Premier League to Replace VAR System With Swarm of iPhones

Aug 14, 2024

Matt Growcoot

Manchester City footballer Erling Haaland celebrates after scoring a goal against Liverpool during a match at the Etihad Stadium. Teammates surround him as fans cheer from the stands, while Liverpool players are seen in the background.

Fans of the English Premier League will know what a fuss the video-assistant referee (VAR) has been over the last few seasons. The good news is that the system’s being replaced — by a swarm of iPhones.

The new semi-automated system called “Dragon” will use a network of iPhone 14s or newer that each captures high-frame-rate video from multiple angles.

There will be at least 28 iPhone cameras at every stadium in the Premier League. Genius Sports, the company behind Dragon, tells Wired that even more iPhones may be used in certain stadiums throughout the year.

Dragon utilizes mounts that can clump up to four iPhones together. The smartphones are housed in custom waterproof cases with cooling fans. The devices are also connected to a power source.

The system leverages artificial intelligence (AI) to pull all of the footage together to generate 3D models and digital twins of the game in real-time, allowing, hopefully, for swift and precise offside decisions.

The setup allows the system to track between 7,000 and 10,000 data points per player, including details as specific as body lines and skeletal structure, providing an unprecedented level of precision.

The Dragon system can capture up to 200 frames per second (broadcast videos are typically captured at 50 or 60 frames per second, per Wired). However, the system in the Premier League will be capped at 100 frames per second to balance latency, accuracy, and cost.

Genius Sports has been working with NBA basketball to convert optical data into a machine-learning program. The same system has been trained on soccer games for the past several seasons but the 2024/25 Premier League season marks Dragon’s debut.

One of the most contentious issues with the VAR system has been offside calls. A rule designed to prevent soccer players from hanging around the opposition’s goal, it sometimes took six minutes last season for officials to rule whether a play was offside or not.

The furor around the VAR technology prompted Premier League clubs to change the incumbent VAR system and vote in the new semiautomated system.

Dragon is expected to be launched in-season with Genius Sports and the Premier League declining to tell Wired how much better the system is compared to the previous one. But that, ultimately, will be decided by fans and players.

Image credits: Header photo licensed via Depositphotos.