Footballers Wearing Body Cameras and Microphones Could Be the Future of Football
As seen in a pre-season friendly between A.C. Milan and 1 FC Köhn.
During a pre-season friendly between A.C. Milan and 1 F.C. Köln, some players had mics and a GoPro-like body camera attached to their bodies, giving viewers an in-depth perception of what actually goes on during games.
The footage from the body cameras gives a similar result to what you would see on the First Person camera angle on FIFA. Getting players to wear body cameras during matches has not been done before in a professional football match. However, on YouTube, there are several channels featuring players recording themselves playing football with a body camera — a notable semi-pro player from South Korea called JFootballTV records himself playing in different positions and the style of various football players in first-person view.
During the pandemic’s early stages, fans could not enter the stadium, which resulted in the microphones picking up conversations from players on the field. Surprisingly, fans seemed to love it, with many coming up with compilations of hilarious things said on the pitch during matches. There were many requests from fans to hear more from the field, especially from the referee. V.A.R. decisions often take a while, and conversations go back and forth between officials, but viewers are left to wonder what goes on. Hearing the officials could give the viewers a better understanding of the in-depth details of what goes on during a decision.
A first-person view is definitely interesting, which could evolve how we perceive the game, as opposed to the default camera angle viewers are used to. Certain leagues have introduced different ways for viewers to watch the game. The Spanish league La Liga introduced INTEL 360-Degree Replay Technology a few years ago, giving a 360-degree replay of goals scored.
In case you missed it, Novak Djokovic defeated Nick Kyrgios at Wimbledon.
