The bundesliga is no longer played on the grass. For a few years, a fundamental part of all that show that surrounds football takes place beyond the ball: on servers, algorithms and data centers. This has been presented Amazon In your event ‘Delivering the Future’held in Germany. The technology of Amazon Web Services (AWS) It has been put at the service of German football and proof of this was the presentation in the Signal Iduna Park, the house of Borussia Dortmund. A unique scenario for a unique technology. Julie Souza, spokesperson for AWSexplained how artificial intelligence (IA) It has become the new “star signing” of many leagues, including the German. “In a football match approximately 3.6 million data points are generated. We use optical cameras, sensors placed in players and even chips in the ball to collect information that was previously impossible to process in real time, but now possible, ”said Souza.
The impressive is not only that amount of data that are created and processed, but everything that can be done with them. Thanks to automatic learning and generative AI, you can now interpret the context of the game: the position and speed of each player, their relationship with the rest of colleagues and rivals, defensive or offensive tactics, and even the probability of a future action. “ANDNot only is what happened, but what can happen. The AI anticipates plays, recognizes patterns and translates the chaos of the game into useful information for coaches, analysts and also for fans, ”Julie explained in his appearance.
It's not about replacing the game, but understanding it much better
This technology does not apply between scenes. The spectator also becomes the protagonist. Some stadiums already offer in real time advanced statistics and graphic visualizations on their giant screens or through different mobile applications. “The fan's experience is also evolving. We want you to understand what you are seeing, to appreciate the level of play and live the game with more information, ”said Julie as one of the objectives that AWS has in his union present with the Bundesliga.
However, not everything must be invaded by the data. “Going to the stadium is a sensory, social experience. Even if we have the ability to show a lot of information, we must know when to do it. Sometimes football is enjoyed more with eyes and heart, not with figures, ”he reflected.
The AWS cameras at the Signal Iduna Park.
Less injuries, more matches
Beyond the show, one of the greatest achievements of the IA It is in the care of the players. In the NFLanother league with which AWS Actively collaborates, the data collected allowed to reduce the physical mishaps in the lower limbs by 27%. “More than 700 games lost due to injury in a single season were avoided,” Julie said. “And this is not science fiction, it is applied statistics. They are data that allow technical bodies to manage workloads, prevent fatigue and customize training”, He expanded in his explanation.
This approach has already moved to European football, including Bundesliga, where it works with biomechanical data and body movement models – known as “skeletal possessed” -, which allow to detect imbalances before they become injuries.
The cameras are at strategic stadiums
Another of the most relevant applications is in arbitration. A sector that is always in the eye of the hurricane, throughout the controversy that is generated around the members and their decisions. Thanks to real -time analysis, more precise decisions can be made and backed by data. “With AI models, we can identify more accurately a foul, an offside or a hand. It helps the referees decide better and faster, “Julie explained.” Although, yes, we do not promise that fans stop getting angry with them … “, joked the spokeswoman, aware of the juncture in which current football usually moves.
Technological Soccer
One of the most striking elements presented at the event 'Delivering The Future', at the Signal Iduna Park, was the so -called Conneccted Table, a traditional football to which that technology developed by AWS for the German fields has been incorporated. With him, the objective of perfecting the technological ecosystem that is already located within all the stages of the Bundesliga is achieved. “On the four screens placed on football, all that information appears that is achieved by tracking the data we have, using the computer vision and AWS automatic learning services to produce this type of advanced statistics,” explained ELOF Dogan after many guests proved it.
AWS, el motor invisible
AWS Not only does it provide storage, but tools such as Sagemakerto create automatic learning models; either Bedrockwhich allows each organization to train its own AI with its own data. “We offer open infrastructure. The leagues can use our services to develop their own cases of use, from content customization to training optimization, ”Souza reflected before explaining that, for her, the most fascinating thing is what is yet to come.”We are seeing things that a few years ago were unthinkable. We start with sensors, then cameras, and now with generative we can simulate complete scenarios and analyze technical gestures with clinical precision, ”he expanded in his explanation.
‘Delivering the future’, el evento de Amazon.
