You may have noticed a sea of tripods topped with oddly-shaped, camera-like devices popping up on youth soccer fields lately. What's going on?
The funny looking devices on top of the tripods are soccer cameras – and you aren't imagining things – over the past few years soccer cameras have become incredibly popular.
So what is a soccer camera?
A soccer camera automates recording, creation and sharing of full game and highlight videos for soccer games. Most soccer cameras have the following three basic features:
Hands-free recording: the camera "sees" the entire field, so you don't need to steer it during the game. As a result, the recording process is simple and automated.
Automatic video creation: the raw video captured by the soccer camera is processed using AI algorithms to create videos that follow and zoom in on the action. Manual video editing is optional and not required.
Video upload and sharing: final game and highlight videos are automatically uploaded to the cloud for easy viewing and sharing.
Why are teams adopting soccer cameras at such as fast pace?
Soccer cameras make it easy to:
Create highlight videos to share goals and great plays with family and friends
Review game footage to identify areas for team and individual improvement
Make and share player highlight videos for recruiting and advancement to higher-level teams
Bulky, expensive tripod systems for manually recording games with camcorders have been around for years, but no one wants to get stuck behind a camera when a live game is going on right in front of them. Add to this the hassle of transporting heavy tripods, setting it up and uploading videos, and it's easy to see why teams are hungry for a better approach.
Soccer cameras allow parents, coaches and officials to focus on the game rather than operating a camera. Soccer cameras can typically be mounted on much lighter tripods than manual systems - making transportation and setup much easier. Best of all soccer cameras upload final videos to a web portal where everyone can access them.
For all those reasons and more, you can expect to see a lot more of those tripods and soccer cameras in the coming years!
If you'd like to learn more about how to create game and highlight videos with a soccer camera check out SeeUsPlay. With support for ultra-high resolution GoPro cameras, we deliver amazing video quality for half the price of competitors.