Fully automatic real-time analytics for football: Finnish sports analytics platform Wisehockey tests football statistics based on ball and player tracking

Internationally known for a fully automatic real-time hockey analytics system, Wisehockey is breaking into the world of football. The world’s first positioning data based real-time football analytics system was tested in May. Automatic real-time statistics based on player and ball tracking have never been seen in football before.

The Finnish automatic real-time sports analytics platform Wisehockey is already used in thousands of hockey games in the Finnish Hockey League (Liiga) as well as in one of the biggest hockey leagues in the world, KHL. It has become clear that there is a demand for automatic real-time analytics in the world of professional sports. Now, for the first time, it is possible to apply positioning data based automatic analytics to football. The new analytics system was tested in May at one of the most well-known Finnish football stadiums.

Automatic real-time statistics based on positioning data have never been seen in football before. Wisehockey has developed the world’s first fully automatic real-time football analytics platform that is based on player and ball tracking. The system provides new possibilities for training as well as football fans’ entertainment.

Ice hockey clubs, fans and service providers have already begun using real-time statistics for various purposes. Based on continuous real-time tracking of ball and players, the Wisehockey system now offers a means to acquire information on a level that video-based football analytics cannot achieve. Wisehockey’s Head of Sales Miska Kuusisto believes that the new analytics will find a market opening: “Our reliable and fully automated platform with flexible real-time API for service providers creates a disruption point to the market. When matches are in digital format, creating new services is up to your imagination, not technical capability. In addition, our superior set of AI based analytics brings a whole new layer to coaching and player development.”

The new football analytics system was tested at the home stadium of one of the most prominent Finnish football clubs, FC Haka. Positioning data of test players and ball allowed tracking game events such as shots, passes and contest wins and analysing the game on a deeper level. Kuusisto is happy with the outcome: “We already knew that our platform is well suited for sports other than ice hockey, but it was still great to see how easy it was to adapt to football. There are already a lot of analytics about players’ physical performance but no other digital tools that could automatically analyze thousands of tactical and team level elements.”

For testing the new football analytics system, Wisehockey developers brought new portable Quuppa locators to the stadium. Portable locators allow for a quick and easy setup of the Wisehockey platform for temporary use. While permanent setup takes 24 hours, portable locators can be set up at any venue in just a few hours.

Watch a video about testing the football analytics system.

More information

Mr. Miska Kuusisto, Head of Sales, +358 50 480 3658, [email protected]

Mr. Mika Hulkki, Head of Product Management, +358 50 086 6267, [email protected]