The last year has been one of the strangest of all time, from global lockdowns to the cancelling of most major events, leaving the world in a strange standstill that it has yet to properly recover from. Major sports, like soccer, have been some of the most affected aspects of our lives, where stadiums have been closed down to the public for the better part of a year, and fans are still not able to go out in crowds to see their favourite teams battling it out.
What that means for us, then, is an entirely new way of enjoying the game, which almost completely involves the adoption of the many powerful technologies that have become available to us over the last few years. Here we will explore how future soccer fans will watch the game without being able to physically go to the local stadium.
Live Streaming Services
International live streaming is very much already part of our current lives, and has been for some time, but we can expect that it will only become more advanced as the years press on. From streaming services like YouTube to dedicated, independent live channels, we will see a massive surge in the amount of services become available as the Internet’s reach increases throughout the globe. With more lockdowns potentially on the horizon, it’s becoming imperative to find a safe way of watching sports without having to interact with other people, and live streaming is currently the only industry in place that’s able to offer just that, although it may be facing some competition soon.
Virtual Reality
Many are predicting that VR technology will see an incredible boom as more people turn to alternative methods for keeping up with all the latest in the soccer world. While VR has seen an emergence in popularity over the last 10 years, it never really took off as expected – but with more people being forced to stay at home but still wanting to be a part of the action, there are few better options than VR. Some of the technologies involved with virtual reality include a headset, which allows the user to be fully immersed in the action without having to leave the comfort of their armchair, which many already use for video and slots games.
The hope is that it would be able to fully replicate the stadium in a virtual setting, allowing thousands of people to watch the game together in real time, while never having to step out their homes. It may take some years before this tech is fully implemented, as there is so much to still do, but once it’s up and running, it may totally revolutionise the way that we enjoy modern sports.
On-Field Technology
Right behind VR is on-field technology, which many expect will become the norm within the decade. This tech would have cameras and audio on the players directly, allowing viewing fans to be directly involved with the action as it takes place, rather than as a bystander on the stands. It’s still very much in its infancy, but with more lockdowns looming, we may see a boom in the industry.