In addition, and as expected, innovation does not stop in football. The same technologies that today revolutionize sport are beginning to be applied in physiotherapy, rehabilitation, manufacturing industry and even the military field. “Any environment where there are repetitive movements can benefit from what we are learning with athletes”Souza added.
AI and data should not be considered a threat to football
For Julie and his team, AI is not a threat to the essence of football, but a tool to enrich it: “It is not about replacing sport, but rather understanding it, Protect its protagonists and offer the fan a more complete and exciting experience. ”
The Bundesliga It is one of the great examples of the transformation that football is living and AWS is behind a good part of it. Elif Dogan, head of Media and Sports in AWS Germany, He explained how this new football dimension is built, in which each pass, infraction or corner kick becomes a fact ready to be processed. “We pick up everything that happens in a game: corners, cards, faults … Then we combine this data using AWS, automatic learning and AI to produce advanced statistics. We call that events of the party, additional data about the party, ”he explained.
Chamber of AI in the Signal Iduna Park.
Infrastructure is already completely operational throughout German professional football. “Each of the first and second division stadiums has between 16 and 20 cameras that are constantly collectingreal -time data. These cameras are placed in strategic points, especially at the top of the stadiums, and allow complete coverage of the pitch from multiple angles, which facilitates the automatic analysis of each play, ”said the head.
The way of understanding it
In addition to the generation of advanced statistics, this network of cameras also feeds other decisive technologies, such as OUR or goal line technology. The data generated by AWS Not only are they used to enrich retransmissions or technical reports, but also directly influence those arbitration decisions, as Julie Souza explained.
The basis of our system is user consent
And not just that. Clubs also have direct access to all information. “There is a platform where anyone can see that data whenever: during the game, sooner or later”. This makes the data an integral analysis tool, available at all times for technicians, analysts or physical trainers; but also for the fans themselves through the application of the Bundesliga.
A stadium for the future
The Signal Iduna Park is a stadium with great historical tradition. The Casa del Borussia Dortmund is one of the emblems of the city and also of German football. A construction that has not wanted to stay out of technology evolution and that, by the hand of AWS, has made that development possible. “In Dortmund, football is not just a sport, it is passion,” explained one of those in charge of performing the stadium tour as the green of the grass appeared in front of the visitors, to explain how a match is lived at the Casa del Borussia.
The union between all the historical and the novelty of the AI and other investments was explained by Alexander Altenhofen, product director and technology at Deutsche Fußball League (DFL), in the event 'Delivening The Future'. “When I was a child he was a fan of Dortmund. I saw how they won the Champions League in 97 and my childhood hero, Riedle, signed two goals. Those moments scored me,” he recalled. Now, maintaining that passion for football, and combining it with all its interest and attention in technology development, for him technology does not take away soul, rather on the contrary: “AI and data are not a threat to football romanticism. They are a tool to live it more intensely.”
Altenhofen detailed the increasingly new use made of the data by the Bundesliga to enrich the viewer's experience. In that sense, he explained what Match Facts is, an initiative developed with AWS whose purpose is none other than to provide real -time statistics and information during transmissions. According to Altenhofen, this approach has significantly improved the understanding and enjoyment of the game by the spectators: “AI and data are not tools to replace emotions. What they do is help fans experience them in a faster way,” said Altenhofen. “For example, if you are watching a game, commentators can say that a player had a 100% chance to score in a certain play. With Bundesliga Match Facts, we give a broader context. They show both the speed of the player and the speed of the ball, as well as the pressure exerted by defenders in that same action. All this makes the football debate enrich. 4K: We get more clarity and more appreciation for the game. ”
The implementation and development of all this technology causes German football to take a firm step towards football of the future. What were previously intuitive decisions today are supported with millimeter data, processed by algorithms, cameras and servers of AWS. What began as a technological innovation today has become a competitive advantage that allows clubs, coaches and even referees to make more informed and successful decisions. And, as Elif Dogan points out, this transformation not only affects the show. It affects the sport, training, tactics, physical preparation and, above all, the way we understand football.
