The Premier League just made a change that could have a huge impact on the future of football around the world. All games will use semi-automated offside technology starting with the next season.
The historic plan aims to reduce the room for error in offside plays, taking into account that people can make mistakes when judging the play in real time and, as has been shown, when drawing the famous “lines” in VAR.
“At a meeting of Premier League shareholders today, all clubs decided that Semi-Automated Offside Technology should be used. Based on optical player tracking, the technology will make it easier to place the virtual offside line quickly and consistently. It will also produce high-quality broadcast images that will give fans a better experience both in-stadium and on TV.
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When will semi-automated offside technology be used in the English Premier League?
Even though it was confirmed that the method for reviewing offsides would start in the 2024–2025 season, the Premier League made it clear that it would not happen on the first day of the tournament.
“Next season will be the first time the new system is used in the Premier League. The technology should be ready to go after one of the autumn international breaks.”
Also, this method for finding players who are offside has been used before in the Champions League and the 2022 World Cup in Qatar. It works with technology that tracks how players move on the pitch.
So, when there is a possible offside on the field, the semi-automated offside technology immediately draws the virtual lines to show where the offensive player is in relation to the defensive players. Cameras placed in key areas record players’ movements in real time, which makes it possible to draw the line very accurately.
