The AFL will introduce its new ball-tracking technology to assist with its score review system for the upcoming 2024 AFLW season.
Coined with the term "score assist", the technology was developed with the help of the AFL, Sportable, Intaneous and Sherrin and will work covertly, like the silent reviews in the men's competition.
It will be able to review whether a ball has crossed the goal line, hits the post or is touched in flight, providing Score Assist Officials (SAO) with real-time alerts indicating what has occurred.
If the SAO decide a review is needed, they can also review the broadcast footage to help determine the correct outcome before communicating with the on-field umpires.
This is the first time a score review system will be implemented in the women's competition and will be used at all AFLW venues.
The smart-ball technology has been tested extensively over the past 18 months and has gone through trials in both of the VFL and VFLW as well as training sessions.
A chip is embedded in the 'smart' Sherrins which have been specifically designed to mimic a regular football, with the added benefit of determining the ball's exact position on the field, distance travelled, speed, spin rates and flight or hang time with sensors.
This is how the new ball tracking would look. Instant results. Live tracking w. a microchip. Could come in for the AFLW, which doesnโt currently have video review. Trials going spectacularly well. (It canโt turn Rankine back into a Sun). The latest here ๐ https://t.co/lqUFGx6wfR pic.twitter.com/X2n2FH6REm
— Jon Ralph (@RalphyHeraldSun) July 2, 2024
It is understood that, pending the success in the women's competition, the AFL would see it introduced in 2025.
AFL EGM of Football Laura Kane said it was an exciting step in the development of ball technology to support our game.
โThe smart ball technology and system works in a different way to our current ARC system, instead, it will provide information in real-time fashion alerting our Score Assist Officials if required, who will then communicate with our umpires," Kane said.
โThis will be a fantastic addition to NAB AFLW and provide a level of accuracy that we have not previously been able to facilitate.
โWe have fully upgraded the umpire communication system to ensure that the score assist process can be enabled between the Score Assist Officials at each game and our field and goal umpires.โ
The score assist system will be in place from the opening game of the AFLW season when Sydney host Collingwood at North Sydney Oval on Friday, August 30.
