New VR Tech Looks To Uncover Football Talent

Mi-Hiepa Scout has launched, which uses virtual reality technology to help football clubs spot new talent and improve player performance and sharpness during rehabilitation from injury.

It works by using a limb tracking system that analyses the movement of a player’s feet and shins. VR is applied to individual drills. The result is a rapid standardised, measurable and comparable results.

The creators also claim that existing talent can have their rehab from injury tracked and improved.

So far, Mi-Hiepa Scout has run 74 live drills with over 640 players tested across six countries and it says that it worked with English Premier League clubs, ex-professionals like Mike Phelan and Dean Holden, physiotherapists and sports scientists to the technology.

In a report about the launch, Adam Dickinson, production and development director from Mi-Hiepa, said: “Our system helps get players better mentally and physically through individual training drills.”

“From a talent spotting perspective, it provides an objective, sterile environment, meaning all players have exactly the same conditions and can be compared equally. A youngster could go through our tests in 30 minutes and you would get objective data about their ability and performance.”