All works and no play make Jack a dull boy – so runs a
proverb that explicitly tells us about the importance of having a regular dose of
games and sports in our everyday life. Football perhaps is one of the oldest games
that has evolved over the years and decades. Initially it used to be the game
of people with very good physique, eventually shifted its focus to technology
with the passage of time and the demand of the game itself. Today every sport
including football has been synonymous with technology.
Ambit of Technology in
Football:
The ambit of technology in this form of the game is as
enormous as the game right from the training of the players to the goal line;
to precise from the beginning till the end.
·
Players’ Training: The instruments or technologies used are varied
such as GPS (Global Positioning System), pulse monitors to name a few. GPS is
used to analyze the movements in a game or games for understanding of the
mistakes and / or improve performances of the players through technical
soundness and pulse monitor helps check the physical endurance of players.
Besides, players undergo physical exercises on suitable machines and platforms for
body building that enhances performance.
·
Goal Line Technology: This is a unique technology that
aims at eradicating mistakes in decision making on goals. To illustrate it
further, it’s been found on many an occasion that the ball actually crossed the
goal line when the goal keeper got a grip on it, but the referee standing at a
distance nullified the claim robbing the opponent of a genuine goal and this was
proving fatal for the game.
Options on Goal Line Technology: The International Football Association Board (IFAB) has laid
out guidelines for the use such a mechanism.
1. The periphery of this technology must
be confined to the decisions related to goal lines only.
2. The system must function with 100%
accuracy.
3. The system must send signals to the match
referee instantaneously.
4. Signal/s sent by the system must conform
to the restricted few; i.e., match officials.
There are only 03 systems that are
approved by FIFA; namely Hawkeye System, Goal Ref System and Smart Ball System.
·
Hawkeye System: It is believed to be the front
runner out of the systems under developments post its successive and successful
trials. The system uses three cameras that keep a hawk’s eye on each goal line and
each camera takes footage at 600 frames per second. The system therefore relays
information with precision about the position of the ball through an audible
beep to the central referee within half of a second.
·
Goal Ref System: This system works on radio frequency.
It uses low frequency magnetic fields in the vicinity of the goal line and in
the ball itself to detect whether the ball actually crossed the goal line. One
magnetic field is induced through coils attached to the goal and the other is
induced in and around the ball by a passive electronic circuit embedded in the
ball itself. Then data are processed and relayed in real time to the wristwatch
of the referee through display and a vibration.
·
Smart Ball System: It is a relatively new and promising
system in its field and has been granted rights by FIFA for use in 2013
Confederations Cup and 2014 World Cup. It’s a smart ball equipped with
suspended sensors inside. A network of receivers is deployed around the field that
accurately relays the informations on the ball’s position on the field
including the goal line.
The use of technology in games and
sports has been rapidly on rise. How can the football be left behind?
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