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From Lab to Pitch
Research and innovation in football from Germany
Germany is the host country of the 2024 UEFA European Football Championship. Football is not only the world’s most popular sport, it is also full of research. Knowledge-based innovation and novel technologies are key to success in football.
Germany has a lot to offer in this regard. For our special issue, we have visited international researchers and innovators from German universities, research institutions and companies. AI-based tactical football analysis, injury prevention and rehabilitation and much more: Learn more about exciting examples of football-related research and innovation “made in Germany”.
And the ball is rolling… Discover From Lab to Pitch!
Videos
![](/dam/jcr:eef4cec3-0626-4e74-9f25-40ad034ae9f5/Video_1_Stark-Watzinger-470.jpg)
Kick-off by Federal Minister Bettina Stark-Watzinger
Welcome to From Lab to Pitch! A kick-off by Federal Minister of Education and Research Bettina Stark-Watzinger
![](/dam/jcr:51746198-bc1f-4955-be53-9ec38047bfff/Video_2_Giordano-470.jpg)
Giordano improves rehabilitation after knee injuries
Injuries of the anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) are among the most common severe injuries in football. Giordano’s research contributes to better prevention and rehabilitation.
![](/dam/jcr:680a90df-5ad7-467e-bf4f-1225f38c3a72/Video_3_Monica-470.jpg)
Monica investigates infectious diseases in football
Infections are a main cause of time loss of professional football players. Monica wants to understand the modifications in immune functions after training and matches.
![](/dam/jcr:956e4727-7c46-4520-b69d-02a674d8e286/Video_4_Tim-470.jpg)
Tim heads the international PhD programme “Science and Health in Football”
Professor Tim Meyer has established the international PhD programme “Science and Health in Football” at Saarland University. He is the Chief Medical Officer of the UEFA EURO 2024 and has worked as team physician for the German Football Association for over 20 years.
![](/dam/jcr:67f59a8b-14ae-4295-93d9-dfef512bfd9c/Video_5_Jonathan-470.jpg)
Jonathan develops sports gear made ot algae
Jonathan works with adidas. He develops prototypes to convert the textile value chain from petroleum-based to bio-based.
![](/dam/jcr:36e26717-e1f9-4f64-ab53-a950dc4dbea5/Video_6_Jochen-470.jpg)
Jochen uses radio-based communications to analyse football
Together with partners, Jochen has developed a mobile electronic device for football players and the ball. It helps particularly small clubs to analyse their trainings and matches.
Expert interviews
We want to push the boundaries of AI-based tactical football analysis
Manuel Stein is CEO and founder of Subsequent. The company is a provider of real-time skeleton data extraction and tracking and innovative motion analysis based on simple video recordings. In 2023, Subsequent has been awarded as Germany’s “Digital Start-up of the Year” by the Federal Ministry of Economics and Climate Protection. In this interview, he talks about his journey towards a more context-oriented data analysis and visualisation in football.
![We want to push the boundaries of AI-based tactical football analysis Manuel holds a ball in his hand and looks into the camera. On the right-hand side is a quote "We want to push the boundaries of AI-based tactical football analysis"](/dam/jcr:800b0d9f-048f-42e5-abbc-1546e3187fca/Interview_1_Manuel.jpg)
We are breaking new ground in assessing sustainability in sports
Pamela Wicker is a Professor for Sport Management and Sport Sociology at Bielefeld University and holds the Chair for Sport and Society. In this interview, she talks about how the UEFA EURO 2024 relates to sustainability, how to raise awareness on the presence of women researchers in the media, and how the social value of football can be measured.
![We are breaking new ground in assessing sustainability in sports Pamel holds a ball in her hand and looks into the camera. On the right-hand side is a quote "We are breaking new ground in assessing sustainability in sports"](/dam/jcr:877f853e-3427-44b2-8240-2b15ac75a47c/thumb-pamela-3.jpg)
TSG Hoffenheim excels in understanding how psychological aspects impact performance
Adam Beavan is Coordinator of Science & Innovation at the German top-league club TSG Hoffenheim. He is researching how cognitive training techniques can help improve physical performance. In this interview, Adam talks about how to train the brain, Hoffenheim’s role in football research, and why you should consider doing research in Germany.
![TSG Hoffenheim excels in understanding how psychological aspects impact performance Adam Beaven holds a ball in his hand and looks into the camera. On the right-hand side is a quote "TSG Hoffenheim excels in understanding how psychological aspects impact performance"](/dam/jcr:29f04f2b-4fbd-43ba-b154-e14d1c9ba272/Interview_3_Adam.jpg)
Our vision is to develop an early warning system for team crises in professional football
Darko Jekauc is a full professor at the Institute of Sports and Sports Science at KIT Karlsruhe Institute of Technology and heads the group for health education and sports psychology. He is currently leading a research project to develop a model to better describe the determinants of team crises in professional football. In this interview, he talks about his approach and key challenges.
![We want to push the boundaries of AI-based tactical football analysis Darko holds a ball in his hand and looks into the camera. On the right-hand side is a quote "We want to push the boundaries of AI-based tactical football analysis"](/dam/jcr:36ac0b51-427d-454f-ac52-c2d6c7576286/Interview_4_Darko.jpg)
Selection of football research sites in Germany
Flip through and learn more about football-related research and innovation from Germany.