How is football player’s running distance calculated?

In football, players run a lot during a match. The distance often depends on whether you play as a defender, a forward or a midfielder. Calculating this distance becomes important for statistics. But how do football leagues and championships track it? Do they make players use some kind of secret device? Do they implant chips to their brains? No, there are much simpler (and completely legal) ways to track the running distance.

There are different types of tracking technology used in football competitions. One of them is having multiple cameras installed at different positions on the field. Once you found the exact position of the player at the particular moment of time, you can calculate their running distance. The result is presented as a graphic.

Another technique is using special systems like RedFIR. This technology was created in Germany. It uses very small radio transmitters that are placed usually at players’ uniform and footwear or sometimes at balls. Transmitters create a network covering the field during a game and giving all possible information in real-time. With the help of RedFIR not only distance covered is detected but also things like step count or speed and also main events like goals, passes or crosses.

As to FIFA, they adopted Matrics – an Italian tracking technology that provides various data to make visual statistics. There are many other professional systems for monitoring and analyzing each player’s activity: ProZone, miCoach Speed Cell and some more.