticipated to streamline the decision-making process for officials. The decision to introduce semi-automated offside technology was reached unanimously by England’s top-division clubs, with the system set to be launched during the first half of the season.

The new technology will use optical player tracking to quickly and consistently place the virtual offside line. This will also lead to the production of high-quality broadcast graphics, enhancing the experience for fans both in the stadium and watching on television. A similar system was used for the first time during the 2022 World Cup in Qatar, where a sensor in the ball tracked its acceleration.

The Premier League is aligning its system with that used by UEFA in the Champions League and will provide more details once contracts are signed. Extensive testing and analysis have been conducted this season in preparation for the launch. Italy’s Serie A already uses semi-automated offside technology, where multiple cameras track player movements and record data points relevant for offside decisions. Artificial intelligence processes this data to create a 3D offside line that is then reviewed by a team of VAR officials.

This new technology is expected to reduce the time it takes for officials to make decisions by an average of around 30 seconds. It aims to improve confidence in decision-making following some high-profile mistakes in the past. Despite the introduction of a semi-automated system, a manual process will be available as a backup in case of any technology failures.