A Manchester virtual-reality company that makes football training drills in a headset, used by professional clubs and available to ordinary players at home.
Rezzil makes virtual reality (VR) training for footballers. A player puts on a headset and does drills that test things like first touch, looking around the pitch before receiving the ball, passing, heading and awareness under pressure. The company describes its product as "a collection of virtual drills designed to analyse, educate and improve professional sportspeople". There is a version for people at home, using a headset and hand controllers, and a professional version with foot sensors that gives coaches, scouts and managers live data. The software can also recreate match situations from Premier League match data, so a player can see a moment from the point of view of someone on the pitch.
Rezzil was founded in 2017 by Andy Etches, who is also its sports director, together with friends Adam Dickinson and Gareth Thatcher. Its stated aim, in a trade-magazine interview, is to give the world's best teams "that extra edge". Drills are designed with input from qualified coaches and athletes, rather than only by software developers. We found no longer values statement, so we have not made one up. Manchester United was reported as the first professional club to use it, and Manchester City, Arsenal, Nottingham Forest and Wolverhampton Wanderers have also been named as users, along with academies and teams in other sports.
Rezzil is based in Manchester. A magazine visit described its offices as downstairs in a part of the city centre, and a regional business site describes it as a Manchester VR developer. The Premier League signed a four-year partnership with the company and was reported to hold a stake in the business. A Premier League VR game was reported as in development at that time, though the date of that report is unclear, so check the current position. Manchester has a large game-development and digital scene, which makes it a natural base for a company that mixes sport, software and 3D graphics.
The articles we read do not say much about daily working life, so we cannot describe the culture in detail. What they do show is a company that mixes sport and technology: its founder is a sports director, its drills are written with coaches, and it works directly with club academies and first-team squads. People who enjoy both football and video games are likely to find the subject matter appealing. That is our reading of the sources, not a statement by the company.
The jobs at a VR company include game and 3D developers, who build the drills and the virtual stadiums, designers who plan how a drill feels, and engineers who connect headsets and foot sensors. Sports scientists and coaches work out what each drill should train. Account managers and sales staff work with clubs and leagues, and operations staff keep the business running. Computing, games design, maths and sport science are common starting points. The company's website is the best place to see what it is looking for now.
Website: rezzil.com
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