Football Live was the name given to the project and computer system created and utilised by PA Sport to collect Real Time Statistics from major English & Scottish Football Matches and distribute to most leading media organisations. At the time of its operation, more than 99% of all football statistics displayed across Print, Internet, Radio & TV Media outlets would have been collected via Football Live.

Background

Prior to implementation of Football Live, the collection process consisted of a news reporter or press officer at each club telephoning the Press Association, relaying information on Teams, Goals and Half-Time & Full Time. The basis for Football Live was to have a representative of the Press Association (FBA - Football Analyst) at every ground. Throughout the whole match they would stay on an open line on a mobile phone to a Sports Information Processor (SIP), constantly relaying in real time statistical information for every : * Shot * Foul * Free Kick * Goal * Cross * Goal Kick * Offside This information would be entered in real time and passed to our media customers. The Football Live project was in use from Season 2001/02 until the service was taken over by Opta in 2013/14

Commercial Customers

The most famous use for the Football Live data was for the

Vidiprinter A vidiprinter is a sports scores and results ticker service provided to media organisations. A vidiprinter providing football results is used on BBC One and Sky Sports News when significant games are in progress. Since its inception, the vidipri ...

services on

BBC #REDIRECT BBC #REDIRECT BBC #REDIRECT BBC Here i going to introduce about the best teacher of my life b BALAJI sir. He is the precious gift that I got befor 2yrs . How has helped and thought all the concept and made my success in the 10th board ex ...

Sky Sports Sky Sports is a group of British subscription sports channels operated by the satellite pay television company Sky Group (a division of Comcast), and is the dominant subscription television sports brand in the United Kingdom and Ireland. It ...

, allowing goals to be viewed on TV screens within 20 seconds of the event happening.

League competitions

From its inception in 2001/02 season, the following leagues/competitions were fully covered by Football live * English Premier League * Championship * League One * League Two * Conference * Scottish Premier League * English FA Cup * English Football League Cup * World Cup * European Championships * Champions League * Europa League

Football Analysts (FBA's)

During the early development stages, the initial idea was to employee ex-referees to act as Football Analysts, but this was soon dismissed in favour of ex-professional Footballers. The most famous of which were

Brendon Ormsby Brendon Thomas Christopher Ormsby (born 1 October 1960) is an English former professional footballer. A centre back, Ormsby played for Aston Villa, Leeds United, Shrewsbury, Doncaster, Waterford United, Scarborough and Wigan. Ormsby led Leeds t ...

Mel Sterland Melvyn Sterland (born 1 October 1961 in Sheffield) is an English former professional Association football, footballer who played in the Football League for Sheffield Wednesday F.C., Sheffield Wednesday and Leeds United F.C., Leeds United and in t ...

Jimmy Case James Robert Case (born 18 May 1954) is an English retired professional footballer who played as a midfielder. He gained national prominence with Liverpool in the 1970s and early 1980s. Early life Case was brought up in Allerton and was a dis ...

Neil Webb Neil John Webb (born 30 July 1963) is an English football manager, former footballer and television pundit. He primarily played as a midfielder but also played as a defender between 1980 and 1997, notably in the top flight for Manchester Unit ...

John Sitton John Edmund Sitton (born 21 October 1959) is an English former professional footballer and former coach and manager of Leyton Orient. Playing and early coaching career Sitton's playing career began at youth level at Arsenal and Chelsea. He tu ...

Imre Varadi Imre Varadi (born 8 July 1959) is an English former professional footballer, known as a journeyman forward who appeared for 16 different clubs at all levels of professional football in England. Playing career Varadi was born in Paddington, Lon ...

Brian Kilcline Brian Kilcline (born 7 May 1962) is an English former professional footballer. He played as a centre half for Notts County, Coventry City, Oldham Athletic, Newcastle United, Swindon Town, Mansfield Town and Halifax Town, and was famous for his ...

Gary Chivers Gary Chivers (born 15 May 1960) is an English former association football, footballer who played as a Defender (association football), defender in the Football League for Chelsea F.C., Chelsea, Swansea City A.F.C., Swansea City, Queens Park Rang ...

Micky Gynn Michael Gynn (born 19 August 1961) is an English former footballer who played as a midfielder in the Football League for Peterborough United, Coventry City and Stoke City. Career Gynn began his career with his hometown club, Peterborough Un ...

. All the FBA's were supplied and managed by the Professional Football Association (PFA), with day-to-day responsibility lying with

Paul Allen Paul Gardner Allen (January 21, 1953 – October 15, 2018) was an American business magnate, computer programmer, researcher, investor, and philanthropist. He co-founded Microsoft Corporation with childhood friend Bill Gates in 1975, which h ...

and Chris "Jozza" Joslin from the PFA.

References

{{reflist Computer systems Statistical software