The Use of Artificial Intelligence in Football
Chapter from the book:
Uluç,
E.
A.
&
Ünver,
D.
&
Karataş,
B.
(eds.)
2025.
Sports Sciences Research 7.
Synopsis
Technological advancements, which permeate every aspect and moment of our lives, cannot be considered separately from sports. Technological developments in sports increase the level of competition among athletes, while coaches are seeking different methods. One of the most prominent of these methods is the use of artificial intelligence (AI). AI programs, which allow us to quickly learn about certain topics and ask questions through applications on our phones or websites on our computers, represent the pinnacle of technological advancement. These programs, which greatly facilitate the exchange of information in our daily lives, have been integrated into sports for precisely this reason. Sports, and specifically football, are now intertwined with AI. Training programs, athlete performance tracking, injury risks, tactical planning, player analysis, talent selection, and much more can now be done using AI. The use of AI is absolutely crucial for competitiveness in football and, when used correctly, provides advantages for optimizing team performance. Considering that elite football teams have created special departments for the use of AI, it can be said that we will encounter many more AI applications in different ways in the coming years. Artificial intelligence (AI) technology used in football can be programmed according to the coaching staff's wishes, creating an AI personality that can function as an assistant coach alongside the head coach. Considering that we are still in the early stages of AI development, we can expect more significant advancements in the coming years. It is anticipated that much more detailed research on the use of AI will be conducted in the future. It will be possible to see studies on the integration of AI into football, both in computer environments and through robotic and physical AI applications. Due to the limited number of studies in the current literature on the relationship between football and AI, this study focuses on "AI and its use in football."
