LALIGA delivers next-generation fan experiences by reimagining data and AI at scale

For LALIGA soccer fans, the essence of every soccer match exists in a many layered story, where club history, social media engagement, on-pitch performance, historic rivalries, and so much more coalesce into a unique and personal experience. Fans look to the Spanish soccer league to keep them apprised of not just the play-by-play during a match, but behind-the-scenes details on the teams and the players they love—and LALIGA is committed to delivering phenomenal fan experiences. “Giving fans the most cutting-edge experience deepens their loyalty, helps fill the stadiums, and instills a level of passion unseen in other sports,” says Alfredo Bermejo, Digital Strategy Director at LALIGA.

Bermejo says to remain at the forefront of creating innovative fan experiences LALIGA wanted to be able to deliver extraordinary information to its audiences at lightning speed—and they knew it meant utilizing data. More than a decade ago, to empower its teams, LALIGA deployed Mediacoach, an advanced match data visualization platform developed by LALIGA Tech, the sports technology company from Globant and LALIGA. Mediacoach was designed to collect and analyze data during a match from fixed cameras placed around a stadium perimeter. The data collected has been used by LALIGA teams, in part, to study opponents and help coaches and players improve. But the company wanted to take the platform’s capabilities to the next level. "We felt there was a way to use, even expand on, our massive amounts of data and give fans deeper and more engaging real-time insights.” says Miguel Ángel Leal, Chief Technology & Innovation Officer at LALIGA. 

Cultivating enthusiasm through innovation

Leal says that LALIGA knew it wanted to work with Microsoft. “Mediacoach is a great innovation, and adding Azure's capabilities to the solution was a clear decision. With it, we knew we could evolve and take the fan experience to entirely new levels.” LALIGA Tech integrated Mediacoach with the Azure platform, and together with Microsoft, launched Beyond Stats, an advanced football statistics initiative involving a fan-facing web portal.

Match data collected by LALIGA Tech across each game is processed by Azure and analyzed with the help of Microsoft Azure Machine Learning and artificial intelligence (AI) processing capabilities. The Mediacoach solution is further supported by Azure Databricks (for processing advanced sports metrics) and Power BI (for the visual analysis of information). The combined technology collects physical and tactical data points at an unprecedented, near real-time rate including patterns of play, tactical layouts, and player fitness levels during the match. Some of the stats are uploaded post-match to the Beyond Stats portal for fans to consume via any device. As a result, Beyond Stats can reveal new perspectives of the game for fans play by play. 

Together, LALIGA Tech, LALIGA, and Microsoft have now created 50 new metrics across categories such as Positional Data, Carries, Pressure Acts, Passing, Transitions, Goalkeeper, and Physical Performance, among others. One of the most important of these metrics is the development of an advanced model of Goal Probability, expressed on a zero to 100 percent scale. With the calculation of Goal Probability derived within 30 seconds, it is now possible for match broadcasters to incorporate the Goal Probability as a graphic into the live action almost immediately. 

“Thanks to the possibilities offered by Microsoft Azure, we can deliver fans a complex set of metrics that were previously only available to those directly involved in the industry,” says Leal. “Now, fans can evolve from being passive spectators to active participants in the game.”

Enhancing security and cost-efficiency

Because it handles vast amounts of user information, LALIGA prioritizes the management of its confidential data. “Additional layers of security were another one of the main outcomes of the migration,” explains Leal. “With Microsoft Azure, we are able to minimize our attack surface, further secure our services, and implement SecDevOps processes as part of the complete transformation process.”

LALIGA took the opportunity to transition to cloud native applications, using cloud services and Kubernetes (AKS) instead of virtual machines. Once the migration to Azure was complete, cost monitoring and cost distribution efficiencies helped the organization to implement a cost optimization plan, reducing both cloud costs and total cost of ownership (TCO). Microsoft was able to help the organization to be more agile while reducing time to market. And the result of becoming more cost-efficient? LALIGA can invest more resources into the products they develop and deliver to its fans.

Transforming the fan experience in real time

By leveraging the available processing power of Microsoft Azure, LALIGA can enhance the level of storytelling within and around each match. With the ability to make each 90-minute match a 360-degree fan experience, the league is revolutionizing fan engagement and changing the ways soccer fans access and consume the sport. “A key to the success of the solution is that we put the fans in the middle of every conversation,” says Bermejo. “Everything we develop is based on doing our best to cultivate enthusiasm for LALIGA in every way—for us, it's an absolute must.”

Beyond engaging fans, this is translating into new ways to stimulate revenue growth and create new business opportunities for sports clubs, leagues, and federations. “LALIGA Tech and Microsoft Cloud technology allows LALIGA to adapt to any circumstance that may arise across the league’s global footprint, creating new efficiencies in supporting internal and external processes that have been key to our continued growth,” says Leal. “From a fan-facing standpoint, Microsoft has been vital in transforming the experience for our fans.”

Find out more about LALIGA on Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn, and YouTube.