Spiideo Offers Innovative Video Analysis Solution

Spiideo Perform helps video analyst Martino Sofia, Head of Match Analysis at Serie B club LR Vicenza Virtus, to overcome the problems of inefficient processes around performance analysis.

Analysts like Sofia often face the same problem: the process of recording, analysing, archiving, and sharing video clips is often slow and inefficient.

In the past, Sofia’s team were required to be present at all training sessions, camera in hand, ready to capture footage, which plays an integral part in the club’s tactical, opposition, and individual performance analysis.

Footage would then need to be uploaded to a computer for review and analysis – a process that could take hours – causing a significant delay in the time it took to get important insight to coaches and players.

Recognizing the inefficiency of a manual process, Vicenza sought a modern video analysis solution that would allow the club to record all training sessions automatically, provide immediate access to video footage, and enable the team to analyse video footage as a session takes place.

Simplified video sharing

The club turned to Spiideo Perform to use modern technologies to record the entire field of play without the need for a camera operator. Captured footage is immediately uploaded to the cloud, and instantly ready for analysts and coaches to review via the Spiideo app, available on all Apple devices or via the web.

“Our schedule has improved considerably because the training video is automatically created, in good quality, and is immediately available on the cloud for people to access from the app,” Sofia says.

Without the need for a dedicated camera operator, switching to Spiideo has freed up valuable time for analysts to review footage, curate clips, and generate insight to support the team.

“During training we can watch the session live via an iPad and easily create clips of key situations that interest us and that can be useful to improve our game.”

Player-friendly feedback

With footage made available to coaches within seconds, rather than hours, Vicenza’s coaching staff are able to deliver visual feedback to their players immediately, while on the pitch. 

Likewise, the club’s players are also given access to the Spiideo platform, enabling them to review and learn from their performance following a training session. While a camcorder can only capture so much of the action, Spiideo offers a panoramic view. Using the app, users can then move around the field and zoom in on a particular area of interest. This ensures that every player has access to individualised footage that can push them further, regardless of their status or role in the team.

“Players can immediately review the tactical situations they had feedback on during the training. This way the learning process improves a lot and is practically immediate,” Sofia says.

Vicenza’s players have found the new video analysis setup to be a “valuable” tool, made better by the fact that the footage can be accessed through an app – a medium favoured by today’s young, tech-savvy stars.

“Young people increasingly use apps and new technologies, and certainly benefit from the possibility of creating a deeper level of communication.” 

A portable video analysis solution

For Vicenza, the right video analysis solution had to offer more than just speed and automation, however. For a club that has, of late, found itself moving between different training facilities as it awaits the completion of its own sports centre, portability was equally as important. To avoid time-wasting, the analyst team needed a camera system that was easy to set up and didn’t require a local connection.

Spiideo’s tripod-mounted Portable Smartcams offered the perfect solution, with wireless connectivity provided by a built-in sim card, and no need to install or connect to local servers. Set up via the Spiideo Perform app, Sofia’s team can get the system up and running in as little as 10 minutes, and packed away just as quickly to be transported to the next session.

“Having a portable system is very convenient and useful,” Sofia explains. “We use it for recording all the daily training sessions, wherever we are.” 

Cutting-edge video analysis

Spiideo’s Portable SmartCam seemed like the ideal setup for Vicenza’s needs, but there were initial concerns that it would be too complex and that constantly setting up and packing away as the team moved between facilities would waste too much time. However, Sofia’s doubts were quickly dispelled.

“I thought it was a difficult system, but I was pleasantly surprised that this can be installed and ready in 10 minutes,” Sofia explains. “I have to say that it was what we needed to improve our daily work.”

Rather than sending an analyst to follow players around the field with a handheld camera, Spiideo’s tracking technology takes on this role instead. Now, Sofia and his team are free to take to the sidelines to tag footage in real-time, providing immediate support to those on the pitch.