How the AI revolution is taking over the Bundesliga

Analysis

Ronan Murphy | Social Media

Wherever you go now, it is impossible to avoid A.I.. It is everywhere, from invitations to children's birthday parties to university assignments, from memes on social media to automated processes in the office to speed up workplaces.

So it should come as no surprise that the most innovative elite football league in the world is not only analysing how best to integrate artificial intelligence into the game, but has started to implement many of these measures.

Ahead of the Franz Beckenbauer Supercup between Borussia Dortmund and Bayern Munich, the Bundesliga as well as its broadcast and technology partners presented some of these revolutionary new ideas. Automated offsides and the ref cam were pilot schemes tested in Germany that now have widespread use in football, so some of the new ideas on show in Dortmund could be commonplace in the next few years.

Beginning with a presentation on 'What is the future vision of Bundesliga football?', Bundesliga CEO Steffen Merkel was hugely excited about the potential for artificial intelligence in the country's top two divisions by 2030. Merkel had the figures to back up his claims too, having commissioned a study by Prof. Dr. Sascha L. Schmidt where 70 experts from around the world agreed that 'A.I. will substantially reshape professional football within the next few years.'

Everyone claims that A.I. will change their industry, but the German league and its clubs are already putting some of these things into practice. Schalke and St Pauli are using A.I. for predictive scouting and algorithmic transfers, while Schmidt's study predicts an 80 per cent likelihood that A.I. will be used in coaching sessions by 2030, with staff able to use 'real-time insights on player positioning, workload and tactical patterns' to assist in player development and tactical instruction.

Automated offside technology already uses 3D Player Mapping to make quick, correct decisions during games, even if many fans are unhappy at some of the lines being drawn on the screen. This 3D Player Mapping can now be used for coaching and tactical decisions, as well as by broadcasters like Sky Germany who can recreate goals and match events in ways they can manipulate better for their audience to explain key events at half-time and full-time. EA Sports are also developing software with the Bundesliga where gamers at home will be able to pause matches in play and pick up where they left off to help their team change the result to the way they wanted, at least virtually anyway.

The younger audience is a key demographic, so it is clear why this EA Sports partnership is important, but after the success of F1 Kids and Nickelodeon's slime-filled alternate NFL broadcasts, the Bundesliga also showed off a version of Bayern Munich vs Borussia Dortmund where Joshua Kimmich and Harry Kane were represented on screen by Playmobil figures doing the exact same passing and shooting moves as in real life.

While some of this may sound gimmicky, the logic and intention is sound. Especially for things where A.I. can provide match coverage to fans who might not be able to watch it otherwise. A.I.-powered commentary can be in any language for any audience, but the demo model is still a bit raw and we are still a few years away from anyone in the world being able to tailor the broadcast to their liking. The technology is there, it is only a matter of time until it is clean and clear enough to be packaged for the public.

The Supercup match itself was also being recorded by A.I.-powered cameras, which are trained now to follow the action and not the ball, so there should be no more bald linesmen causing confusion in future broadcasts. The aim is also to improve VAR calls, which in the future could include automated handball and out-of-bounds decisions, with an expected likelihood that these will be implemented by 2030.

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The future of football off the pitch was also something the Bundesliga sought to improve, not just through their A.I. chat assistant 'Captain' in the official Bundesliga app, but also by bringing an immersive experience to supporters across the world who want a taste of what a real German game feels and sounds like. The Yellow Wall is one of the most iconic stands in football, and although you need to physically travel to Dortmund to experience it, the 'Innovation Box' is being developed like a mini-Las Vegas Sphere that can be set up anywhere in the world for fans to go in and feel a Bundesliga match.

The fan experience and match experience are obviously key aims of the Bundesliga, but they also want to make money too, and believe A.I. can help increase advertising revenue (like it already does through virtual localised pitchside advertising), reduce match operations costs, and raise matchday revenues through A.I.-driven personalisation options. That is the goal anyway.

A.I. is everywhere, you just need to know how to use it to your benefit. The Bundesliga is definitely trying to do this, and it will be no surprise when we see some of these ideas in action in Germany and around the world in the next few years.

Written by

Ronan Murphy | Social Media

Ronan Murphy is a Bundesliga expert and is Head of Social for the Realtimes Network's English language websites, including FootballTransfers, GPFans and Anfield Watch, among others. He joined FootballTransfers in 2022, having spent the previous decade helping to make Goal.com the world’s biggest football website. He served as Deputy Editor of the Ireland edition and later Social Media Editor for all of Goal’s English language editions.

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