I am watching a TV broadcast from UEFA_Euro_2016. What surprises me is that I so a clearly hear the bouncing sound from the football when it is being kicked.
What techniques are used to record the audio from a football match?
Are there special requirements for the microphones that are specific for big sport events? Maybe they should be able to pick up weak sound that is almost drowned by a cheering supporter crowd.
The primary method of getting that "zoomed in" sound is using parabolic microphones. They are manually operated and usually carried by the operator listening just to the output of that microphone. The operator will isolate the specific player or object that they are to focus on.
Shotgun and other directional microphones are used to pick up more ambiance of the play while not picking up too much of the crowd. However, they aren't precise enough to capture a player's foot striking the ball.
Pressure zone microphones (PZM) are often placed on objects, like the goal, to capture the sound of the ball striking that object.
This article reviews mic'ing and mixing techniques for a few different sports, though not (non-US) football.
