A Study of Emerging Visual Technologies in the Transformation of Professional Football

The study aimed to investigate emerging visual technologies in the transformation of professional football. This research was conducted with a qualitative approach and through a phenomenological strategy. Data were collected and analyzed through in-depth semi-structured interviews using a seven-step phenomenological process. In this research, 20 experts and experienced individuals were interviewed, including visual rights managers, television broadcasters, broadcast operations, professional analysts, journalists, technology, creativity and innovation managers, project leaders, business managers, revenue managers and sports media managers in football clubs and leagues around the world who had direct experience in the field of sports and visual technologies. Visual technologies in football matches, in three recording areas (such as professional sports video cameras, professional microphones, simultaneous audio and video recording equipment), processing (such as video editing systems, sports graphics production systems, player and ball tracking systems, AR and VR technology systems, AI-based video processing technologies), and broadcasting (live TV broadcasting systems, internet and satellite broadcasting systems, sports streaming platforms, video compression and transmission, and 360-degree and VR broadcasting technologies) were examined. The results show that the use of modern visual technologies, such as VAR and goal-line technology, has increased fairness in refereeing decisions and reduced human errors. Additionally, player tracking and AR technologies have helped improve coaches' technical and tactical analysis and enhance player performance. This research emphasizes that visual technologies play an effective role in enhancing the professionalism of sports and improving refereeing and technical processes.