Wisehockey’s fully automatic analytics platform is breaking into football: First football match played with real-time analytics

Automatic real-time football analytics were put to action when two Veikkausliiga (the highest tier of the Finnish football league) teams, FC Haka and FC TPS, played a pre-season match on Friday, 12 June. The players and the ball were equipped with tags that enabled real-time tracking with Quuppa locators. The successful event proves that Wisehockey’s new football analytics platform can fulfill the expectations set for fully automatic football analytics.

This was the first football match played with a tracking-based, fully automatic analytics system. The players and the ball were equipped with tags that enabled real-time tracking with new portable Quuppa locators. Portable locators can be set up at any venue in just a few hours. Playing already an integral part in KHL and the Finnish Hockey League's games, Wisehockey’s real-time analytics platform is now breaking into football.

The match took place at FC Haka’s home stadium in the city of Valkeakoski with live audience. The stadium in Valkeakoski is one of the most traditional and famous Finnish football stadiums. Wisehockey's football analytics platform was tested at the same venue earlier this year with good results, already proving that the Wisehockey system can be easily adapted to football.

The match between FC Haka and FC TPS was the first official match of summer 2020 to take place at the stadium. Due to the Covid-19 pandemic matches began later than usual, as Veikkausliiga season normally starts in April.

Wisehockey’s Head of Sales Miska Kuusisto believes that the first match played with the new football analytics system is a step toward making tracking-based real-time analytics part of professional football. “It was just a couple of weeks ago, when the system was tested in real environment and now the automatic real-time football analytics were put to action when two Veikkausliiga teams played a pre-season match. And it is not just about player and smart football tracking, but a large set of automated real-time analytics that have never been seen in football before. I think it underlines Wisehockey’s exceptional platform flexibility”, Kuusisto says.

Accurate positioning data of players and ball allow tracking game events such as shots, passes, ball control and physical measures in real-time and on a deeper level. In addition, Wisehockey’s automated real-time video clipping feature with overlay solution provides new elements to coaching and fan engagement services. “Automatic and reliable analytics is the backbone of a larger digital ecosystem. Our experience in ice hockey real-time analytics allows us to speed up the development process. Wisehockey system can be easily adapted to football and we can now focus on building a service partner network”, Kuusisto adds.

More information

Mr. Miska Kuusisto, Head of Sales, +358 50 480 3658, miska.kuusisto@wisehockey.com

Mr. Mika Hulkki, Head of Product Management, +358 50 086 6267, mika.hulkki@wisehockey.com