In The Pocket supports Pro League in rollout of futuristic fan experience

On August 10, the Pro League launched a new digital ecosystem. The new online platform hosts the sites of the Jupiler Pro League, the 1B Pro League, and the Pro League itself. It offers fans a new way to experience Belgian professional soccer and supports clubs in their digitization efforts.

Fans can now find a detailed overview of relevant statistics (both collective and individual) for every team and every game in the Jupiler Pro League and the 1B Pro League. The video offer is getting a significant boost on all digital channels.

“These new sites are a key factor in creating a new, intense fan experience. Data and video will play a central part in this right off the bat,” says Stijn Van Bever, spokesman for the Pro League. While one fan primarily wants to see summaries and clips of goals, other aficionados and professionals are chomping at the bit to dig through detailed data. “By granting access to this data, the Pro League is realizing one of the main objectives of its Pro League Forward mission: to leverage innovative technologies to bring Belgian soccer closer to its fan base.”

“Data sets a new standard, a new way of working. Behind the scenes, myriad teams focus on data analysis to improve players’ performances, analyze opponents, or scout talent. In the future, data analysis will become increasingly important,” states Jeroen Lemaire, CEO of digital product studio In The Pocket, which co-developed the platform.

Because of the collaboration with data provider STATS Perform, all professional clubs now have access to the same data. On top of that, the data will also be made available to fans. “It goes way beyond the number of goals or red cards,” Lemaire says. “As of today, the various league websites will show exclusive statistics, like the number of successful tackles or air duels for each player, as well as the percentage of successful long passes for each team.”

It is not the only innovative addition to the Pro League’s new online platform: together with international player WSC Sports, In The Pocket has developed a unique video player. “WSC Sports has a clipping tool that auto-generates video using machine learning. Initially, it will be used on the Pro League platform, which runs entirely on the Google Cloud Platform, to compile weekly video content. WSC Sports’ trailblazing collaboration with partners like the NBA proves that this is only the beginning.”

You can already find several statistics from recent games on the new platform right here.