Veo: Recording and analysing football matches with AI-driven cameras

Co-founded in 2015 by Henrik Teisbæk, Veo is a sports technology company with one main aim, to record sporting matches automatically without the need for a camera operator.

To achieve this goal, the company has developed an AI-powered 180-degree camera with two 4K lenses, capturing every single moment of a match in high quality and at 30 frames a second.

Veo has specifically trained the AI to follow the ball during the course of a game, creating a broadcast-like experience for the matches recorded using the software.

The camera ships with a tripod selected by the customer, is able to record up to four hours of footage on a single charge, and weighs less than one kilo, making it a portable option for both home and away matches.

“Veo has been a great asset for us since we purchased it. It allows us to record every game which at this level is brilliant. All around it has been an excellent purchase and something we are really proud to be using,” former senior coach of Brunswick City (now on the Melbourne Victory coaching staff) Riccardo Marchioli said.

One of the important selling points of the product is the analysis work that can be conducted on Veo’s online subscription platform.

Users are offered a 12-month subscription to the platform (at no additional cost) with the purchase of a camera kit, which allows coaches, scouts, players and so forth to review and analyse match recordings using a variety of Veo’s implemented features.

These features include:

  • The ability to consume automatically detected highlights in a match recording through Veo’s AI software, which pinpoints moments such as goals, kick-offs and half-time intervals
  • The ability for coaches to draw on the screen to provide feedback to players through the use of lines, shapes and arrows
  • Players can be tagged in highlights by the coach on Veo’s online platform
  • Coaches can also take over the camera and create their own highlights to share with players in a group or individually
  • Comments can be attached to every highlight, with a choice of which players can see the particular piece of advice or criticism

The online platform has been a successful system for various coaches around the world, including head of football at the City Of London School and U18 Head Coach of Independent Schools for England, Jono Santry.

“Veo has literally transformed our football programme,” he said.

“For years we have been searching for a solution to video matches, tag events, analyse the footage, and share with the staff and players. I had given up on finding a one fits all solution that was both affordable and not reliant upon having staff to film, edit and produce the footage. Veo literally is all this and more.

“We put the camera at the top of the tripod, press record and then plug it in when we return to the office. Veo’s “bots” do the rest and by the time the players wake up the next morning, they have tagged match footage that is excellent quality and follows play. All of this without a human having to control a camera or edit the footage.

“We are using it for other sports with the same precision which means more of our students are gaining the benefit that it clearly brings.”

To date, almost 5000 clubs use Veo in 79 countries across the world, with over 225,000 matches recorded using the product.

Professional clubs who use the service include Manchester City, As Roma, Chelsea, Leicester City FC, Everton FC, Wolverhampton Wanderers, Borussia Monchengladbach, Impact de Montréal, Inter Miami CF, Real Salt Lake, Club Brugge KV and many more.

However, professional clubs who have signed up to Veo only account for 10% of the Danish company’s customer base.

75% of Veo’s customers are either from grassroots or youth clubs across the globe, with schools making up the remainder of the base.

The basic camera setup costs under $2000AUD, with local A-League club Wellington Phoenix utilising Veo’s service, as well as ambitious NPL clubs such as Heidelberg United, who believe the investment is worthwhile to record and analyse their junior sides.

More information on Veo can be viewed here.

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Capital Football Introduces Pink Armband to Protect Junior Referees

Capital Football has launched a visible identification program for referees under 18, requiring them to wear a pink armband during matches. It’s intended to build awareness surrounding the concern across Australian football about the abuse driving young officials out of the game.

The Pink Armband Initiative, effective immediately across Capital Football’s competitions in the ACT and surrounding region, makes junior referees identifiable to players, coaches and spectators. The federation says the marker is designed to set clear behavioural expectations and signal that many match officials are minors still developing their skills.

Capital Football acknowledged a referee crisis as far back as 2022, at which point it restructured its entire referee department in partnership with Football Australia. The pink armband program is the latest layer of that response; this time by targeting the cultural conditions on match day rather than systems of recruitment and pay.

A problem that spans codes and states

Research has consistently linked referee abuse to declining retention rates, with officials quitting in growing numbers due to sustained mistreatment, a trend researchers warn will reduce the pool of skilled match officials available at all levels of the game. Studies also show that young, less experienced referees are disproportionately likely to be subject to abuse.

Capital Football is not alone in reaching for a visible solution. Similar programs operate across Football Queensland, Football South Australia, Football South Coast and several other federations, while Basketball Victoria and Basketball South Australia have adopted comparable measures through the Green Whistle initiative. The spread of these programs across codes and states reflects a shared administrative problem: many grassroots referees are teenagers and volunteers who do not officiate for money but because they love the game, and abuse is eroding that foundation.

For a federation overseeing nearly 29,000 registered players, fewer referees means fewer matches. Fewer matches means reduced participation. The pink armband is a low-cost intervention with structural consequences if it works.

Compliance and competition: Everton ordered to pay compensation following major verdict

In a landmark decision by the Premier League Independent Disciplinary Commission, Everton must now pay Burnley upwards of AUD 66 million (£35 million) after breaching financial rules in the 2021-22 season.

Behind the verdict

Playing in the Premier League is, in itself, one of the most lucrative positions for a club to be in. This year’s Championship Play-off final – a contest deemed ‘the richest match in football’ – guaranteed winners Hull City a revenue uplift of AUD 389 million (£205 million) according to Deloitte’s Sports Business Group.

It is no wonder, therefore, why teams are so desperate to stay at the top of the pyramid, especially given that relegation can lead to heavy financial hits in revenue, wage reduction and transfer spending power.

Competition is certain – and the football is all the better for it. But when this competitive edge overtakes compliance, what happens off the field is just as impactful.

In 2023, the Premier League charged Everton with breaching financial rules during the 2021-22 season – the same season which saw the Toffees finish just four points above relegated Burnley. Everton received an initial 10-point deduction, which ultimately decreased to six points on appeal.

That season, Everton stayed up. But for Burnley, had the points deduction come at an earlier date, their survival in the top-flight may have been secured.

 

What did the ruling find?

In its verdict, the Premier League’s Independent Disciplinary Commission deemed that Everton gained a competitive advantage over Burnley as a result of financial breaches.

Burnley will now receive AUD 66 million (£35 million) in compensation from Everton, although the Merseyside club will appeal the  commission’s decision.

“This ruling sets a dangerous and unworkable precedent for English football, given it is constructed on a principle that a club can be in breach of financial rules at any point in a financial year,” Everton said via an official club statement.

Burnley, on the other hand, reaffirmed its position that the case was a question of fair play and ensuring a level playing field.

“Our action has always been about making football fair,” the club said via an official statement.

“Clubs that comply with the rules deserve to compete on a level playing field. Fans deserve it. The sport demands it.”

 

The impact of the case

This is a landmark decision which may have profound effects on the future of financial compliance in English football.

In the past, financial breaches remained within the realm of just that – finances. But with the ruling between Everton and Burnley, it now opens up further questions on what compliance is actually worth in the game.

And whether future investigations may lead to similar – or even higher – compensation packages to affected clubs.

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