North Coast club takes match analysis to next level

Coffs Harbour football club using advanced video equipment to better their game

Northern Storm host Taree Wildcats in round one of the inaugural Coastal Premier League at Korora on Saturday, July 4, 2020. Photos: Mitchell Keenan and Tim Jarrett

WHAT do Coastal Premier League side Northern Storm and English Premier League club Leicester City have in common?

On the surface, very little, but they do happen to use the same video analysis equipment.

Veo sports cameras have been brought in to the Storm camp this season as they look to take their game to the next level.

A solution for recording and watching sports without a cameraman, first grade coach Eric McCarthy said the equipment was purchased to help the club as a whole.

"Outside of being a very good tool for the seniors, we wanted it to be something everyone could use," McCarthy said.

"It's useful to look back on things you may have missed in the heat of the moment. It helps us analyse things like formational errors.

"But one of big reasons was for the kids coming through. It gives them a boost to watch themselves back and see the goal they scored to share in Instagram or Snapchat."

VEO, the video technology being utilised by Coastal Premier League side Northern Storm.

Northern Storm are hoping to speed up their progression after joining the inaugural Coastal Premier League this season.

"It's something that, as a club, we're trying to use to advance ourselves as quickly as we can. It's a fabulous piece of technology. I would have loved to have had it when I was growing up."

The juniors will benefit from watching themselves in action, but some of the seniors are also experiencing the modern commodity for the first time.

"We even had a 33-year-old player who saw himself playing football for the first time four weeks ago," he said.

A valuable tool for the team, McCarthy said it can be just as helpful for individuals to work on their own game.

"Players can self analyse with it too. Everyone can watch themselves play and fine tune their own game. North Coast Football's NPL squads use it and Jack Dover put me on to the technology," he said.

More than 2,233 clubs from 60 countries are using the equipment across a range of different sports including rugby, ice-hockey and basketball.

Along with former Premier League winners Leicester City, European heavyweights Borussia Monchengladbach, LOSC Lille and most recently Major League Soccer team Inter Miami have endorsed the technology.

Storm have shown signs of improvement this season, but Saturday's encounter against Port United didn't quite go to plan.

"Conditions were not to blame for the result, in fact they were nearly perfect," McCarthy said.

"In a nutshell, Port United came in from one win two losses and being one of favourites, had a point to prove. We were able to match them in all areas except for hunger on the day."

Northern Storm won't have to wait long to make amends for the loss as they travel to the Coffs Coast Tigers on Wednesday night.

"Looking at the table, we're on six points they're on five. They came off an unfortunate weekend, leading 4-2 in the first half against Port Saints but the match was abandoned and the score put down as a 0-0 draw," he said.

"They should be ahead of us in reality. They played well against Boambee and certainly can't be underestimated but we'll give it our best shot."

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