Ultimately, the Soccer Section selected the VEO SPORTS CAM and associated software packages as we believed that it represented the best fit against our selection criteria. Simply described, the VEO SPORTS CAM is a premium sports camera which can be used across multiple sports codes. It records games and training in high definition from fixed position on the field and is being utilised successfully in 80+ countries worldwide and by 500k coaches and players.

Once set up on its specialised 7.3 metre pole, the waterproof camera, which is controlled by an app on your Android or iOS operated phone, follows the football as the game is played. It has an inbuilt cooling system which ensures that it works well in Hong Kong's hotter months. It also has the ability to live-stream games or training which is something that we can explore further at a later point in time.

Once the match content is recorded, VEO SPORTS CAM uses Artificial Intelligence (AI) to analyse the content and to break the game into individual components such as corners, freekicks, goals, goal kicks, yellow cards etc. and allows coaches to add their own breakdowns and highlight reels from games. These highlight reels can be shared individually with players, coaching staff or in a group setting. The highlight reels are generated for individual players for their own personal development or for sharing with potential colleges and universities as they look at scholarship opportunities.

Most of our competitive teams are now actively using the technology on a regular basis:

Nick Day from our Albion team which plays in the Yau Yee League has given us the feedback that the setup is relatively easy and that the breakdown of the footage is fantastic. He has been able to pull together his own personalised highlight reel in around 30 minutes.

Rich Le-Gallez from our Lucky Mile team uses the camera to work on player movement, positive play and just showing what we could have done differently. One of the key benefits is that the players can visualise the coaches’ vision of how they want the team to play, i.e. positional play and movement allowing the coaches to help the players correct things if required.

Graeme Lane from our Colts side is a relatively new user of the technology and believes that it is a powerful tool to give feedback to players. Key benefits are

1. Being able to show a pictorial representation of players’ actions (whether individually or collectively), hence realistic feedback.
2. Excellent height/angle to see the play better.
3. User-friendly interface to jump quickly to key moments.

Our Ladies’ and Men’s first teams also extensively utilise the cameras, and we are seeing the benefit of this on the field in the form of results.

Lastly, due to the successful integration of this technology into the Section, the Junior Soccer Programme has also ordered a number of additional VEO SPORTS CAMs to help with their development program. Technology plays an important part in our everyday lives, and we in the Soccer Section are excited about what benefits technology brings to our Section and the Club.