Everton manager Roberto Martinez and Thierry Henry use drones for tactical drills, says Michael Owen
Drones are beginning to be used by football managers in order to gain a better tactical understanding of the game, according to former England striker Michael Owen.
Owen, who is an investor in drone company M7 Aerial, revealed Everton manager Roberto Martinez and former players such as Thierry Henry have embraced the technology.
"I think it's becoming big in football now," said Owen at Soccerex. "Thierry Henry who's doing his [coaching] badges, he wants all his sessions filmed from above. At Finch Farm, Everton's training ground, Roberto Martinez wants all of his tactical sessions filmed from above.
"You can really see the game filmed from a different perspective. Managers always see from the sidelines, from the dugout…a lot of people wonder why managers go up into the stand, it's because you get such a better picture of tactically where your men are and how things are going.
"Will you go one step further with a drone? A lot of teams now are using this drone technology…It's a great way of watching football – mainly tactically – to envisage where your players should be where they're going."
A "basic" drone would cost between £3,000 and £5,000 from M7 Aerial depending on the technology, disclosed Owen, who counts his interest in M7 alongside horse racing stables and his Michael Owen Management representation company.
"Michael Owen management, my horse racing stables, there's one or two other businesses that you like to invest in and a good friend of mine introduced me to the drone technology," said the former Liverpool and Manchester United player.
"It's another business that I've invested in, that I've enjoyed watching develop. And it really is getting some traction within the sporting world as well as normal, everyday life."