Abstract
The aim of the present study was to assess the accuracy of a multi-camera tracking system (Mediacoach®) to track elite football players’ movements in real time. A total of 207 observations of 38 official matches from Liga 1, 2, 3™ (2nd Spanish Division, season 2017/18) were included in the study (88 defenders, 84 midfielders, and 35 attackers of the same team). Total distance (TD, m) distance in zone 4 (DZ4) at a speed of 14–21 km/h, distance in zone 5 (DZ5) at a speed of 21–24 km/h (DZ5), distance in zone 6 (DZ6) at a speed of ≥24 km/h, maximum speed (km/h), and number of sprints (actions above 24 km/h) were registered with the Apex® GPS system (STATSports™, Newry, N. Ireland) and Mediacoach® semi-automatic tracking system (LaLiga™, Madrid, Spain). The level of agreement between variables estimated by the two systems was analyzed. Bias was also calculated by deducting the GPS estimated value from the video estimated value, and then dividing the difference score by the GPS estimated value. All variables showed high ICC values (>0.75) and very large correlations (r > 0.70). However the video-based performance analysis system overestimated the results obtained in the different speed zones (DZ5: +16.59 ± 62.29 m; LOA95%: −105.49 to 138.68; DZ6: +93.26 ± 67.76 m; LOA95%: −39.55 to 226.07), the number of sprints (+2.27 ± 2.94; LOA95%: −3.49 to 8.02), and the maximum speed (+0.32 ± 1.25 km/h; LOA95%: −2.13 to 2.77). The maximum bias was found in DZ6 (47%). This demonstrates that Mediacoach® is as accurate as a GPS system to obtain objective data in real time, adapted to physical and movement demands of elite football, especially for total distance and distances traveled at medium speeds.
Highlights
Match analyses in football give more knowledge about the physiological and technical demands of the game [1]
Total distance shows the highest similarities between Mediacoach® and Global Positioning System (GPS) (Table 1), with nearly perfect correlations (r = 0.99) and very high intraclass correlation coefficient (ICC) (0.99)
According to standardized termswhich (SEE), the results show a small
Summary
Match analyses in football give more knowledge about the physiological and technical demands of the game [1]. The actions of the players on the football pitch are intermittent in nature [6], consisting of irregular and complex patterns that involve accelerations and decelerations in different directions and over short periods of time [7]. Such intermittent actions can be split into different intervals, using velocity thresholds: high-intensity runs (14–21 km/h), very high-intensity runs (21.1–24 km/h), and Sensors 2019, 19, 4113; doi:10.3390/s19194113 www.mdpi.com/journal/sensors. Precise knowledge about match performance data is extremely important for members of the technical staff of different teams, as they use this information to design training sessions
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Free) 
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a call
