Alberola Rojas will debut the ‘RefCam’ in the Cup final

The final of the Copa del Rey Mapfre on April 18, which will face Atlético de Madrid and Real Sociedad in La Cartuja in Seville, will mark the premiere in Spain of the RefCam, a technology promoted by LaLiga and authorized for this event by the Royal Spanish Football Federation (RFEF) that will allow offering an unprecedented vision of the game from the referee’s perspective.

The referee designated for the final at the La Cartuja Stadium, Javier Alberola Rojas, will wear an integrated camera with a microphone on his headband, providing the television signal, produced by RTVE, with a “closer, more immersive and completely innovative” perspective of the development of the game.

This launch represents the introduction in Spain of a pioneering technology that will also begin its implementation in the league competition, where it will be present in one match per day starting on April 22. In this sense, after its premiere in La Cartuja, the RefCam will begin to be integrated into different notable matches on the LaLiga EA Sports calendar.

Thus, its use is planned in the FC Barcelona-RC Celta on April 22, in the Real Betis-Real Madrid on April 24, as well as in the Valencia CF-Atlético de Madrid and in the FC Barcelona-Real Madrid on the following days.

“The RefCam consists of a camera integrated into the referee’s headband that offers real-time direct vision of the referee during the development of the match, placing the spectator in the heart of the action and allowing him to experience the speed, pressure and proximity of each play from an unprecedented perspective,” explained LaLiga and the RFEF in a joint statement.

In addition, the system incorporates audio, which contributes to a greater understanding of refereeing decisions and provides a new level of transparency and closeness with the fan, reinforcing the connection between the game and the audience.

For the deployment of this innovation, LaLiga has selected the technology developed by MindFly, a company specialized in immersive capture solutions in sports environments, whose proposal has stood out for its image quality, stability and reliability after a process of testing in competition, with a clear and continuous signal thanks to an advanced connectivity model with antennas distributed in the stadium.

“The incorporation of the RefCam is part of LaLiga’s strategy to continue evolving the way in which football is consumed, betting on more immersive, close and differential experiences, and opening new opportunities in the digital field with the generation of content and summaries from the referee’s perspective,” says LaLiga.