Burnley FC, an English Premier League club, will continue its talent identification partnership with AiScout. The app evaluates players using artificial intelligence and will host virtual trials for Burnley’s women’s first team and male academy teams.
The AiScout mobile app requires users to upload images and profile information, as well as videos of themselves playing soccer or performing soccer drills. The AI in the app analyzes the video and assigns ratings to a player’s skills such as dribbling, speed, and agility. Athletes who impress AiScout will be invited to Burnley FC’s in-person trials.
Burnley FC gave academy tryouts to 28 players last year who were identified through AiScout. This year’s applications are open to women and girls from across the UK and males ages 8-21 who live within 90 miles of Burnley’s training facility.
“Over the last year, the platform has been an invaluable tool for our Academy staff to continually evaluate data and select players for trials,” Burnley FC chairman Alan Pace said in a statement. “Thanks to the app’s extensive AI capabilities, we are able to look for different positions, metrics and types of players depending on the needs at the time. We look forward to this next phase and further expansion plans that are in the pipeline throughout 2022.”
Of the 21,000 amateur soccer players to join AiScout, 45 were invited to trials with professional clubs, including six trials with Premier League teams. The app’s success stories include a player who signed with AFC Bournemouth and others who made the under-19 national teams for the Republic of Ireland and Sri Lanka.
AiScout is a member of FIFA’s innovation program. The app is part of a growing trend across sports to analyze biomechanics and player performance through phone cameras, which is why “Smartphone Tracking” won SportTechie’s Outstanding Innovation category as part of our recent fifth-annual awards.
