Drones have become a part of the English Premier League football referee training program. With the new season now underway, referees and assistant referees are using video footage captured by DJI Mavic 3 Enterprise and the DJI Matrice 30 drones during practice matches to analyze their movements from above.
Professional Game Match Officials Limited (PGMOL), the body responsible for the management and development of officials in English professional football, has been working with drone technology specialist Coptrz for almost a year now to unlock overhead perspectives that were once out of reach with static cameras.
And why not? A bird’s-eye view of the game can help referees refine their positioning during key moments of matches, while assistants can look at how to improve their line of sight and gain the optimum angle to make decisions during games.
“The use of technology in sport is constantly evolving and we are committed to ensuring we remain at the cutting edge of innovation,” Adam Carter, head of performance analysis at PGMOL, tells Daily Mail.
“The introduction of drones into our training program has meant that we can now capture game scenarios from a new and beneficial viewpoint, which is playing an important part in preparing our officials for their fixtures both at home and across the world.”
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Coptrz business development director George Burne stresses that the aerial advantage brought about by drones has revolutionized how the Premier League assesses the positioning of referees and assistant referees. Key benefits of the technology include:
- Real-time, accurate, and unobstructed footage to assist the officials’ understanding of gameplay situations
- Direct feedback on the positioning of the officials to prevent cutting off passing lanes
- Accurate assessment of offside decisions
“There’s been a lot of investment into the coaching structure at PGMOL in recent months and this technology is another positive step to continuing to provide officials with the best possible tools to perform on match days,” Carter sums up.
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