The AFL is pleased to confirm that 'Score Assist' smart ball technology will be introduced into the 2024 NAB AFLW this season.
Developed in conjunction with the AFL, Sportable, Intaneous and Sherrin, Score Assist will work in a covert manner, similar to how silent reviews occur in the Toyota AFL Premiership Season, whereby if the ball crosses the goal line, hits the post or is touched in flight there will be Score Assist Officials (SAO) operating at each game who will receive a real time alert indicating what has happened.
Should score assistance be required, the SAOs have both the smart ball alert – and in situations where further assistance may be required – the capacity to review broadcast vision to determine the correct outcome and then can communicate to field and goal umpires to intervene and overturn a decision.
NAB AFLW match venues have been scoped and tested to ensure the accuracy of the technology and trialling at these venues has been undertaken across 36 in-competition matches of Smithy's VFL and Rebel VFLW, along with NAB AFLW practice matches.
Work on the smart ball technology and system has been undertaken for the last 18 months and during this period the AFL has worked closely with smart ball developers Sportable, its graphics partner, Intaneous, and Sherrin on the development of the wireless sensors in the bladder and supporting infrastructure.
The sensors assist with tracking and motion which determine the ball's exact position on the field, distance travelled, speed, spin rates and flight or hang time.
There have been thousands of hours of testing, including various iterations of the ball to ensure it looks, feels, weighs and performs like a typical NAB AFLW match ball. This has included blind testing with players, lab tests to validate sensor accuracy and ball performance and extensive field and match play deployment to build the sensor accuracy and basic performance qualities.
AFL EGM of Football Laura Kane said it was an exciting step in the development of ball technology to support our game.
"Technology and innovation is a key strategic pillar of the AFL Football Department and we are thrilled to be able to introduce the smart ball to the NAB AFLW Competition," said Ms Kane.
"The 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.
"This will be a fantastic addition to NAB AFLW and provide a level of accuracy that we have not previously been able to facilitate.
"We 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."
Sportable EVP – Corporate Development and Intaneous Co-Founder & CEO Greg Basser said, "Sportable and Intaneous started working with the AFL on this project over two years ago, and we are excited to see the innovation that the Sportable Smart Ball
will bring to this year's NAB AFLW Competition.
"The Melbourne based teams have developed the Score Assist system – which processes the Sportable ball data then integrates it into the Intaneous graphics engine.
"This system gives the Score Assist Official everything needed to support the goal umpire to make an informed decision within moments of the ball crossing the line."
Sherrin Managing Director Chris Lambert said: "After 18 months of intensive collaboration with; the AFL, data and analytics company Sportable, Victoria University testing, along with training or games with various AFL, AFLW, VFL and VFLW teams, Sherrin are absolutely thrilled to be involved in launching a smart ball for 2024 NAB AFLW Season.
"Combining technology with tradition, Sherrin continue to hand-craft our premium leather AFL game balls in our Melbourne facility, now with the inclusion of technology to help officiate and elevate our great game. We thank all partners for the work on this important advancement and look forward to seeing the Sherrin smart ball on-field this AFLW season. "
