11 Jul 2025 20:12:50
Have you heard of the Footbonaut machine? It is a machine used by some of the elite clubs in Germany.
For those who aren't familiar, the Footbonaut is an advanced training system that clubs like Borussia Dortmund and Hoffenheim have invested in to improve the technical and mental sharpness of their players. It's basically a 14x14 metre square, surrounded by 72 panels. Balls are fired at the player from all angles by automated machines, and the player then has to control the ball and pass it into whichever panel lights up next. It all happens quickly and under pressure, forcing players to think fast and execute clean, accurate passes.
The purpose of the Footbonaut is to improve a player's first touch, passing accuracy, reaction time, spatial awareness, and decision-making. It gives players dozens of quality touches in a very short space of time - far more than they'd get in a traditional training session - and the system records data on how quickly and accurately they respond. It's not just flashy tech; it's a serious development tool. Dortmund have spoken about how much it helped players like Mario Götze, and it's probably no coincidence that his World Cup-winning goal looked like something straight out of a Footbonaut session.
It makes me wonder, could Celtic benefit from something like this? The price is steep, reportedly in the £2-3 million range, and it would need to be housed and staffed properly at Lennoxtown. But when you think about what it could offer our youth players and even the first team in terms of sharpness, composure, and technique under pressure, it feels like the kind of forward-thinking move that could give us a real edge.
Is this the sort of thing we should be pushing for as a club, or do you think it's unrealistic for where we are financially and structurally right now? Personally speaking, I think the machine would pay for itself by helping develop our youth and would keep us well ahead of our rivals.
Video that shows how it works in action:
11 Jul 2025 20:59:50
Great post Weejoe. The club should be thinking outside the box (apologies) and investing in these kind of things to keep ahead of the game. This could be great not only for the club but for producing better technical players for the national side also. I think Scotland as a nation should be looking to introducing this into clubs as the calibre of players coming through is rather uninspiring and we seem to be falling behind the smaller nations.
11 Jul 2025 22:07:01
Wee Joe seen this years ago when Klopp was in charge of Dortmund, I thought it was an excellent idea when I seen it and feel it would be beneficial to ANY player/ club especially those that play for a team that like to keep and pass the ball and it would be seriously beneficial to us as a club playing CL football under pressure needing to make the right pass accurately to finding that quick sharp killer pass against the teams in Scotland when they sit back and low block.
If we are serious about player development and youth development this is the way to go as it would be ideal for players who feel their touch and pass could be improved upon to go and work on it, but this is Scotland and Celtic it’s got common sense written all over it so 99% chance it’s never even been thought about. HH.
11 Jul 2025 23:01:11
Apparently Rodgers and Ange have both already asked the board for this with regards to the barrowfield site upgrades.
12 Jul 2025 00:36:52
This apparatus almost seems too good to be true, but like many others it seems tailor made for Celtic who like to play a fast passing game to get the ball as quickly as possible into an area to create and score goals .
B R I think regards himself as a very modern manager and it wouldn’t surprise me if Celtic haven’t already ordered one of these machines . I think this machine would be a very useful tool for all our players, as we do favour quick passing, but surely one or two sessions per week would greatly benefit all players from younger academy players to experienced first teamers.
12 Jul 2025 08:22:22
This machine would be perfect for the young players too, imagine if all our players were technically brilliant under pressure. I would love us to get this but it's about for years and we don't have it so I don't think we will get it. Unless BR says get this and take the money out of the transfer budget.
12 Jul 2025 08:57:32
We have millions of profit left over from last season and we probably had to pay tax on it. Surely that money would have been better spent on something like this, rather than wasted on tax?
12 Jul 2025 11:43:19
Needs to fire those balls harder though ?.