What is semi-automated offside technology and how does it work? New Premier League system starts this weekend

The Premier League will officially introduce the long-awaited and highly anticipated semi-automated offside technology this weekend.

The system will come into play for Manchester City against Crystal Palace and then be in place for the rest of the top-flight fixtures.

UEFA

It comes following a period of non-live testing in the Premier League and live operation in the FA Cup this season.

A statement from the Premier League on April 1 said: “The Premier League will introduce semi-automated offside technology on Saturday 12 April (Match Round 32). This follows non-live testing in the Premier League and live operation in the FA Cup this season.

“Semi-automated offside technology automates key elements of the offside decision-making process to support the video assistant referee (VAR).

“It provides more efficient placement of the virtual offside line, using optical player tracking, and generates virtual graphics to ensure an enhanced in-stadium and broadcast experience for fans.

“The technology maintains the integrity of the process while enhancing the speed, efficiency, and consistency of offside decision-making.

“The Premier League has worked in collaboration with PGMOL and sports data and technology company Genius Sports to develop the new semi-automated offside technology system.”

What is semi-automated offside?

The introduction should help to reduce the average offside check time by 31 seconds and produce clearer graphic visualisations of offside decisions to expedite the process.

The AI-based tech uses bespoke cameras that have been installed beneath the roof of all 20 Premier League stadiums to create three-dimensional models of a player’s skeleton to determine whether any part of their body is offside.

Around 30 cameras – capturing footage at 100 frames per second – will track the exact movement of the ball and up to 10,000 surface ‘mesh’ data points on the bodies of all 22 players.

VARs will no longer need to manually draw offside lines – except for situations where players obstruct the view of the ball or other players for the system’s cameras, as seen in the delays during Bournemouth’s FA Cup win over Wolves.

Premier League

While it’s a new addition to the Premier League, it’s not the first time that it’s been used.

Semi-automated offside technology has been used at the most recent men’s and women’s World Cups.

These first took place in Qatar in 2022, as well as the women’s tournament in Australia and New Zealand in 2023.

In club football, the technology has been used in Italy’s Serie A since January 2023 and was introduced in Spain’s La Liga at the start of the current campaign.

The technology has also been used in the Champions League since 2022/23, meaning that clubs including Manchester City, Arsenal, Liverpool, Newcastle and Aston Villa have all experienced it.

While non-live testing has taken place in the Premier League, fans have got to see it in action during the fifth and sixth rounds of this season’s FA Cup ahead of Saturday’s debut.

Newcastle assistant manager Jason Tindall said: “Everyone welcomes any change that will make the league better and make these decisions a lot quicker.

“If it improves the speed of decisions, then of course we welcome it for sure.”

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