Vodafone 5G to give ‘referee’s eye-view’ of Baller League football

Source: Vodafone

Vodafone Deutschland has struck a partnership with the Baller League, the new indoor football initiative created by Borussia Dortmund centre-back Mats Hummel, Górnik Zabrze player Lukas Podolski, former Twitter and DAZN executive Thomas de Buhr and film producer Felix Starck, that will see Vodafone broadcast live coverage of matches over 5G from the referree’s perspective.

The Baller League, sponsored by jobs nertwork XING, will feature 12 teams playing over 11 match days, starting on January 22, and a final tournament. Each game comprises two 20-minute halves. Games will be streamed streamed live and free of charge on Twitch.

Each team has 12 players who are semi-professionals or amateurs and will include a significant contingent of celebrities from sports, TV, entertainment, music, lifestyle and streaming.

Vodafone said that the technology partnership with the Baller League was a further step in a series of 5G use cases in sports. The telco organized a ‘5G watch party’ for the Bundesliga match between RB Leipzig and Bayern Munich in January last year.

“For the first time, the referee body cameras transmit the live images from the pitch via our 5G network . For this purpose, smartphones are used in a special device on the body of the referee. They send the live images of the game to the football fans’ screens. Thanks to 5G in real time and in high quality for many thousands of fans at the same time. Technologies like the ones we are now using in the Baller League are the future for the broadcast of major sporting events around the world,” said Michael Reinartz, head of innovation at Vodafone Deutschland.

“The Baller League is not content with what already exists – but expands football as we know it so far. We have also selected our partners based on this principle and have a game changer in Vodafone at our side, who challenges the status quo with innovative spirit and team spirit on and off the pitch,” said de Buhr.