Who will be the ball kids on Puskas Arena! » Technological innovation of the Hungarians at the Champions League final
Article by Daniel Scorpie – Published Saturday, 30 May 2026, 11:51 / Updated Saturday, 30 May 2026 11:54
The PSG-Arsenal final for the most precious continental interclub trophy will bring a first in communication technology. The ball kids on the sidelines are directed into the tumult of the stadium with a sign language signaling system developed in collaboration with researchers at the Győr institution.
Hearing-impaired youngsters will be tasked with retrieving balls at Puskás Arena today during the Champions League final, Nemzeti Sport daily revealed.
According to a press release from Széchenyi István University, “it also took a technological innovation to provide this opportunity to the students of the Ezüstcipő Football Foundationwhose activity will be assisted by a special signaling system, developed in collaboration with researchers from the institution in Győr”.
“Look At Me” and youth sign language apply amid the noise of 60,000 fans
It allows quick, accurate and safe execution of tasks throughout the match. The idea of the application is called “Look At Me”, being developed by László Fekete Jr., the founder of the Ezüstcipő Football Foundation. Széchenyi István University collaborated on the further development of the solution together with OX-IT Kft.
Hearing-impaired kids will be ball kids at the Champions League final in Budapest
“The sign language used by young people can be applied even amidst the noise of a crowd of 60,000 fans. If the operator has something to say to one or all of the ball kids, it will send a signal via a phone app, which alerts recipients via the vibrating bracelet on it.
The solution enables fast and efficient communication and significantly facilitates the performance of tasks for the hearing impaired that retrieve the balloons and quickly make them available to the players,” the Hungarian researchers' report states.
“In order for UEFA to accept our radio communication solution, a measurement of interference emissions was required”
László Fekete Jr., founder in 2017 of the football school for hearing-impaired children, says he realized during the first training sessions that when he was not in the field of vision of the players, he could not communicate with them.
So he started thinking about how he could give his students advice and instruction while they played. This is how the idea of the signaling system was born.
Hearing-impaired kids will be ball kids at the Champions League final in Budapest
“In order for UEFA to accept our radio communication solution, a standard measurement of interference emissions was required and its detailed documentation in English, which was also prepared by the University of Győr,” said the president of the football school.
Director of the Center for Cooperation in Higher Education and Industry of Széchenyi University, István Drotár, added: “We are particularly pleased that, thanks to this innovation, children can participate in one of the world's most important sporting events and show the whole world that modern technology can greatly contribute to equal opportunities.”
