Data analysis has become paramount in the professional football industry.
Prediction of a player's trajectory, number of accelerations or even recruitment assistance, artificial intelligence (AI) supports clubs to improve their performance.
Young French start-ups are starting to establish themselves in this environment, such as SkillCorner, created in 2016. “
At that time there was little technology in football, data was collected by hand so we wanted to provide data. more precise with AI
», Says Hugo Bordigoni, co-founder of the company.
Operation is simple, data is taken from videos that viewers watch on live TV.
By predicting the trajectory of each player and the ball, the AI will be able to extract raw data, which is subsequently sold to football clubs.
Over two million data points are retrieved during each encounter.
Thanks to data scientists, who make this information readable, this data is then transcribed in the form of analyzes for the coach and the players.
Recruitment of footballers 2.0
“
Some customers need SkillCorner to provide them with an additional level of analysis.
We therefore created a package for the physical analysis of the players with their maximum speed, their distance covered or even the number of sprints
”, specifies the CEO of the company.
This information is mainly used for recruiting players.
For example, clubs have the option of purchasing analyzes from 33 different competitions around the world and “
ranking
” the fastest players.
A decision aid which can prove to be invaluable in the transfer market.
Read also: How artificial intelligence is interfering in professional football
Today SkillCorner works with around thirty clubs such as Liverpool FC, AS Monaco, Olympique de Marseille, Racing Club de Strasbourg Alsace or OGC Nice.
But for Hugo Bordigoni, AI is not going to replace traditional football: “
Data is a decision-making tool, it is always people who will have the last word.
If the start-up's data is used directly by the clubs, it can also be processed by other software such as SportsDynamics.
Refined tactics
This French company of seven employees was launched at the end of 2019 by Arnaud Santin and Vincent Bacot. While SkillCorner is more interested in recruiting, Sports Dynamics focuses on game tactics. Player tracking data helps determine metrics for clubs and pick up on fouls that occurred in matches. For example, during the Euro match between France and Switzerland on June 28, Sports Dynamics analyzed the first goal scored by the Swiss in the fifteenth minute. "
On this video, we realize the too large space left to the Swiss passer Zuber (number 14) by the French Benjamin Pavard (number 2), which allows the Swiss player to achieve a good precise cross
", concludes Arnaud Santin.
For the moment, the start-up works mainly with German clubs, appearing in the Top 10 teams. It should announce this summer new partnerships with French clubs. Whether for Sports Dynamics or SkillCorner, the two companies wish to extend their technologies to other team sports such as rugby, basketball or even American football.
