Hawkeye was on Radar Mash - inations - Goal - line technology at Craven Cottage!

[LBNo11]

...an interesting article that shows that Fulham and Mr Fayed did indeed look at goal - line technology in 2006:-


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Goal-Line Technology



The lessons and expertise garnered on the tennis court have laid the foundations for Hawk-Eye's camera-based football development. Progress began in earnest back in November 2006 when the development moved to the home ground of Fulham FC, Craven Cottage. Experienced members of Hawk-Eye's software development team were able to test their software in a real-time environment as cameras were rigged in the rafters around the goalmouth at Craven Cottage's Putney End.

"It's an exciting time to be working at the van guard of technology in sport," enthuses Hawk-Eye's Technical Director, Paul McIlroy. "The development team is relishing the opportunity to build on our experience from tennis and cricket in developing a brand new system for football."

From Fulham Hawk-Eye's football development team moved to Hogwood Park, the training ground of Reading FC. Temporary scaffolds and Hawk-Eye's Outside Broadcast vehicle were put in place for further testing took place throughout the summer of 2007.

All Hawk-Eye's planning has been geared towards fulfilling the criteria stipulated by the IFAB at their Annual General Meeting in Manchester on the 3rd March 2007. Development is strictly focused on a goal-line system that will bring an end to controversies that perennially rock the game; be they Roy Carroll's infamous incident against Tottenham in the FA Premier League in 2005 or perhaps the most disputed 'goal' of all-time: Geoff Hurst's second goal against Germany in the World Cup Final of 1966.

Accurate

Accuracy and reliability are certainly the most important criteria for establishing the Hawk-Eye Football System. The FA Premier League has stipulated that a goal-line system must be accurate to 5mm and Hawk-Eye has risen to the task.

Instant

It is vital that the desired information is communicated to the referee in a quick, discreet manner. The IFAB has stipulated that an "instant" system must be implemented: Hawk-Eye will provide an answer is less than 0.5 seconds.

How does it work?

As with all Hawk-Eye technology, every image is processed by a bank of computers in real time. This data is then sent to a central computer, which combines all the information to determine whether or not the ball has crossed the line. As soon as a ball has been tracked across the goal line, the central computer will transmit an automatic signal directly to the referee to inform him whether or not a goal has been scored. This information can be communicated to a watch or an ear piece as required.

Before one assumes that the technology could be used to determine whether a corner or goal kick should be awarded, it is interesting to note that the protocol will only apply to a ball that moves within the three dimensional space of the goal mouth. A signal would not be sent if a ball crossed the goal plane but went over the crossbar or wide of the posts.

Hawk-Eye's system would be similarly astute if the ball crossed the goal line for only a fraction of a second. A ball travelling at 60 mph will move one metre per video frame on standard broadcast cameras, which operate at 25 frames per second, so Hawk-Eye utilises cameras that can operate at up to 500 frames per second.

The three dimensional space of a goal mouth is actually subject to quite a lot of movement. The goal posts can move as a result of the ball or players hitting them and cameras can wobble owing to wind or the vibrations of a stadium packed full of cheering football fan. Hawk-Eye has experienced similar challenges in cricket and tennis and has robust solutions for counteracting this issue.

Likely scenarios when the technology will be most valuable include corners or goal line scrambles; patterns of play that see numerous bodies huddled around the goal line. Hawk-Eye compensates for the eventuality that players will obstruct the ball by employing multiple cameras from different angles. These camera positions are flexible to allow for installation at different venues.

Hawk-Eye has also drawn on its extensive experience of finding the centre of the ball in tennis: the football system is able to find the ball accurately even if only 25% of the ball is visible. This specialised vision processing technique is a vital strength of the Hawk-Eye Football System.

Hawk-Eye is confident that the days of post-match retributions will soon be a thing of the past. The closest goal-line calls will be resolved in a matter of seconds as Hawk-Eye's experience and accuracy on the tennis court will take football officiating to a new level.


"We think [Hawk-Eye's football system] is the right blend of simplicity and technology."

FA Premier League Spokesperson



Remember these infamous incidents?
The most contested 'goal' of all-time?

England's Geoff Hurst against Germany in the 1966 World Cup Final. Hurst scored to take the hosts 3-2 up before completing his hat-trick in England's 4-2 victory.


Manchester Utd. vs. Tottenham

Pedro Mendes was unlucky not to put Tottenham ahead against Manchester United at Old Trafford in 2005. United Goal Keeper Roy Carroll appeared to spill the Portuguese player's speculative shot a metre over the goal-line, but linesman Rob Lewis award the goal to Spurs.

Middlesborough vs. Chesterfield

Chesterfield led Middlesborough 2-1 in an FA Cup tie at Old Trafford in 1997, but had a goal appeal revoked. The game ended 3-3, Boro' won the replay and went on to make the final against the dark side.

Everton vs. Bolton Wanderers

In 1997 Bolton were denied a 'goal' against fellow strugglers Everton at Goodison Park. The subsequent draw gave Everton the single point they needed to avoid relegation that year, whilst Bolton were banished to Division One.