The source of all – the Official Match Data
Modern football fans want to be informed as well as entertained. Supporters still yearn for the pleasures that arise from a goal being scored or a defender making a crunching tackle, but they also seek a deeper understanding of the game with the help of sports data.
And the clubs need every bit of data available to perform at the highest levels on a daily basis. In the Bundesliga and Bundesliga 2, the DFL subsidiary Sportec Solutions help to satisfy the growing thirst for knowledge by collecting and distributing the Official Match Data to clubs, licensees and partners of the DFL.
Which data is included in the Official Match Data?
The Official Match Data includes four different types of statistics: positional, event, master and match information data. With the positional data the DFL detects the location of the players and the ball every 40 milliseconds. This is how the DFL collect a total of 3.6 million positional data points during a match. About 1,600 match-related events such as goals, shots on goals, fouls or passes are recorded in the event data each match. Master data contains information like players’ names and the match information data includes team line-ups and kick-off times.
How is positional data collected?
Depending on the venue, there are 16, 18 or 20 cameras positioned in different locations around each stadium capturing position-based data during matches in the Bundesliga and Bundesliga 2. The cameras make sure that individual players can be identified in complex match situations, such as corners or free kicks. Through applying advanced machine-learning algorithms (AI), the tracking system is able to determine a tremendous number of different statistics including information such as acceleration values for players or the length of passes.
How is event data collected?
During every match, four staff members are responsible for collecting the event data. The speaker, who is always located in the stadium, describes the live match using a code language to the writer, who is based at the Sportec Solutions collection center. The writer enters the events into the system in real time. Two additional operators compare the entered events against various pieces of live video footage to approve the event data and to add additional elements if needed.
For which purposes is the Official Match Data used?
Besides the Bundesliga Match Facts powered by AWS, innovative statistics that are based on the Official Match Data, a variety of other services benefit from data. They are used by the Video Assistant Referee and the goal-line technology. The Official Match Data delivers statistics for official Bundesliga channels and apps as well as to the media partners. The on-air graphics used during a match broadcast are fed by the Official Match Data. The 36 clubs of the Bundesliga and Bundesliga 2 use the Official Match Data in a variety of ways: the clubs have access to a platform that contains all match insights and video analytics. The clubs use these for decision-making processes and in-stadium match analysis, for example.
