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How It Works - Time Capture Timestamps

· 3 min read
Nick Eggleton

The v1.63 update added timestamps to the Match Transactions endpoint, the start of the roll out of 'Time Capture' across the AFL API. Once we're finished, time capture timestamps will be available on the following Match endpoints:

  • Chains (chain start and end times)
  • Entries (time of Inside 50)
  • Rotations (current stint start time)
  • Shots (time of shot taken)
  • Statistics Flow (stat occurrence time)
  • Stoppages (time stoppage was started, hitout and cleared)

Time Capture aligns events to a specific frame of vision and is more precise and accurate than the existing period seconds. This has multiple benefits, from accurate metric calculation to tying events to match vision.

Before you start integrating this data into your operations, here's a few important items to note.

The 'capturedTimestamp' attribute​

Every timestamp is accompanied by whether it is a 'captured' timestamp.

When this value is TRUE, the timestamp is from time capture and can be reliably used as the time of the actual event.

When this value is FALSE, the timestamp is an estimation. It is generated by adding the Period Seconds the transaction was recorded against to the Period Start Time. These estimations are provided to give every transaction a timeframe so when the transaction set is ordered by timestamp, these transactions aren't placed at the top/bottom of the list.

Example​

The Premiership 2025 Grand Final (Id 127270401) first quarter started at 27/09/2025 4:31:38 AM UTC time. A transaction that was recorded at 30 Period Seconds and doesn't have a time capture timestamp returns an estimated timestamp of 27/09/2025 4:32:08 AM, being 30 seconds on from the start of the quarter.

Live Matches​

Time Capture timestamps are generated live during matches, but do fall behind the match by up to 5 minutes. This is generally caught up during quarter breaks and always caught up at half time. While a transaction is waiting on its time capture timestamp, its 'capturedTimestamp' value will be FALSE.

Season Support and Data Review​

Time Capture data is only available for AFL Men's. AFL Premiership 2024 and onwards is currently available via the API. We intend to support earlier seasons in the API in due course.

We are also continuing to review transactions that lack time captured timestamps to identify and fill in any gaps. Some transactions may not get accurate timestamps because the vision recorded obscures the event and as such an estimate may be used.