How AI cameras took hold in French grassroots football, from D8 to N3 | OneFootball

AI cameras have become standard across French grassroots football, easing filming and boosting analysis while sometimes propelling local moments to global audiences.

According to L'Équipe, clubs from D8 to N3 now rely on autonomous units, with market leader VEO prominent.

On 4 February 2025 in Montrevault, R2, defensive midfielder Jonathan Le Ner decided a seventh-round Coupe des Pays de la Loire tie against Aizenay with an acrobatic volley from the edge of the box, captured by his team’s camera. VEO later picked it from 7 million clips for the People’s Puskas.

In 2025 the winner plays for Montrevault, a commune of just over 1,000 residents. The clip drew millions of views and brought Le Ner two weeks of media attention, including a Canal+ feature.

Adoption has surged, with more than 3,000 French clubs now using VEO cameras, up from under 1,000 in 2021. Their AI tracks play and auto-zooms, and users report five minutes setup from a small case.

One D5 side paid about €1,000 to stream and review, then a few hundred euros each season to renew, and players compile highlights or bloopers for fun.

Coaches use footage to correct errors and sometimes exchange videos to prepare. But some parents now film their U14s, adding pressure that reduces risk-taking, and not all accept requests to stop.

That parental trend is common in the United States but still rare in France. Most clients are clubs, and the company also equips about 800 rugby teams, nearly half nationwide.

Source: L'Équipe