A DEVICE FOR HELPING IN OFFSIDE DECISION IN FOOTBALL

Abstract: Device for assistance by judging offside, where a house (3) with light sources is provided on the half side of a football field and a corresponding house is provided on the other opposite half side of the football field. The light sources are shielded and define a light beam directed parallel with the short side of the field.

Description: A DEVICE FOR HELPING IN OFFSIDE DECISION IN FOOTBALL Present invention relates to a device for assistance by judging offside of a kind defined in the preamble of Claim 1. Football or soccer is engaging and of interest for many people around the world. Wrong judging of offside is often a great problem and will often cause severe problems for the referee, football clubs, sponsors and the general public. Small details are often decisive for the outcome of a football match. This can be true for international tournaments, world championship, European championship, international matches, qualification to large international toumam.snts, premier league, placement in the top and the bottom of the table, or cup matches both nation^ -and international. The consequences for the teams will be attenuated when sponsors, the spectators, transfer of players to other clubs and large amount of money are at stake, and with an increasing demand for entertainment value and quality of the play. The challenge for the assisting referees is to co-ordinate 3 actions by judging offside. One shall record when the pass is made, where the attack players .are situated and how the counter players two hindmost players are situated. If the most forward attack player is in motion toward the goal and simultaneously the second hindmost defence player is moving fast out to place the attacker in an offside position, the assistant referee will have a very difficult task to judge a 100 % correct offside. The reason for this is that the assistant referee does not have a refer.snce point on the other side of the field when t-aking aim of the offside. The aim of present invention is to solve the above mentioned problem and this is achieved by a device of the above defined kind which characterising feature is set forth in claim 1. Further features of the invention are defined in the independent claims. By means of the invention, the assistant referee will at any time have a reference point on the opposite side of the field, in such a way that it will be created a approx. 90 ° sight line in relation to the side line and the second last defence player. This means that the assistant referee will indicate the very same decision in every offside situation. Without this reference point, the sight line can be from approx. S3 - 97° .which can mean a misjudgement of offside by +/- 6 meters with the inherent consequences this can result in e.g. cancellation of goal or scoring in an offside position. In addition the referees will be exposed to frustration both from the players and the audience. Offsidemarker can be tailored to different field widths with reference to the reference point. The home field of Porto FC has a width of 72 meters. The smallest international width is 65 meters. The invention will in the following be described more in detail with referrace to the accompanying drawings, where : Fig. 1 shows a football field from above with a schematic indication of the function of the device according to present invention. Fig. 2 is .an additional schematic drawing of the function of the device according to the invention. Fig. 3 is a schematic drawing showing a point of light for use with present invention. In fig. 1 there is indicated a football field with houses 3 with light sources in the respective long sides. These houses with light sources can be placed in the eye height to an assistant referee, i.e. above any advertising signs along the long side of the field. In fig 2 there is indicated a section of a football field with players, where an assist∑mt referee is indicated by reference numeral 1. The device according to the invention is placed on the opposite side of the field half where a Ughts source have been indicated by reference numeral 4, and the assistztnt referee 1 in his position will see this light source and will the realise that the line 2 is the line which is perpendicular on the opposite side, and based on this, the assistant referee will realise that the player 9 is in an offside position. Based on this, the assistant referee can pla.ce himself in a correct position in his field of work and indicate a correct offside. Fig. 3 shows a possible embodiment of the light sources where each house 3 with lights sources has a series of shielded lights sources/light cylinders 8 with directional light 2. The light sources in the house 3 will be placed close together with a mutual distance of approx. 0.5 meters. Each light source gives the assistant referee a distinct reference point on the other side of the field. This point will at any time provide the assistant referee with a 90 ° sight line, irrespective of his movement along the side line. The field of sight c-an easily be regulated by adjustment of the shielded light sources e.g. by means of a shutter 7 provided in the outlet opening of the light cylinder 8. The respective luminous tubes can be fed with light from a light source 5 via optical cables 6. It will probably be necessary with several lights sources 5, where one light source 5 feeds e.g. a certain number of light cylindCTS 8. If one light source 5 should feed all the lights sources in the house 4 the light yield of the reiφective lights sources would probably be too low, and it has therefore been chosen a solution with several light sources.

Claims: C 1 i m s 1. Device for assistance by judging offside, characterised in thata house (3) with light sources is provided on one of the half sides of a football field and that a corresponding house (3) with hght sources is provided on the other opposite half side of the football field, with respective shielded light sources/light points which each define a light beam which is directional in a direction parallel to the short side of the field. 2. Device .according to claim 1, characterised in that the light sources are provided in the house (3) with a mutual distance of approx.0.5 meters. Device according to claim 1-2, characterised in that the light sources (3) constitutes of light cylinders (8) which are fed form re.spective light sources (5) via optical cables (6).

Inventors: HATTLAND KJELL ASBJOERN, HATTLAND, KJELL, ASBJOERN
Applicants: HATTLAND KJELL ASBJOERN, HATTLAND, KJELL, ASBJOERN
Application year: 1999
Main classification: A63B71
IPC codes: A63B71