Football in 3D: Elevating Match Analysis with Apple Vision Pro
Using Apple Vision Pro, a new SAP Sports One prototype offers a unique 3D view on football matches from any player’s perspective to help gain deeper insights into game situations and boost player development.
Innovation from the Bottom-Up
It started with a hackathon for SAP engineers with the goal to create a prototype combining the power of immersive technology and SAP solutions. The SAP Sports One team won with a prototype unlocking the potential of spatial computing in football match preparation.
SAP Sports One is a comprehensive solution that helps sports organizations optimize performance on and off the field and is trusted by football clubs like TSG Hoffenheim and FC Bayern as well as the German Football Association.
Taking SAP Sports One to the Third Dimension
Imagine being able to dive into a match, not just as a spectator, but through the eyes of a player on the field. The prototype SAP Sports One Immersive allows exactly that.
Using Apple Vision Pro, analysts and players can replay and analyze match scenes in 3D from any player’s perspective. A user can switch between the perspectives of various players to better understand a specific situation during a match. This immersive experience enables a new kind of match analysis and can make it easier to identify situations where another behavior of a player would have potentially been better.
Through an app on Apple Vision Pro, this prototype aims to empower teams to optimize their performance—whether it’s preparing for the next big match or analyzing past performances. Timo Gross, head of Match Analysis for football club TSG Hoffenheim, believes there’s a huge potential in the simulation of game scenarios in immersive 3D. “This enhances player training and tactical understanding,” he said. “In fact, I believe that this has the potential to pave the way for a new approach in player development, especially in the youth space.”
Professional Feedback: TSG Hoffenheim Thinks Immersive
“TSG Hoffenheim is an innovative club, always looking for new technologies to improve match preparation and talent development,” Gross said. “Immersive match analysis could be a next big step.”
Using immersive technology, users can feel as if they are standing on the field. They can observe players, move around, and gain a comprehensive perspective of a game situation. “This immersive prototype shows a match analyst the exact perspective of a player in a specific moment,” Gross explained. “For the player, it makes the transition from viewing a theoretical situation on a tactic board to the real-life moment on the pitch much easier.”
For Gross, another powerful feature of the prototype is the 3D visualization of classical 2D tactics scenes. Using the SAP Challenger Insights mobile app, coaches and players can sketch game situations on a tablet. These 2D sketches can be transferred into the 3D immersive view.
From Hackathon onto the Stage
Winning the SAP hackathon on spatial experience was just the first step. On February 5, 2025, the prototype was presented at the SPOBIS Conference in Hamburg, Germany, Europe’s largest sports business event. In a live, on-stage presentation, Gross was joined by experts including Dr. Dietmar Blicker, deputy managing director at the Karlsruhe Institute of Technology, Sports and Sports Science; Michael Oenning, UEFA-Pro licensed coach; and Fadi Naoum, senior vice president SAP Sports and Entertainment; to discuss the potential of immersive technologies in sports.
Oenning, who was head coach for German national division clubs Hamburger SV and 1. FC Nürnberg, is passionate about developing and promoting talents. “Training young people using technologies they encounter in their daily lives is something I would definitely use in my work as a coach,” he said. “Offering different perspectives of a game situation is an experience young players can benefit from tremendously.”
Blicker agreed that “3D experiences like these enhance the cognitive perception of a player.” Technology savvy by the nature of his role, he isn’t only involved in sports from an academic perspective, but also coaches the U23 team of the German second division team Karlsruher SC. “As a coach, I often sketch a tactical situation. But such a 2D drawing doesn’t easily translate to a real situation. The body height of a close opponent might cause a risk to an intended pass, or the distances on the field don’t match up in the end. Practicing situations in an immersive setting can help players to internalize certain behaviors,” he said.
SAP’s Naoum noted the importance of applying new technologies. “This prototype is a result of our continuous collaboration with partners like TSG Hoffenheim where we constantly test innovative technologies,” he said. “For SAP, sports serve as a front-runner to demonstrate new technologies that can potentially be applied in other industries as well.”
