The use of virtual reality is growing across football, and Rezzil is at the forefront of that technological leap. Reporter Michael Plant tried his hand, quite literally, at briefly being a Premier League goalkeeper
Technology has irreversibly changed football. Whether it’s VAR, semi-automated offsides or the growing use of AI in the sport, football’s desire to rapidly implement cutting-edge software has transformed the beautiful game in the past decade alone.
While some changes divide opinion, few are likely to object to the Premier League’s latest high-tech partnership. In March last year, the English top flight announced a four-year partnership with Rezzil, the virtual reality (VR) software developer based in Manchester.
And on a late summer afternoon, I was invited to experience Rezzil’s state-of-the-art software at a PICO event in Liverpool city centre. While the uses of this new-fangled technology are endless for top-flight clubs, for an average punter like me, trying my hand at Rezzil’s VR game, Premier League Player, seemed most appealing.
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Released in December last year, the game mode is growing in popularity. It allows fans to virtually experience the rough and tumble of a Premier League game.
I tried my hand (quite literally) at being a goalkeeper, and given the event was held within a few miles of Anfield and just a couple of hours before Arne Slot’s side were due to take on Arsenal, Alisson was the obvious selection.
How does it work? On the day, a specialised booth was created, with artificial turf to give an authentic feeling. A PICO headset was strapped on, covering my eyes, and then motion-sensored remotes were placed in each hand. From there, using your head, it’s easy to skip through the various on-screen game options and select the desired choice by clicking a button on the handheld controller.
After choosing to be Alisson, suddenly I was placed inside Anfield. Before shots came raining down, I turned my head from side to side, taking in the Main Stand and Sir Kenny Dalglish Stand.
A timer quickly flashed up to indicate my first shot was imminent. There are 30 different levels available, but as a first-timer, the slowest setting seemed most applicable. It still required alert reactions to move my arms and grab each shot as they flew towards the goal.
Even at the slowest speed, it wasn’t a case of standing still; there was a need to quickly shuffle my feet, reach up, bend down and parry shots to the side. There’s even the option to punch balls clear. For the full Premier League goalkeeper experience, plenty of room would be required, and certainly no furniture or obstacles in the vicinity for anyone planning full-length sprawls across the carpet.
That’s because once that VR headset is strapped on, it’s easy to forget that you’re not really in Anfield. Phil Foden isn’t really smashing lethal shots in your direction, and you’re not really being roared on by thousands of fans.
At a slower speed, I managed to save all 12 shots, which varied in terms of direction, speed and trajectory. One go wasn’t enough, though; I needed a few attempts before I really got to grips with it. The game had certainly piqued my interest. I could have spent a few hours shimmying across the makeshift stage, but someone else wanted a go.
John Barnes, the legendary Liverpool winger, arrived at the event and, within minutes, put on a VR headset and virtually stepped into Alisson’s shoes – or, more appropriately for the ex-Red, Bruce Grobbelaar’s.
“Who wants to be a goalkeeper?” the England legend quipped a little later, when speaking to Mirror Football. “Let me tell you, Jan Molbe always says, and he’s right, that there are only 10 footballers in the team and a goalkeeper.”
As the VIP guest, Barnes also tried out the leg motion sensors, which were placed on his ankle and allowed him to once again fly down the wing at Anfield.
“It was very good,” he said. “It’s modern technology, and although I wish I were still young enough to run around and kick the ball, I can relive the old days a bit.
“It was incredible, and not just in the stadium, but when the balls were coming at you as a goalkeeper, it’s unbelievable. Then I got a chance to shoot. Kids play all these kinds of funny games, and at my age now, it’ll take some getting used to, but for anybody younger than me, it’ll be fantastic for them.”
In a brief trial, John and I only tried a handful of the many games available on Premier League Player. Others include Moments, a mode that allows gamers to recreate some of the highlights from the previous weekend in the top flight, including attempting to score goals from the latest round of fixtures. I think replicating Dominik Szoboszlai’s free-kick may have been a little beyond my skillset…
“With it being the officially licensed product, all the players, all the stadiums, all the kits are completely lifelike,” said Liam Kiziltan, head of marketing and branding at Rezzil.
“I would say that the main idea of a Premier League Player is to get fans closer to the action. You can step onto the pitch of your favourite stadiums, you can take the place of your favourite superstars and feel what it feels like to soak in that atmosphere and presence of a Premier League ground.
“It could even end that debate with your mates about whether you could have scored that chance. Now you don’t need to imagine, you can actually try it yourself.”
Rezzil’s work with VR extends beyond the use of Premier League Player. The company also works with elite clubs and players on a broad range of topics.
“We specialise in sports VR software from analysis to training to rehab, and we’ve helped players before. Maybe it’s a serious ACL injury, and we’ve helped them get back to the pitch quicker than they would have.
“We can help with training, spatial awareness, visualisation, and experiencing an intimidating crowd.”
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Rezzil’s technology has also been used in football analysis – maybe you remember Jamie Carragher trying it on Monday Night Football? Premier League Productions regularly incorporate the VR tool in their analysis, while extracting data is also a key component available through Rezzil’s groundbreaking software.
“We are very much the first people in the space to be doing this,” said Liam. “When you’re making an innovative product like ours, it’s about feedback, it’s listening to people’s experience; did they enjoy it, what do they like, what game modes do they want to see next? That’s what we’ve been doing. So it’s an exciting time to be able to do it with them.”
Whether it’s fans reliving their heroes’ moments or players recovering from injury, VR may soon feel as essential to football as VAR now does. And after my cameo in Alisson’s boots, I can safely say: goalkeeping is harder than it looks.
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