The English Premier League will debut a new offside detection system for the upcoming 2024/25 season, powered by a fleet of smart phones rather than VAR.

Developed by Genius Sports, a sports data and technology company, and Second Spectrum, its subsidiary, the new tool, called Drago, promises to increase the accuracy of often controversial offside calls and other critical live decisions.

The introduction of VAR systems to aid referees in making more accurate calls during football matches was met with opposition, and the failings of the technology often left fans frustrated

Motion-capture systems that were previously used, even in major tournaments like the FIFA World Cup, had limitations, with angles blocked by players, and could often only report simple metrics. This often led to less accurate decision makings, sparking outrage among fans.

By using multiple iPhones, Dragon will attempt to remedy these faults by offering a more holistic view of the field, capturing more angles and data.

The tool will use at minimum 28 iPhone 14s, or new models, set strategically around stadiums in order to capture more angles.

From there, the iPhones will take high-frame video of the match from various angles, protected in waterproof cases complete with power sources and cooling fans.

The videos will track between 7,000 to 10,000 points on each player on the field, which will then be fed into a machine learning algorithm which will provide real-time data on players.

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The advanced cameras, which analyse up to 200 frames per second, are more advanced than traditional broadcast video, which will allow for enhanced accuracy when assessing when actions take place. This specifically will help referees in deciding offside calls, a growing area of controversy with less-advanced VAR systems.

While it offers more advanced insights, the baseline technology is more accessible and cost efficient than traditional tracking systems. Further, the set up allows for flexibility, letting Genius Sports adjust design on a needs-basis.

Similar to VAR, however, the final call will be the referee’s decision, while the AI-based Dragon system will provide detailed assistance and analysis.