Hawk-Eye sets sights on next-gen football technology

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Image credit: FIFA Inside

FIFA and Hawk-Eye are working together again to create the ‘Football Technology Centre’, a joint venture that will create new and emerging football technology. 

The Sony-owned Hawk-Eye currently provides FIFA with football technology used in the men’s and women’s World Cups. The existing partnership has worked on implementing semi-automated offside technology (SAOT) and artificial intelligence (AI). 

Hawk-Eye has established itself as a pioneer in sports technology since 2001 and is trusted by major sporting events globally. Its takeover in sports technology has come from mission statements of creating officiating solutions, providing accurate results for referee decisions, enhancing sports safety for the players, and ultimately making their work digestible for fans to understand the game’s decisions and nuances.  

The immediate technological focus areas cover performance enhancement of the already-in-place technology between the two organisations, officiating efficiency and on-pitch detection algorithms. 

With the commencement of the ‘Football Technology Centre,’ FIFA and Hawk-Eye will work towards improving officiating performance through automated offside technology that alerts match officials through a smartwatch, similar to the already-in-place goal-line technology.

These two organisations continuing this technological football advancement partnership makes a lot of sense, considering how the developed SAOT tracks skeletal and object movements of the game ball and all players on the pitch. The in-place system works hand-in-hand with the future objectives of both companies.

The technology will guide video match officials in receiving alerts through the SAOT. Once they review the footage, the on-field match officials will receive the alert.

Since its introduction, SOAT has beaten the VAR system by an average of 30 seconds per decision while providing better accuracy, visual validation, and enhanced clarity among officials and spectators. 

On the performance enhancement side of the ‘Football Technology Centre’, the match analytics data feeding and biomechanical data capture can provide FIFA clubs with insightful data on athletes and improve how we analyse football beyond what we see with the naked eye. Critical game situations can be recreated through AI in the metaverse for VR training.

The benefits of Hawk-Eye and FIFA from a fan perspective and engagement aspect are that a 3D virtual recreation of the SAOT decision, once video officials and match officials rule on offside calls, it will automatically be made and shared with the television broadcasting and stadium big-screen. 

Through a corporate lens, Sony’s calculated acquisitions and investments in sports technology and biochemical data capture a clear vision for the tech giant to continue dominating the sports technology space.

Beyond Hawk-Eye, owning Pulselive (digital specialist), Beyond Sports (immersive data visualisation), and the new sports technology acquisition for Sony, KiniTrax (motion capture). Sony’s sports division’s focal point is improving digital solutions, broadcast technologies, and officiating solutions for all companies owned under their sports branch.   

As a leader in sports technology innovation, Hawk-Eye evolves broadcast and production potential through its work. It gives FIFA cutting-edge data analysis through its intricate AI software, which is then visualised and shared with the viewers.

Hawk-Eye is continuing to push the envelope with new software that enhances football in all facets is a remarkable achievement, especially in its success in revolutionising the game, particularly for referees.

Future implications from this joint venture include further technological integration between existing software through the FIFA and Hawk-Eye collaboration, more robust development opportunities for AI, and how it can help shape the future of football on an international scale, advanced training practices for players and enhancing officiating systems. 

The continued collaboration between FIFA and Hawk-Eye is a colossal step in football’s technological advancement, shaping its evolution in the coming years. 

For more information on Hawk-Eye Innovations and how they are shaping the future of football, click here.

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GIS Masterclass: Fan Engagement and Marketing with Terry Lynam and Karen Grega

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Image Credit: Global Institute of Sport

The Global Institute of Sport recently hosted a masterclass on Fan Engagement and Marketing, bringing together two industry leaders to tackle the field’s most pressing issues.

The Global Institute of Sport (GIS), which offers a Master’s in Sports Business and Sports Analytics through the University of Newcastle, regularly holds masterclasses with industry leaders as part of its curriculum.

The latest focused on fan engagement and marketing, covering two key themes: the growing tension between live sport and online streaming, and the role of data in shaping the fan experience.

The panelists 

Terry Lynam recently concluded her role as General Manager of Fan Experience and Events at Football Australia, overseeing the AFC Women’s Asian Cup on home soil.

Karen Grega is an experienced sports management consultant with a multi-code background. She currently represents Football Coaches Australia (FCA) and Heartbeat of Football, and has previously worked with Sydney Cricket Ground, Venues NSW and Sydney FC.

Live Sport and social media.

