Hawk-Eye: A closer look at the game-changing firm behind VAR

Imagine you are sitting at home watching your favourite sport and you think the manager or referee has made a bad decision. But, instead of shouting at the television, you simply rewind and watch a virtual replay of what would have happened had the call been different.

Or seeing, via bodycam, what an umpire sees before deciding on their decision on whether a batsman is in or out.

Well, in the not-too-distant future, you might be able to do just that, thanks to Hawk-Eye.

In a world where sport and technology are rapidly converging, the British-born company, now Japanese-owned, stands out.

For 20 years the brainchild of Paul Hawkins, a computer and artificial intelligence expert, has led the way in revolutionising the manner in which cricket, tennis and football are covered.

What started out as an aid for fans on television has become an integral part of the officiating systems for many sports around the world.

It ensures fair play and the right decisions are made by eliminating human error, as far as is possible,

Video Assistant Referees (VAR), Semi Automated Offside (SAO), Goal Line Technology (GLT) and the Decision Review System (DRS), acronyms that trip off the tongue, were all developed by Hawk-Eye.

When Andre Agassi, the former tennis great, said 15 years ago that Hawk-Eye had made a bigger contribution to the game than most sportsmen, he was not wrong. That can now be said to be true for most sports in the world.

The effect of Hawk Eye has literally been game-changing.

It works with 23 of the top 25 sports leagues and federations in the world. Fifa uses its GLT, and its semi-automated offside tech was rolled out at the World Cup last year. This has speeded up decision making from about 75 seconds to 15 seconds. The company is looking into fully automated opportunities as well.

With a summer of sport in England coming up that includes the Wimbledon tennis championships, and the much-anticipated Ashes cricket series against Australia, Hawk-Eye, which Hawkins launched in 2001 after graduating from Durham University, will be at the forefront of coverage.

Tennis has benefited from the use of the technology by determining whether the ball is in or out to an accuracy of a few millimetres, so-called electronic ball tracking.

It uses several camera angles from on high to trace the ball’s trajectory, via six or more computer-linked television cameras situated around the court.

It has replaced line judges in many tournaments and last month the ATP, the men’s tour, decided it would become a permanent feature from 2025.

The majors, such as Wimbledon, sit outside that and make their own decisions. But with the US Open and its counterpart in Australia having already phased out line judges, the pressure will mount on Wimbledon and the French Open, where traditions runs deep, to follow suit.

In cricket DRS technology is used primarily to assist the umpire in leg-before-wicket decisions. Computers read and track the trajectory of the ball in real time. These numerous views are then combined to produce an accurate 3D representation of the ball’s flight.

Innovation and the pushing of boundaries never stops at the company, which in 2011 was taken over by Sony and is now part of the Japanese company’s sports entertainment business unit, including Pulselive (websites & apps), and Beyond Sports (virtual recreations of live sports).

Hawkins has stepped back to become chief innovations officer and to focus on research and development. It is a business which now employs more than 550 people and is valued at more than £250 million ($309 million).

Rufus Hack is now the chief executive.

Its most important recent development is SkeleTRACK, an optical tracking system developed with advanced image processing and machine-learning techniques.

It can track 29 skeletal points on every athlete as well as the ball; so can instantly and accurately track the players and the ball across the full pitch or the court.

In cricket the umpire body cam tracks the ball and does not need an onsite operator. It is already in development and testing has started in the UK.

Testing is fundamental in getting a product to market.

“We never release anything without extensive testing and validation via both clients and independent institutions,” a company representative said.

“And we do that alongside governing bodies and partners until they are satisfied with the level that we are producing of accuracy and consistency for elite sport.

“Assessment is a continuous process we have with our clients to ensure that we are continually innovating and pushing the boundaries of technology in sport, and making sure that we are addressing the current and future needs of every client no matter what.”

As Hawkins has said, credibility is absolutely essential because it takes an awfully long time to establish and a very short time to lose.

And while sports evolve and move forward there will always be a market for Hawk-Eye.

“Sports haven't stopped evolving in themselves. So, as the sport evolves, the rulebook evolves, which means how you officiate and the tools and technology that are needed have to continue to evolve with that.”

Is artificial intelligence seen as a potential threat? The company says not.

“When it comes to officiating we're working with facts,” the official continued. “Any AI machine learning we do, is based on real life and data. We work with what's happening on the field in real time with our data processed and available in less than a second."

At the Rugby World Cup coming up in the autumn, Hawk-Eye will be there providing services. But another company, Sportable, has developed the Smartball, where a computer chip is placed inside the ball to provide a range of data.

Hawk-Eye sees this as a complementary product rather than a rival.

“We are an optical tracking technology company. We use cameras, Sportable use chips. Both technologies have their benefits and also their challenges, so in sports such as Rugby, by utilising the complimenting technologies, we are able to solve problems for our shared clients.

"Hawk-Eye has always been at the forefront of pioneering change in sport. Building on a foundation of trust with the biggest governing bodies and leagues, we look forward to continually innovating with our partners, engaging with sporting communities and inspiring change in sport.”