Premier League will use goal-line technology from next season

From next season onwards, goal-line technology will be implemented in the Premier League. Britain-based company Hawk Eye have been given the contract, and will be providing this technology to the football world. The system will be installed in time for the Community Shield in Wembley, which will take place in August.

Hawk Eye is known for providing ball tracking software for tennis and cricket. This technology uses optical signals and vibrations, so whenever there is a doubt over a goal, as we see sometimes, the result will be shown in an instant. This is how it’s going to work:

1. Seven fast-frame cameras located above and around each goal, such as on a stadium’s roof, track the ball’s movement within the goal area.

2. Computer software analyses information from all the cameras and, as soon as it detects that the ball has crossed the goal line, sends a signal to the official’s watch. The result can be relayed within one second and is said to be accurate to a millimetre.

Once the project is underway, installation will start on the home grounds of the 17 clubs who will avoid relegation. The other three teams will have their systems ready by the next six weeks following the start of the project.

Stoke City chairman Peter Coates however was not very enamoured by this decision, and said: “I think we should be careful. The great thing about our game is that it should be simple, free-flowing and that it carries on. We don’t want to become like a rugby game, so I’m probably in favour of simplicity and keeping a lot as it is.”

We have seen incidents where goals have not been given due to refereeing errors, and this decision should help keep a fair watch on the game.