Various reports suggest the sports technology industry could be worth US$31.1 billion by 2024.

And as we've seen with the K-League and other competitions, embracing AI and other sports technology can be key for the growth of clubs and leagues. 

How can the A-League take advantage over this crucial next few years? 

Here are some sports technology products and services that could boost your club both in the future and for when the A-League returns this July/August. Starting with a handy idea in these COVID-19-safe times.  

PLAYERS

Catapult and STATSports are big players in training data and analysis, and both have new sports technology to track the proximity of players to each other during training. 

Real Madrid, Bayern Munich, and Chelsea are said to be using the new social distancing feature by Catapult, with STATSports’ version soon to market. 

Are there A-League clubs looking for this type of sports technology for when training resumes?

And for player management, a company called Sparta Science has developed a 90-second scan that identifies how a player moves. 

This nifty sports technology creates an individualized training plan to treat pre-existing conditions, reduce future injuries, and maximize a player's physical health and performance.
 
The system utilizes data and AI machine learning software to optimize health and performance. 
 

OFFICIATING

Those who also point to VAR as a sports technology, AI is improving the decision-making process around offsides. 

Video technology around offsides a goalline technology could be improved thanks to the latest in sports technology

If you've been frustrated by decisions made based on the video, according to FIFA, its semi-automated offside system now synergizes limb tracking with AI.

Rather than using one point per player, this system follows between 15 and 20 points per player to give a more accurate reading of where the player’s body is in relation to the offside line. 

READ MORE ABOUT THIS SPORTS TECH HERE

FANS

If fans aren’t allowed into stadia while COVID-19 measures remain, could you still be heard or seen? 

In La Liga, virtualized broadcasting means the stands will be virtualized with to-scale images of seated fans wearing the colors of the home club.

La Liga has collaborated with Norwegian company VIZRT, which also works with other European leagues.

This will also feature virtual sound thanks to its collaboration with EA SPORTS FIFA. 

However, for the real fan sounds, in Japan, a remote cheering app is in beta, designed to help boost the atmosphere from actual fans. 

Cutouts have been used in Germany, but in Japan, they are testing an app that transmits fans' voices into the stadium

This sports technology system by Yamaha allows fans following the match on TV, radio, or online to make their feelings known via their smartphones, their voices reverberating around the stadium in realtime via loudspeakers.

 
Sat on the sofa, think of it as Gogglebox comes to the A-League.  

COACHING

Already, some A-League clubs use drones to video capture training sessions from the sky.
 
Taking this to a much broader level, lower-tier English clubs Leatherhead and Wingate and Finchley have hired an “AI” coach to assist their respective head coaches. 
 
Sports technology is revolutionizing coaching in the A-League and across world football
 
GreenShoots Labs have developed an AI-based sports technology that uses a “reasoning engine to determine the best formation and style of play against a given opponent.” 
 
Then, using adaptive AI technology, this will learn from the games and become better at coming up with tactics for specific opponents.