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.