AWS for SAP
AI-Powered Football Match Analysis: SAP Sports One on AWS
This post was jointly authored by AWS and SAP. We thank Fadi Naoum (Senior VP, Head of Sports & Entertainment), Christian Walter (COO, Sports & Entertainment), Michael Kettenmann (Product Manager for SAP Sports One), and Baris Altuz (Product Manager for team management, scouting & match analysis), for their contributions to our successful partnership and this blog post. Abraham Arellano, Antonia Wiebeler, Brittany Anderson, Dustin Hughes, Kim Robins, Philipp Kaindl, and Tonia Schneider from AWS contributed in this initiative.
In professional football, success often depends on how quickly teams can analyze and adapt their tactics. At TSG Hoffenheim, match analysts traditionally spent hours manually reviewing game footage, tagging plays, and preparing video clips for team reviews. This process was not just time-consuming—it was limiting the team’s ability to leverage their vast archive of match footage for strategic insights.
AWS, in collaboration with SAP Sports One and TSG Hoffenheim, developed a groundbreaking football match analysis system that leverages generative AI to provide coaches and analysts with unprecedented tactical insights. By working backwards from the specific needs of TSG Hoffenheim, we demonstrated a proof of concept that showcases the potential of AI in sports analytics at SPOBIS 2025
Transforming Sports Management with Real-Time Analytics:
SAP Sports One streamlines team organization and optimizes sports performance through a comprehensive sports management platform. Built on SAP Business Technology Platform (SAP BTP), it integrates team management, training, scouting, match analysis, player fitness monitoring, and analytics into one solution. The platform runs its video processing component exclusively on AWS, delivering reliable and scalable performance for teams worldwide.
Most professional football clubs in Germany’s top leagues trust SAP Sports One to drive their digital transformation, making data-driven decisions that improve performance both on and off the field. By consolidating all essential sports operations in one platform, teams can access the insights they need to maximize their potential and achieve greater success.
Analytics capabilities built with AWS generative AI services in Match Analysis
AWS worked backwards with SAP Sports One and TSG Hoffenheim to reimagine match analysis leveraging AWS’s Working Backwards Mechanism and Amazon’s Day 1 Culture of customer obsession and swift decision-making. We started by understanding how analysts interact with video archives, focusing on their experience rather than technical constraints. Our goal was to make complex tactical analysis as simple as asking a natural language question. Together, we developed a Proof of Concept Match Analysis in SAP Sports One.
Let’s see how this AI-powered solution transforms the way match analysts work, bringing unprecedented efficiency and insight to football analysis:
- The intuitive dashboard provides a comprehensive view of recent matches, with instant access to scores, statistics, and key moments. Match analysts can quickly navigate through different competitions and review team performance at a glance.
- Simply type questions like “Show me all scenes where TSG shot at the goal from a counter-attack” and get instant results. The AI understands football terminology and tactical concepts, making complex video searches as easy as having a conversation.
- Compare live match footage with tactical visualizations side by side. The split-screen view combines actual game footage with player positioning data, offering deeper insights into team formations and individual player movements.
- Share curated match moments and analysis directly with coaches and players. The integrated sharing capabilities streamline communication and help teams prepare more effectively for upcoming matches.
Impact of generative AI in sports analytics:
With Amazon Bedrock, an AWS fully managed service that provides foundation models through an API, sports analytics is being transformed in ways never before possible. By leveraging Bedrock’s advanced AI capabilities, Match Analyst helps you understand team tactics, interpret game situations, and retrieve precise video clips using simple language queries. Now, you spend less time searching through footage and more time developing winning strategies.
Match Analysis Proof of Concept demonstrates how generative AI can enhance rather than replace human expertise in sports analysis, setting a new standard for how professional football clubs can leverage their vast video archives and future streaming footage for strategic advantage. As teams continue to seek competitive edges in professional football, solutions like Match Analysis point the way toward a future where advanced AI technology and deep sports domain knowledge combine to revolutionize game analysis.
To learn more about the technology powering these innovations, visit SAP Sports One or AWS for SAP.