Martin Merino

March 16, 2014

Block 7

Technology Impacting Soccer

Dont practice until you get it right. Practice until you cant get it
wrong.(Barry popik, 2012) The evolution of soccer equipment over the years is
remarkable. Balls and clothes are an essential factor for this sport, and thanks to them
soccer players are able to demonstrate their abilities to the most. Also the use of
computer technology is helping as well tremendously to coaches and presidents,
because this is helping to analyze specific data of players and teams.

Soccer Equipment Development
Thanks to technology evolution, soccer equipment changed, and therefore the way of
playing this game changed as well. For example the evolution of the ball is a
transcendental factor in this sport. In the nineteenth century balls began to me
manufactured by rubber, this caused inconsistencies and unpredictability reactions from
the players. As a result soccer players couldnt demonstrate their abilities in the pitch. In
present times soccer balls are extremely lighter and better-performed compared to a few
decades. An example by Jeremy Repanich on vol. 24 is the Smart Ball the new
Adidas product which contains two data-collecting sensors that permits to track the ball
trajectory, contact point, and launch speed, etc. (Repenaich, 2012) This information gets
to a computer through Bluetooth. Plus this ball has a sensor that beeps when the ball
completely crosses the goal line.
Fifty years ago soccer shoes were a kind of boots, so it was impossible for players to
have a full control over the ball. However thanks to science and technology, shoes now
are very light and comfortable in order to beneficiate the player. Also they adapt to all
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March 16, 2014
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players feet, protecting the athlete from injuries. From the same article Higher, Faster,
Smaller Repenaich explains as well the wearable technology and how it helped
tremendously to improve soccer athletes performance over the pitch. Now chips and
processors are able to fit in a shoe or shirt that helps to monitor the athlete performance
which then is transferred through wireless (Repenaich, 2012) which helps for example
to analyze the athlete physical improvement, also his weaknesses and finally helping to
create specific workouts for players specific needs.

Computer Technology Changed Soccer Style
Computer technology has affected mostly everything that surrounds us, and
soccer is not the exception. From the article Computer Technology Soccer Diogo
Miranda explains the way soccer data can be collected. There are different levels of data
analyzers, wireless and Bluetooth that transfer information through soccer equipment as
mentioned before. However there is also the advanced level of data collector, called
GPS Tracking. This system automatically calculates the position and tracks the
movements of every player on the pitch through some cameras that cover the entire field
( Miranda, 2010). The benefit of this program is that works on real time, allowing
presidents and coaches to make decisions at that moment if they want to. This does not
only help to analyze the team performance, but the rivals teams as well, helping make
decisions for future matches.
Technology helped this sport tremendously by improving soccer material so that
soccer players can demonstrate and improve their abilities. Computerized technology
helped coaches to analyze the information in order to make the best decisions to their
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March 16, 2014
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club. Soccer now at days is considered to be the best sport of all, and part of that is
thanks to the improvement of technology.

Bibliography
Eli, B. Jeremy, R.(2012).Higher, Faster, Smarter. Sports Illustrated Kids. Retrieved
March 16, 2014. From http://web.a.ebscohost.com/src/detail?sid=ca26e3aa-d503-4318-
ac67-
9f3dde58c460%40sessionmgr4005&vid=1&hid=4109&bdata=JnNpdGU9c3JjLWxpdm
U%3d#db=mih&AN=80237432
Maney, K.(2013). How Data Is Changing Soccer Cisco. Retrieved March 16, 2014
from http://newsroom.cisco.com/feature/1200416/How-Data-is-Changing-
Soccer?utm_medium=rss