- New insights include average formation, live win probability and momentum tracker
- Statistics to be integrated within live broadcasts and across social media channels
- Insights generated using live data streams, real-time tracking data and historical analysis
The Premier League has appointed US technology giant Oracle to deliver advanced player performance data and statistics during top-flight English soccer games from the 2021/22 season.
As the Premier League’s official cloud provider, Oracle will utilise its data and analytics and machine learning technologies to generate statistics that will be included during global broadcast coverage and across the competition’s social channels.
Under the agreement, Oracle will develop machine learning models to generate immediate insights based on live data streams, real-time tracking data and facts collected on each Premier League player from thousands of previous matches.
Among the new match insights Oracle will provide is average formation, which will track the positions of all players when their team is in and out of possession to highlight how each side is organising itself when attacking and defending.
Meanwhile, the live win probability statistic will calculate the chance of a team securing a win or draw by simulating the remainder of the game 100,000 times. The model is based on four years of match data and takes into account if a team is home or away, penalties awarded, players on the pitch and time left in the match.
Finally, the momentum tracker will measure the likelihood of the team in possession scoring a goal in the next ten seconds. This statistic will similarly be generated using data from thousands of historical games and the last five events in the current possession.
Additional match insights are due to be introduced throughout next season.
“We are always looking at new ways to bring the Premier League to life and enhance the analysis of the competition,” said Premier League chief executive Richard Masters. “Oracle is a global brand with a great track record of driving innovation, and we look forward to working together to bring new levels of engagement to fans around the world.”
Ariel Kelman, Oracle’s executive vice president and chief marketing officer, added: “Combining Oracle’s machine learning expertise with the Premier League’s wealth of football data is a significant merger of technology and sport. The margins for error in the Premier League are very small, so the data is crucial to discovering the meaningful moments and stories of each match. It’s those stories that unite fans and ignite their passions for the game.”
