Switzerland is currently hosting the UEFA Women’s EURO football championship. Both on and off the pitch, there are numerous inventions to be seen. We present some of them.
Numerous inventions can be seen on and off the pitch. Image: iStock.
The world’s most popular team sport also spurs on inventors – with technical solutions on and off the pitch. The patent databases are bursting with applications relating to the beautiful game. So let’s kick off a round of football-inspired patents.
1. The magic spray
When a free kick is awarded at the UEFA Women’s EURO, the referee might reach for a spray. The sprayed free kick line shows the players in the free kick wall where they position themselves: this far and no further. The liquid dissolves after a certain time. The spray was invented by the South Americans Pablo Silva and Heine Allemagne.
Patent: EP1268680B1 (process for temporary demarcation of regulation distances in sports)
The magic spray: the free kick line disappears after a minute.
2. Keeping a hand in
Goalkeepers’ most important tool is their hands. They use them to divert the ball away from a goalpost or pluck it out of the air following a corner kick. For a long time, goalies played without gloves, but today they are standard equipment. There are inventions in this area too, but fewer than in other areas. Innovations offer a better grip on the ball, for example, thanks to an appropriate surface. However, gloves also need to protect the hands to a certain extent. This recent innovation with reinforced sections in the knuckle area offers appropriate protection.
Patent: EP4509191A1 (Glove)
Time and again, inventors focus on goalkeepers’ hands.
3. Goal shots without a footballer
Kurt Scheiwiller from Oberuzwil set out to automate goalie training. In 1977, he applied for a patent for a ‘ball shooting device for the targeted shooting of footballs’. It can fire out 20 to 50 balls automatically. That makes it suitable for goalkeeping practice, for example. Similar ball machines are also used in tennis.
Patent: CH627082A5 (ball shooting device for the targeted shooting of footballs)
Goal-scoring machines are a recurring theme. Here’s a Swiss solution.
4. Ball in play
Balls will always be round, but they still continue to preoccupy numerous inventors to this day. Today, footballs are high-tech products, whether in terms of stability, materials or production methods. Above all, however, they’re now digitised. One patent shows how a sensor can be suspended in the centre of the ball (image on left) without affecting how it moves. This makes it possible to track a game. Another patent describes a ball with an integrated wireless signal transmission system. This sends data such as speed, spin and position to a connected device. The technology can be used to analyse performance and support decision-making.
Patent: US7740551 (sensor integration)
Patent: EP3496827A1 (smart ball, locator system and method)
Footballs frequently inspire new inventions.
5. Flexible turf
This invention consists of hybrid turf: real grass growing through a fine-meshed, knitted net. Artificial, grass-like fibres are evenly distributed in the net, pointing upwards. They protect the real grass from wear and tear, making the turf more stable and ensuring that it lasts longer even under heavy use – for example for sports. The net even supports root growth and can be easily replaced or reused if necessary. According to the patent document, the result is a hard-wearing, natural turf surface with better playing characteristics.
Patent: EP3325720B1 (hybrid turf surface and support)
Hybrid turf. Real grass is strengthened by a synthetic net.
6. The modular stadium
For a long time now, football stadiums have also hosted concerts and other events. So three inventors developed a modular stadium that can be assembled differently based on requirements. The individual parts, such as stands, roofs and walls, are designed to fit together like building blocks. This means you can make the stadium the precise size you need.
Patent: EP3631122B1 (modular stadium for sporting and cultural events)
From football stadium to concert arena with the modular system.
Patents in a nutshell
All the above-mentioned inventors applied for patent protection for the technical solutions shown here, thus obtaining an exclusive right of use for a maximum term of 20 years. During the term of protection, inventors decide what can be done with their patent. They can use it themselves, sell it or grant third parties user rights in exchange for a licensing fee. Additionally, patent protection has an interesting side effect. All patent specifications are available to the public. In these documents, inventors describe how their technical solutions work, in return for exclusive protection. Thanks to this disclosure, we were also able to trace the historical documents for this article. So patents offer an insight into the technology of yesterday, today and tomorrow.