Terry Lynam opened with a pointed statement — one she acknowledged would be controversial. She argued that the sense of community unique to live sport is being eroded by social media and ‘snippet’ consumption.

Central to her concern is how marketing teams are failing to segment their audiences, treating casual online viewers the same as matchday fans.

“If they aren’t spending money on the sport we shouldn’t count them as spectators to the same level as match going fans.”

“What we want to consider as marketeers is how much we want to give away and how much we want our live sport element to remain,” Lynam said.

Grega echoed the sentiment, arguing fan engagement ultimately comes down to human connection. “It’s not rocket science.”

She suggested the industry revisit the concept of sport as a family outing to recapture that communal experience.

Data Driving Decisions

Both panelists highlighted data and analytics as central to modern fan engagement.

Grega recalled the introduction of computerised turnstiles as a turning point, enabling teams to track crowd movements and optimise staffing and entry times.

She also noted the continued value of fan surveys in informing marketing decisions.

Lynam pointed to ticketing technology as a significant data frontier.

Modern platforms like Ticketmaster’s ticket-transfer system now provide detailed customer insights.

“It allows us to have a better understanding of who’s getting the ticket and how they transport themselves there or when they arrive,”

“We can personalise their journey and sell content to them,” Lynam commented. 

The discussion also touched on data sourced from social media and on-field player tracking, as well as interactive stadium technology gaining traction in the US.

This included holographic assistants and player headset interactions that bring a broadcast-style experience to live events.

Activations That Educate

Activations rounded out the masterclass, with Lynam detailing how she created a fan zone on a modest budget for the Women’s Asian Cup.

The activation featured charitable partnerships focused on women’s health, including Heartbeat of Football, Endometriosis Australia and Share the Dignity.

“I’m very hopeful that that type of idea gets pushed through on other sporting events,” Lynam said.

Grega elaborated on the Heartbeat of Football activation, highlighting how a competitive element built around CPR and heart health kept fans engaged while also educating them.

“The whole health hub ticked all the boxes — it was immersive, it was interactive, it was there for all ages, both sexes.”

“That sort of blueprint is one that should be replicated as much as possible,” Explained Karen Grega

The masterclass offered students and industry professionals a valuable window into contemporary sports marketing.

As the competition for fan attention intensifies, the blend of live experience, smart data use, and purposeful activations can help define the next chapters of fan engagement.

More Than One in Five Football Australia Staff to Lose Jobs Amid Growing Financial Losses

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Image Credit: ESPN

Australian football finds itself in a curious position.

From the outside, the game appears to be riding a wave of momentum. Attendances, visibility and public interest have all experienced significant uplift in recent years, while major international tournaments and growing discussion around football’s future continue to place the sport firmly within the national conversation.

Yet behind that momentum, Football Australia is now confronting a far more challenging internal reality.

 

A compounding deficit

Chief Executive Martin Kugeler has reportedly indicated the governing body’s projected financial losses for 2025 are expected to exceed the organisation’s reported $8.5 million deficit from the previous year. Accompanying the financial outlook are substantial organisational changes, with reporting from Tracey Holmes indicating more than one in five Football Australia employees are expected to lose their positions through restructuring measures.

The figures represent more than a difficult balance sheet. They point toward a significant period of recalibration inside the organisation responsible for overseeing the sport nationally.

 

Losing the wisdom of existing staff members

For governing bodies, restructures are often framed as strategic necessities for future sustainability. However, workforce changes on this scale also raise broader questions around the challenges of such a transition.

People are often the carriers of knowledge, relationships and long-term strategic understanding. When organisations undergo significant structural change, the effects can extend beyond immediate financial outcomes.

 

Contradicting timing

The timing is what makes the developments particularly notable.

Football in Australia has spent recent years discussing expansion, growth and long-term opportunity. The conversation surrounding the game has increasingly centred on future potential. Often headlining stronger pathways, larger audiences, infrastructure development and greater visibility.

Against that backdrop, news of deep financial losses and substantial staffing reductions creates a different conversation: one focused not on where the game wants to go, but on what may be required to sustain that journey. Therefore, this announcement points toward stagnancy, rather than growth.

Further detail surrounding Football Australia’s strategy and long-term direction will likely emerge over coming months. For now, the developments serve as a reminder that growth stories are rarely straightforward.

Often, the periods that appear strongest from the outside can also be the moments organisations face their most significant internal tests.

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