original speed. The four M-stations
are mounted with sensors that
detect soccer ball hits and fitted with
multicolored LED lights and a speaker.
The combination of these elements
creates a training space for soccer
players, where the embedded light and
sound signals facilitate game interfaces
that players interact with by hitting
the M-stations with soccer balls.
Football Lab has been operating
for more than two years. During this
period we created a variety of games
by continuously engaging with players
and coaches.
Ball handling: Pass and Turn. Our
first game for Football Lab is called
Pass and Turn. The aim of the game is
to train players’ ability to pass, receive,
and turn with the ball—important
soccer skills. Pass and Turn is a single-
player game where the player starts
in the middle of the field and the
M-stations randomly call for the ball
with light and sound cues that represent
co-players. Points are rewarded based
on the number of successful hits, with
the final score posted to a high-score
list. Pass and Turn takes one minute
to complete. It is an intense way of
training passing skills, as players
average around 17 passes in a single
one-minute game. In comparison, the
top passers in the English Premier
League average 78 passes in 90 minutes
of play. As such, an average player
playing five games of Pass and Turn
makes more passes than a professional
player in an entire soccer match. The
game has been widely popular, with
more than 10,000 games played.
Pass and Turn has been regularly
used in training sessions, and coaches
consider it an important tool for
training younger and less-skilled
players, as the game allows them to
focus on basics. However, during
the first year we noted that coaches
gradually stopped using the game
with advanced players. The coaches
found that the game encouraged
players to perform inexpedient and
undesirable movements, as they
based their perceptions and decisions
The mounted sensor and embedded light. The scoreboard. The Football Lab installation.