Man Utd kids embrace new VR future – assisted by Man City skipper Vincent Kompany
Kompany is an investor and adviser to Virtual Reality training tool Rezzil which is used by several top European clubs including in the Manchester United academy system
WHIZKIDS Mason Greenwood and Tahith Chong represent the future of Man Utd – and they are also the first generation of Virtual Reality-inspired footballers.
And the next wave of United graduates will be helped, in an indirect way, from an unlikely source – Man City captain Vincent Kompany.
English starlet Greenwood, 17, and Dutch kid Chong, 19, have broken into the first-team this season under boss Ole Gunnar Solskjaer, and were both involved as late substitutes in the thrilling Champions League last-16 second leg victory over PSG last week.
Since the summer of 2017, the pair would have used the , which is installed at United’s academy HQ in Carrington. The VR training drills will have sharpened their reaction times, honed their movement and improved their playing ability as part of additional on-field training.
Last November, City defender Kompany came on-board as an investor and strategic advisor to the Manchester-based start-up firm MiHiepa, which uses HTC Vive hardware.
Kompany, 32, who has a long history of injuries, used Rezzil as part of his rehab and recovery, allowing him to play with a virtual ball in a low-fatigue, impact-free environment. He will provide input and advice as the software is continually developed.
Andy Etches, sports director and co-founder of MiHiepa, said: “Kompany brings more than 10 years of first-team experience and knowledge of what elite players really do habitually.
“That helps us to develop the product so it can be applicable to scenarios for players, so we can stimulate and develop the next generation of best players.
“That’s the key. We are learning from him constantly and will use that ten years’ experience of being at the top of his game.”
According to Etches, four of the top six clubs in the Premier League have adopted this innovative technology. EFL sides Blackpool, Bristol City and Hull City are also clients as well as Serie A giants Juventus and AC Milan.
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There is an office in New York and the technology is used in the Qatari Aspire Academy ahead of the 2022 World Cup. This year the company will attempt to tap into the Chinese, Russian and South America markets.
Etches joked: “Everyone thinks we are from San Francisco and yet we turn up with Mancunian accents. It’s one of those businesses which looks like it belongs and should come from San Diego, Silicon Valley or Santa Monica.
“But really it’s just a few of us in an office in Manchester generating the next generation of footballers.”
Non-disclosure agreements permit the company from revealing exactly how Prem coaches use the equipment and the precise data they collect on their stars.
Elite kits for top footballers start from £30,000 and can rise up to £200,000.
All the VR data is analysed and catalogued and can inform coaches if players are match-sharp.
Etches said: “We want players to be out on the pitch still and using a physical ball. But you cannot do that 24 hours a day.
“Take Blackpool for example a few season ago. It was winter, the training pitch was frozen, but they needed their players to move around. They used our kit indoors and could kick a ball all day long. It’s supplementary to existing training.”
One young senior England player, when he first used the equipment, said: “Wow, it’s a like stepping into a game of Fifa!
SunSport was given the rare opportunity to try out their skills on the system over the course of 20 minutes.
Strapped in with the headset, sensory shinpads and boots, the scenarios involved basic passing, heading and shooting exercises, trying to pick out team-mates before being tackled by opponents, and using different parts of the boots to score and formation situations.
It’s incredibly realistic with each movement of the foot and ball reacting within milliseconds. And extremely hard work with your correspondent sweating profusely by the end.
My reaction time over the session was better than average. But sadly the composure to perform under pressure as well as the technical ability on display was very poor.
Probably best I stick to playing Fifa on my computer instead and leave it to professionals like Greenwood and Chong.
Etches said: “You have this generation of ‘gamers’ and they aren’t frightened by the headset or using technology. If you take them to a traditional piece of gym equipment that would look more intimidating than a headset. Young players love it straightaway.
“If we didn’t have the reliability of technology or accuracy, we wouldn’t get the buy-in from the players. It has to be perfect and it is. That’s the key. It works exactly like a real ball.”
