GPS Data in football - Can we stream data live YES or NO?

I came across a very interesting discussion posted by Edward Abankwa in the Sportdata & Performance Forum titled Melbourne City will stream real time GPS data and stats to fans during matches in the upcoming 2015-16 season that linked to an article by John Stensholt of the Financial Review.

The article was titled Game data to stream live for Melbourne City football fans and explained the exciting new partnership “The club,… has entered into [with] global IT firm SAP” to stream date live from GPS units worn by players during matches in real time.

I have been in involved in analysis including GPS for a while and make it my business to understand application and context of data collection systems and processes to offer performance improvements within the principles and rules set out by governing bodies and/or competition and tournament organisers etc.

Having carried out my own due diligence for our consultancy and support services to ensure we are complaint and sharing the correct information with our current and prospective client base I researched the changes brought in by FIFA that were summarised in FIFA circular 1494.

The Circular underlines several principles of which two were of particular interest to myself and possibly will be an issue for Melbourne City unless there has been an amendment to the principles since July 8th that I am not aware of.

FIFA Circular no. 1494 published 8 July 2015 states, “The data to be collected by an approved electronic performance or tracking system device, or any interpretation of it, may only be used by the respective participating team and/or the individual player for performance monitoring purposes (including physical, technical and tactical data) and by no means for any commercial purpose and/or in association with any third party.” This seems to prevent the proposed streaming to the score boards in real time. It also states “No technical devices will be allowed in the technical area, nor may any data/information collected through such devices be transmitted to the technical area during the match.”

Knowing how these devices work I would assume the only way officials and FIFA can ensure compliance here is if the transmitter aerial that sends such data in real-time can be switched off in the device so that the unit simply becomes a data logger for post-match down-load and analysis.

I appreciate my interpretation of the principles may be incorrect and there may very well be scope to stream live to broadcasters. Do you any thoughts on the plans by Melbourne or the principles of use by FIFA?

#GPS #analysis #technology