Calls for the GAA to use ball-tracking technology have been growing, after developer Hawk-Eye made a presentation to the organisation about these services.
The demand for this technology comes shortly after goal controversy at the Meath vs Louth in the Leinster SFC final, where replays showed that Joe Sheridan carried the ball over the goal line during injury time.
The Kildare and Down All Ireland semi-final game also drew goal controversy, where a point for Kildare was ruled wide even though it seemed to go through the posts.
Dr Paul Hawkins said Hawk-Eye’s services make it easy for the GAA to solve these issues and states they may provide it for free if they can get a sponsor.
“These are early days. But we feel that this would be good news for the sport,” said Hawkins, the founder of Hawk-Eye.
“This system works and it’s instant – it wouldn’t slow the game down and it would add to the drama.
“Our cameras would track the ball in real time and would probably be focused on the two goal areas. As soon as the ball crosses the goal line, the referee could be informed, we could virtually raise the posts up to decide on points and we could present technology for other decisions,” he said.
Hawk-Eye claims to be the ‘most sophisticated tool used in any sport.’ They provide technologies for tennis and cricket fixtures worldwide.
They’ve recently developed a goal-line system for the English Football Association (FA) and also provide the BBC with a system to check their snooker coverage.
