It’s a balmy 35 degrees here in Vienna, and as the sun shines mercilessly our elite group of Sports Engineers are currently ingesting the latest research at the 8th ISEA Sports Engineering conference. Thankfully the International centre hosting the conference has characteristically efficient air conditioning, so for now at least the only things overheating are […]
World Cup 2010: did altitude affect tactics?
Ok, I admit it – I’m a stats nerd. I love nothing better than perusing the league tables in the back pages of the Sunday papers, so imagine my delight when Prozone offered me the chance to analyse their data from the 48 games of the Group Stages of the 2010 World Cup. In a […]
FIFA on the line: the case for video technology
Come on FIFA – get a grip! A clear refereeing mistake like the one that denied the goal by Lampard (see the video if you missed it) must surely give the ruling body of international football the courage to implement video technology. Poor rules lead to poor decisions and in the case of goal line […]
Jabulani, a ball in crisis? -Update!
Update! It seems that everyone has something to say about the Jabulani. As the official ball for the 2010 World Cup, it has a lot to live up to, but seems to be attracting more criticism than jubilation. It is now a World Cup tradition that the new ball should be roundly slated before the […]
Is it really possible to engineer the perfect football?
On 4th December 2009 the new ball for the World Cup in South Africa was unveiled. The product of years of research and development, the ‘Jabulani‘ was the most highly engineered football the world had ever seen. Prior to the launch adidas had even gone to the extent of testing the ball in the Bundesliga, […]
Does altitude affect football tactics?
Last November, I proposed that for this Summer’s world Cup Altitude will be key, the thinner air in Johannesburg will cause the ball to behave significantly differently than at sea level. Less air resistance means faster shots and straighter trajectories. As part of a feature for the New Scientist (p35-37, June 5th 2010) we created […]
What’s wrong at Wembley?
What’s wrong with the pitch at Wembley stadium? A question on the mouths and typing fingers of football pundits and forum dwellers alike. It’s also a concern of many Sports Engineers, having recently attended a conference on sport surfaces I thought it was appropriate to write a few words on the recent revelations on the […]
Get rid of referees!
A hundred years after the first football rules were set, the International Football Association Board (IFAB) met (on 6th March 2010) to discuss a number of footballing issues; these included the role of the 4th official and a “discussion on the latest developments concerning goal line technology”. FIFA dismissed the concept of goal line technology […]
How Far Could Usain Bolt Jump?
Introduction Usain Bolt is currently the fastest sprinter in the world. His two world records in last year’s athletics world championships were astonishing even for his standards, but what next? Bolt has often talked about reverting to competing in his original event of the 400 metres, and has already competed in a 400 metre race […]
Who has the fastest balls in the land? Part 2:
Part one of this article looked at a video featuring a golfing long-drive champion, Jason Zuback and the attempt to usurp Jai-Alai as the fastest ball sport in the world. Despite the less than scientific methods, Zuback managed to generate a golf ball velocity in excess of 200 mph, smashing two panes of tempered glass in the […]
Engineering Sport 