Have you ever wondered how far a soccer player runs during a game?  With the world’s attention focused last summer on soccer during the excitement of the World Cup games, this may be a question on the minds of sports fans across the globe.

Sports fanatics have always been — and always will be — obsessed with statistics.  Every sport has stats to follow, and every coach and trainer tracks them.  So why should soccer be any different?

During this year’s World Cup games, players were tracked using a system by Stats LLC.  According to the company’s website, STATS is an acronym for “Sports Team Analysis and Tracking System”.

The STATS system records how far and how fast each player runs, as well as where on the field they spend most of their time.

Contrary to what you may initially believe, this sophisticated system does not use sensors or chips or anything similar to track players.  Instead, it relies on computer-vision cameras to track objects on the field, and then using an additional layer of software, can identify the individual players.  The data is then analyzed and compiled into useful information that can be used to:

• track “top runner” or other player stats
• analyze player skill and strategy
• gauge a player’s fatigue as a way to prevent injury
• predict success of game strategy

Athletes lawyer Doug Landau notes the impressive use of technology as an aid for coaches and athletes to hone players’ skills and also avoid fatigue and the resultant vulnerability to injury.  “As athletes, we sometimes do not realize how much wear and tear we are putting on our bodies.  A system that can unobtrusively yet accurately track movements and collect data is an excellent example of how technology can improve safety in sports,” says Landau.

If you or someone you know has been injured and are seeking legal counsel from someone who knows what it is like to be an athlete, look no further than Doug Landau, of the law firm Abrams Landau, Ltd.  Contact us by email or phone today (703-796-9555).