How Smart Glasses Will Revolutionize Football
Football fans and players are no strangers to technologies being used on the field. Today, the world’s most popular sport continues to integrate cutting-edge technology into games.
For example, fans are pretty much accustomed to the video assistant referees (VAR) by now, despite constant complaints about match-changing decisions like ruling out goals for infringements and delays in play. Meanwhile, England’s players have also begun wearing smart rings. Former manager Gareth Southgate explained that they are used to help monitor sleep, which is an important factor in terms of recovery. Meanwhile, Southgate himself wears a smartwatch that also provides score alerts during the Euro 2024 tournament.
Smart technologies like wearables aren’t limited to rings and watches, of course. New developments in the smart glasses segment have introduced AI integration, and tech giants like Apple are in the process of working towards their own Siri-powered smart glasses as a follow-up to the recently released mixed-reality headset, the Vision Pro. Additionally, modern smart glasses have the potential of changing the game not only for players, but for fans as well. But what does the rise of smart glasses mean for football, its players, and the fans? Below, we’ll take a closer look at how smart glasses will revolutionize football:
For the fans — Capturing and sharing football content
Football fans who can’t attend live games at stadiums can always stream the game on television or through streaming platforms on the Internet. Another important part of football content, of course, is the shared media from fans who attend the games. These clips or images share a first-person point of view of the game and offer a fresh perspective from the wide angles provided by official streams. These are often filmed on a smartphone and are a good close-up view of what’s happening on the field.
Nowadays, lots of smart glasses are equipped with cameras that allow you to capture images or videos. The new Ray-Ban Meta smart glasses boast a built-in ultrawide 12MP camera lens and a five-mic system without looking clunky. The high-tech gadget comes in the form of familiar Ray-Ban models like the Wayfarer or Headliner. These glasses provide a new way of capturing media without having to lift up your smartphone for long periods, and the first-person POV of the videos creates a more immersive experience for you to revisit or share with friends and loved ones. The Ray-Ban Meta also allows you to livestream your videos to Meta’s video platforms like Instagram and Facebook.
In a previous post, we highlighted the evolution of soccer streaming, from radio to online streaming. Today, there’s more than one way of watching football. Television broadcasts and online streams of games introduced a great way for fans to watch football from the comfort of their living rooms, but the dawn of smart glasses has the potential to change how football fans will view the game. Of course, the Ray-Ban Meta is only one of many smart glasses offering this feature. The new Snapchat Spectacles are equipped with built-in cameras and an AR display with the aim to let wearers share AR experiences for friends to watch on their smartphones. The AR interface allows you to revisit recorded football games with friends, enjoying your love of football together.
For players and coaches — Heads-up display for real-life stats
Of course, smart glasses are also as revolutionary for professional players and coaches as they are for fans and viewers. A lot of new technologies introduced into the football industry have helped coaching staff optimize player performance. For example, GPS trackers fitted onto players are used to generate real-time data on player movements, speed, and other relevant information. Some football clubs and organizations are also investing in local positioning system (LPS) system technologies for better validity and reliability compared to GPS technologies.
As such, there is also potential for smart glasses to provide in-depth player data and analysis. The newly revealed AR glasses from Engo are specialized sports sunglasses that offer a real-time heads-up display for specific sports-related data. At the time of writing, the glasses are more meant for avid and professional cyclists to gain information like distance and speed. Still, the same logic can be applied to football, especially since eyewear on the field isn’t a totally new concept. Some players wear specially made goggles on the field for eye protection or vision correction, so smart glasses won’t be too difficult to integrate into real matches or training sessions, at the very least.