It may look like an average, nothing-to-see-here photograph of some AFL footballs – but footy fans who look closely will notice that these Sherrins are hooked up to electrical chargers.
The AFL has introduced new ball-tracking technology for the 2024 AFLW season, which means the state-of-the-art balls all have computer chips in them.
The smart-ball technology, which is now being used at all AFLW venues, helps officials decide if a ball has crossed the goal line, is touched in flight or hits a goal post.
The technology, which has been thoroughly tested in VFL and VFLW matches, involves a chip being embedded in the ‘smart’ Sherrins – and they have to be recharged in order to work.
Collingwood premiership player Dale Thomas has been very impressed by what he’s seen so far.
‘The good thing is you don’t know about it [the microchip],’ Thomas explained on Channel Seven.
‘You don’t know it’s in there, nothing changes.
‘The only weird thing is when we came to the ground was the fact that the football was on charge.’
The chip, which weighs approx 20 grams, has been made to mimic the ball’s exact size and weight. Sensors located around the ground then monitor the ball’s movement.
AFL executive general manager of football Laura Kane is excited about the new on-field technology.
‘The smart ball technology and system works in a different way to our current ARC system, instead, it will provide information in real-time fashion alerting our score assist officials if required, who will then communicate with our umpires,’ Kane said.
‘This will be a fantastic addition to NAB AFLW and provide a level of accuracy that we have not previously been able to facilitate.
‘We have fully upgraded the umpire communication system to ensure that the score assist process can be enabled between the score assist officials at each game and our field and goal umpires.’