Premier League clubs voted unanimously in April to introduce semi-automated offside technology (SAOT) into the competition from the 2024/25 season. Here is how it will work.
When it will be introduced?
Semi-automated offside technology won’t be ready for the start of the season on 16 August, but is expected to be ready to be used from after one of the autumn international breaks.
How it will work?
Computer vision cameras powered by Genius Sports will be installed in every Premier League stadium. These cameras around the ground will track the ball as well as thousands of data points for each player and the ball.
When a match-defining moment occurs, such as a penalty, a goal or a red card, the technology will track to see if any attacking player involved in the build-up to the incident was offside.
If a player receives a ball in an offside position, the technology will send an alert to the officials in the VAR Hub.
They will check that the point of contact with the ball and automated offside line have been correctly recorded. The VAR will then inform the on-field officials if an offside has been recorded.
Will it be quicker than the current VAR process for judging offsides in the Premier League?
The hope is that on average offside decisions will be made more than 30 seconds faster than last season under the old system.
So is this the end to VAR delays for offsides?
No, because there will be occasions of occlusion of the ball (it being hidden from the cameras among a group of players), “edge decisions" or subjective decisions of whether an offside player was interfering with play, which will require intervention from the VAR, and possibly the on-field referee in the latter instance.
Will we get graphics showing the offside decision, like we see in other competitions that use SAOT?
Yes, the graphics will be produced and made available to broadcasters, the Premier League’s digital platforms and will be shown on the big screen to fans in the stadium.
What’s been said by the Premier League and referees?
Howard Webb, PGMOL Chief Refereeing Officer, said: “The biggest benefit of semi-automated offsides is around the efficiency of the process. We already believe our interventions around offside are accurate. The manual use of technology can take time, particularly in the more complicated situations. We're looking forward to making it quicker but retaining the accuracy.
“It's 'semi-automated' because there still needs to be some validation on the outputs from the technology that the VAR will go through, such as identifying the kick point.
“The other big advantage is it will create graphics we can use in-stadium and with broadcasters. This ability to see the offside, we believe, will give a better experience for people watching on TV and within the stadium."
Tony Scholes, Premier League Chief Football Officer, said: "The introduction of semi-automated offside technology should not only reduce delays but also instil greater confidence in the whole process."
