Swansea City AFC integrate Ross Video's Piero into their workflow

The graphical sports analytics tool Piero de Ross Video has been implemented by the Swansea City AFC football team during its 2021 season.

Piero uses image recognition and graphic overlays to augment sports content with visually engaging and informative effects. This solution is used by both broadcasters and sports clubs around the world. Its latest version, number 16, included a series of improvements and features including support for 4K-UHD and HDR workflows over SDI.

Steve Rands, head of performance analysis at Swansea, believes that Piero It is a fundamental tool for his daily life: "I have been using telestration tools since 2015, when I worked with the City Football Group, but the product I used did not really fit my needs. When I saw Piero, I knew it was going to be the right tool for us. That is why I signed an agreement to bring Piero to the City Football Group, which manages several clubs such as Manchester City, New York City, Melbourne City and Girona."

Steve subsequently moved to Derby County Football Club and then Swansea City. On each occasion, he has chosen Piero as his analysis tool: "We currently have daily meetings and in every meeting with the players, whether as a group or individually, Piero appears. He is certainly being used a lot and has helped us improve performance in some key areas. For example, the season before I arrived at Swansea, the club conceded twenty-four goals from set pieces, the worst record of any club in the top six leagues in Europe, but we have completely turned that situation around and Piero has been an important part of that path.”

Used by broadcasters

Swansea's performance manager believes that the fact that Piero is also used by broadcasters certifies the quality and solidity of the tool: "Major TV networks use Piero for their football programs and it's great that we can offer our players an identical experience, so they work with the same tool they see on their TV screens every week. I've seen first-hand that if the analysis tool is poor quality, players simply tune out, so it's important that we use the best we can. It really helps with engagement. I've had players ask me to create a best practice analysis of the best players in the world in their position using Piero. That’s when you know you’re doing something right!”

Vincent Noyer, head of sports analysis graphics at Ross, is delighted that Piero is playing a role in Swansea's success: "Promotion to the English Premiership can make a big difference to a club in terms of revenue and fan attendance. It's understandable that Swansea want to take the next step, especially after missing out last season. With such a big prize at stake you need every advantage you can get. It's great to see Swansea placing Piero at the 'heart' of the team."