WALLINGFORD, Conn. — Athletes will spend hours on the field perfecting their craft, but now soccer players around the world — and right here in Connecticut — have a new place to train, and it’s somewhere you can’t find on a map.
It’s called Rezzil, a virtual reality system that transports athletes into a one-of-a-kind training experience.
The Soccer Box of Connecticut in Wallingford is the first Rezzil franchise in the country.
"The whole goal of The Soccer Box is to train soccer players in individual skills, both dribbling and finishing, but also in the cognitive abilities, the decision making, etcetera,” said owner Donald Dione.
He opened the training facility in 2019 and it is complete with a small field and other spaces designed for young athletes.
Athletes who train at the facility now have access to the Rezzil system as well.
"It's like a giant video game, but it's much more scientific than a video game,” Dione added.
Cutting-edge technology, including a headset and feet trackers transport athletes to a 3-D, full-sized virtual field where they can practice their skills.
Players run through several drills that test both technical and cognitive skills — everything from passing and shooting under pressure to heading the ball.
After completing the drills, athletes then get a detailed scorecard.
“You have the Rezzil Index which is the overall ability, but then it measures composure, reaction time, accuracy,” Dione said. “This is not me saying the player's good or bad. This is a system that's been scientifically developed."
According to Kevin Grogan, Rezzil’s Head of U.S. Business Development, the system's purpose is not to take away from what you do on the field.
"It's to enhance it and compliment it, and it's based on skills-testing, rehabilitation and game analysis," Grogan said. "We can actually virtually put you in the body of any player on the field when we upload footage from a game, which is mind-blowing."
Grogan is a former Manchester United player and saw major potential in the VR training system, which launched in the United Kingdom in 2017.
It was originally designed as a rehab tool for injured players.
"A lot of players who are injured can't get back on the field to play, so it's a great opportunity to get in where there's no impact,” Grogan said.
Now, the system is used across the world, from academy level to European League and World Cup winners.
"We have some top, top clubs like Manchester United, Arsenal, PSG,” he added.
Rezzil continues to expand, having just signed a few with Facebook’s virtual reality platform called Oculus, while is also franchising across the country.
"I think the way the world is going in tech, the VR, and also the [artificial intelligence] as well, which we're going to integrate into this eventually, I think this is definitely the future,” Grogan said.
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