Premier League has officially announced the introduction of semi-automated offside technology (SAOT), set to debut on April 12, 2025, during the highly anticipated clash between Crystal Palace and Manchester City at the Etihad Stadium. The statement, released on April 1, 2025, marks a significant step forward in the league’s ongoing efforts to enhance the speed, efficiency, and consistency of offside decision-making, addressing long-standing criticisms of the Video Assistant Referee (VAR) system.
The technology, which has already been successfully implemented in competitions like the FIFA World Cup, UEFA Champions League, and Serie A, will make its Premier League bow in Matchday 32’s early kick-off. Manchester City, the reigning champions, will host Crystal Palace in a fixture that promises not only top-tier football but also a historic moment as SAOT takes center stage. The Premier League’s decision follows extensive non-live testing throughout the 2024/25 season and live trials in this year’s FA Cup, ensuring the system’s reliability before its top-flight rollout.
According to the official statement, “The Premier League will introduce semi-automated offside technology on Saturday 12 April (Match Round 32). This follows non-live testing in the Premier League and live operation in the FA Cup this season. Semi-automated offside technology automates key elements of the offside decision-making process to support the video assistant referee (VAR).” The league emphasized that SAOT will utilize optical player tracking to provide “more efficient placement of the virtual offside line” and generate high-quality graphics, enhancing the experience for both in-stadium fans and viewers at home.
The introduction of SAOT is expected to shave an average of 31 seconds off each offside check, a significant improvement over the current manual process, which has often drawn ire for lengthy delays. Up to 30 advanced cameras, operating at 100 frames per second—double the rate of typical broadcast cameras—have been installed in every Premier League stadium. These cameras track the ball and 10,000 data points across all 22 players, automating the identification of the ‘kick-point’ and the positioning of players. The result? Faster, more precise decisions, with 3D visualizations displayed on stadium screens to keep fans in the loop.
Premier League Chief Football Officer Tony Scholes hailed the move as a game-changer. “We believe it to be the best system, the most accurate and future-proof system,” Scholes said earlier this year, underscoring the league’s confidence in the technology. Unlike FIFA’s World Cup system, which uses a chip inside the ball, the Premier League’s version relies solely on its high-frame-rate cameras, a choice the league insists delivers sufficient accuracy without additional hardware.
The road to this moment has been long. Premier League clubs unanimously approved SAOT’s adoption in April 2024, with an initial target of implementation after an autumn international break. However, delays in testing pushed the rollout to 2025, with the league opting for caution. “We are not going to introduce it if we’ve got any doubts at all with regards to its operation,” Scholes noted in February, a stance validated by the rigorous trials that followed.
For fans, the Crystal Palace vs. Manchester City match will be more than just a battle for points—it’ll be a glimpse into the future of officiating. The technology won’t eliminate VAR entirely; human officials will still review and approve each decision. But by automating the labor-intensive process of drawing offside lines, SAOT promises to reduce errors—like the infamous Luis Díaz disallowed goal against Tottenham in 2023—and restore trust in the system.
As the Premier League continues to evolve, this technological leap signals a commitment to balancing tradition with innovation. On April 12, when the whistle blows at the Etihad, all eyes will be on the pitch—and the screens—as SAOT makes its Premier League debut.