Feature: New technology scores well in soccer - July 2006  

A new Future of Football [soccer] Survey conducted by mobile network operator Orange and Football Fans Census has revealed how fans want to see the game embrace the prospect of mobile technology and well as utilise technology to decide contentious issues.
 
The Orange Technology in Football Survey, carried out by the Football Fans Census, spoke to 3,072 soccer fans on the subject of technology between 15 and 22 March 2006. The survey was conducted online and supporters of 215 teams were represented, including all clubs in the Premiership, Football League and Scottish Premier League. Thirty-nine percent of respondents were season ticket holders. The survey respondents were predominantly male (85%) with females making up 15% of the sample – reflecting the male bias among soccer supporters in the UK and globally.
With England’s famous 1966 FIFA World Cup triumph famously decided by a crucial goal line decision that is still being debated 40 years on, the Orange survey has revealed that over three quarters of soccer fans would like to see more technology brought into the game to avoid issues like these in the future. Sir Geoff Hurst’s second goal in that World Cup Final was allowed to stand even though it was unclear whether the whole of the ball had crossed the line.
Survey results revealed that 82% of soccer fans felt that new technology, such as goal line cameras, TV match officials and smart officials, would considerably improve their enjoyment of the game. With inconclusive goal line decisions still prevalent in the game today, including the recent controversy in last season’s Champions League semi-final between Chelsea and Liverpool, 57% of fans surveyed were adamant that goal line technology was the most important technological advancement that was needed in soccer.
Chelsea and England player Frank Lampard commented: “Obviously everyone remembers the famous Sir Geoff Hurst goal from 1966, which luckily went in our favour and helped us win the World Cup! But of course it’s still no easier today to work out if a ball has crossed the line, as was shown in our game against Liverpool last year in the Champions League.”

Hawkeye’s success

Lampard believes that the introduction of electronic animated tracking device Hawkeye in cricket and tennis has been successfully introduced and it doesn’t seem to have stopped the flow of matches in these sports. “Obviously technological advancements may not be so easy in football but it could possibly help to stop the current debates that take place whenever a disputed goal is scored or a player is unfairly sent off,” said Lampard.
He added: “Of course in football, decisions go for you and against you, but I can understand why the fans want to see the technology changed. Every football player wants to win a game fair and square and sometimes things happen so quickly in matches that it’s impossible for the referee or assistant referee to see what has happened.”
It’s on the subject of gaining conclusive evidence about whether the ball has crossed the line that fans are unanimous - 73% of respondents embrace the idea of goal line cameras that can send picture messages straight to a mobile device with the referee to resolve goal disputes. The same number would also like to see the introduction of footballs with intelligent chips that can tell a referee within seconds whether the goal should stand.

Learning from rugby

Fans are also positive about following some of the technological advancements brought into rugby in recent years. Indeed, 68% would welcome soccer adopting the TV match officials that are used successfully in Six Nations Rugby, whilst 64% admitted that referees comments being heard by the viewer or listener is something that would improve their enjoyment of soccer.
Darrell McLennan Fordyce, head of sports and games at Orange commented: “Technology in football is now a huge national debate, and the results from this survey show that fans want it to have a more prominent role in deciding disputed decisions. Orange is a keen supporter of any technological advancements that help to enhance the great game.”
According to the survey results, 30% of soccer fans were interested in having access to player performance data (such as which players are doing the most running, passing etc during a match) on their mobile phone.  The appetite for this data is strongly influenced by age, teenagers – the demographic most familiar with mobile technology are positive overall to the idea, other age groups are negative overall, increasingly so as they get older.

Radio Frequency Identification

The 2006 FIFA World Cup saw the large-scale use of RFID technology in tickets for the first time, with all 2.9m tickets being embedded with an RFID tag.
World Cup organisers expected the use of RFID to provide greater security at entry gates and deter the counterfeiting of tickets, which have plagued past events. The technology offered a high degree of security, and organisers said it would not contain personal data, only a number that identified each ticket holder.
However, ticket purchasers had to submit various personal details on the ticket registration forms, which then appeared on the ticket, and the RFID tag had the potential to make the ticket holder visible to tracking devices beyond the turnstile. The level of data being captured and potential for tracking people raised concerns in some quarters that this is a step towards a ‘big brother’ society or football ID card scheme.
Overall however, 59% of fans felt that this was a step forward in improving security and ticketing arrangements more than it raised concerns about personal liberty. However, for a sizeable minority (41%) the concerns the technology raises about personal liberty were significant.

The package

Orange customers were able to get coverage of the 2006 FIFA World Cup on their mobile phone thanks to a World Cup package that was available for the tournament. Customers who texted ‘World Cup’ to 247 (free) were directed towards a dedicated World Cup section on Orange World. The section included a page on every competing World Cup team, the chance to sign up for Orange World Cup Fantasy League, commentary on England games, latest news from Sky Sports, classic World Cup video highlights, ringtones and England anthems and much more.
Soccer fans were able to take advantage of the World Cup package for £6, giving them access to all the content for the entire tournament as well as daily text alerts and a free wallpaper. Orange also teamed up with Motorola to offer World Cup exclusives on the Motorola V3i and L6 handsets across Orange direct channels in May and June.

The Orange Technology in Football Survey was carried out by the Football Fans Census www.footballfanscensus.com  - a leading European soccer fan research business. The full findings have been made available to members of the Sport and Technology Executive Club. Visit www.sportandtechnologyexecutiveclub.com to join.

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