Harry Lennard explains how the Belgian Pro League’s adoption of Genius Sports’ new semi-automated offside technology is improving the game – and handing it back to the fans.
This article was first published in SportBusiness.
Across European football, there is a wave of new tech-driven innovation sweeping the top leagues. Many are increasingly investing time and resources on centralised data systems that are transforming their competitions both on and off the pitch.
From cutting-edge performance and analysis tools to data rich, immersive broadcast augmentations, big data and AI is rewriting football’s playbook.
For me, as a former FIFA and Premier League assistant referee, one of the most profound shifts is happening in officiating itself. Semi-automated offside technology has become the benchmark for innovation, and the Belgian Pro League has quickly emerged as one of the most innovative leagues in world football.
Giving the game back to the fans
Technology in sport has always sparked debate. As an official, I’ve always believed that innovation must serve the game, enhancing accuracy without becoming the story.
Of course, this transition hasn’t always been the smoothest. The simplicity of the analogy “jumpers for goalposts” has at times jarred with the complex processes associated with innovations such as VAR. But technology is evolving fast. We’ve now reached a point where AI-powered systems can reliably address one of the most difficult challenges in refereeing: the offside decision.
Having run the line in hundreds of matches, I know how brutally demanding those split-second offside decisions are. Football is faster, more intense and more scrutinised than ever. When you’ve got a passionate crowd at your back, you have to rely on all your training and skill to make the right decision in the moment – and moments are what count.
VAR was a turning point. Across leagues worldwide, football officials were, for the first time, supported by technology in making offside decisions through what are now regarded as legacy Virtual Offside Lines (VOLs). Once seen as a breakthrough, VOLs have increasingly shown their limitations — relying on the manual placement of a 3D line on a 2D image, often inconsistent from stadium to stadium due to varying camera positions, and dependent on the precision and concentration of a replay operator.
What began as a leap forward quickly became a source of frustration.
Fans deserve better. Nothing in football matches the joy of celebrating a goal in the stands or at home, and that euphoria mustn’t be eroded by long pauses or opaque decisions. That’s why the Belgian Pro League made a bold commitment: to invest in a new wave of SAOT systems that hand the game back to the fans, in a way that enhances it, without becoming the story.
Inside the Pro League’s tech infrastructure
The foundation of modern officiating is data and SAOT represents its most advanced breakthrough yet. At Genius Sports, we’ve built a system capable of tracking every player and ball movement in 100 times a second at broadcast quality resolution, capturing billions of data points to create a complete, machine-driven understanding of the game as it unfolds.
This wealth of data combined with GeniusIQ– our next-generation AI and sports data system – creates a complete 3D recreation of the game. From there, across every offside decision in the Belgian Pro League, our technology automates four key steps:
1) When a possible offside occurs, the technology creates an event, selecting the players involved and automates the kick point alerting the VAR operators.
2) Once the kick point is confirmed, the system produces a decision recommendation.
3) At this point, the VAR is presented with the outcome and confirms the decision.
4) Finally, at the point of confirmation, a decision visual is then automatically generated and distributed to broadcasters as well as to fans in the stadium.
The result? Faster, more consistent decisions with fewer interruptions and restored confidence for players, coaches and supporters alike. Just two months into the new BPL season, and this technology is having an incredible impact. Decision times have fallen dramatically, accuracy has been improved, and fans are closer to key decisions than ever before.
“At the Belgian Pro League, we are committed to investing in technology that ensures we provide our fans with the highest quality product both on and off the pitch,” said Lorin Parys, CEO of the Belgian Pro League.
“Our fans deserve to be provided with decisions that are both accurate and fast, and SAOT is already having a major impact across our league. It significantly reduces the time it takes to make even the most marginal offside decisions, helping to restore the natural flow of our games and ensuring fans – both in the stadiums and at home – can trust on-field decisions and immerse themselves in the action.”
A glimpse of football’s future
The Belgian Pro League’s embrace of SAOT signals more than just an officiating upgrade – it’s a statement of intent. When leagues and technology providers work hand-in-hand, innovation can strengthen the core of football: passion, fairness and connection.
At Genius Sports, that’s our mission. To develop technologies that serve the game’s integrity, empower its decisions and protect the magic of the euphoria fans want to experience week after week.
