FOOTBALL : EPL IS SIGNING HAWK-EYE

British-based company get the nod after re-negotiating the terms of its original €11.7million offer and aim to install in all top-flight stadiums ahead of the 2013-14 season.

Hawk-Eye is on the brink of being awarded a five-year contract worth nearly €12 million to provide goal-line technology for the Premier League from next season.

The British-based company were poised to be chosen as the approved partner at a Premier League shareholders meeting in London on Thursday.
The clubs will give the green light for Hawk-Eye to supply, install and maintain its camera-based technology in all Premier League stadiums, as well as at Wembley in time for the 2013-14 campaign.

It is understood that the Sony-owned company has been given the nod over rival bidder Cairos only after re-negotiating the terms of its original offer.

Figures obtained by Goal.com reveal that the February shareholders' meeting was told that the system would cost each club €100,000 per season plus a one-off installation cost per stadium of €35-59,000.

Over the course of the five-year contract that is expected to be signed in the next few weeks, this would have amounted to €558,000 per club, which supplemented by Wembley leads to a combined total of €11.7m. This would be topped up by further stadium costs depending upon the clubs that get promoted in the coming years.

It is understood further discussions have taken place between the Premier League and Hawk-Eye in recent weeks to negotiate a more favourable deal for the clubs.
Hawk-Eye missed out to German rivals Goal Control to provide GLT for the 2013 Fifa Confederations Cup and the 2014 World Cup in Brazil.

But Goal Control were not licensed until last month and were not part of the joint tender process between the Premier League and FA, which involved Hawk-Eye and the two other Fifa-licensed companies Goal Ref and Cairos, which are both magnetic field-based.

A panel made up of senior figures from the Premier League and the Professional Game Match Officials identified Hawk-Eye as the most impressive bid but were concerned about the installation and cost.

Cairos also held detailed talks with the Premier League but concerns about having to change the ball to incorporate a chip, as well as the battery life, ruled the German firm out of the running despite its cheaper cost of around €76,000 per club per season.
Hawkeye’s camera-based system is now set to be installed in stadiums over the summer months, with the technology to be used for the first time at the Community Shield in August.

It will be used in all Premier League fixtures from next season, as well as in FA Cup matches from the third round onwards at stadiums that have the technology in place.