It is getting cumulatively challenging for some us to look forward to weekends that have no football activity, especially the English Premier League (EPL). I know a number of local leagues going on at the moment but let’s admit that they are still far off from creating the enthusiasm and excitement that the EPL has managed to offer thanks to marketing strategies done right.
In a bid to keep fans interested with the great game of football (notice how I’m not calling it soccer), top-flight EPL club Tottenham Hotspur will launch a new £800m stadium sometime in 2018 that promises to beat any other club out there in terms of technological features.
The yet-to-be named stadium (White Hart Lane 2?) will have large video displays and LED signage to enhance indoor fan experience, mobile point of sale (POS) systems, click and collect food and beverage, an analytics platform and public Wi-Fi access. The idea of a POS system will offer better management of inventory and make fans happier because who doesn’t love a computerized point of sales that use NFC/QR/bar code scanners to make checkout faster?
An analytics platform learns about user behaviour, where, for instance, location data could be used to track football for targeted advertising.
Furthermore, the club has a SPSRS smartphone application that will allow fans to look around the city’s new stadium before its completion using virtual and augmented reality technology. What’s more, the app will allow access to a printable tracker image that is activated by augmented reality technology to ‘transport fans to the center of the pitch.’ Admittedly, the feature pack of the app is robust, with other additions such as a panoramic tour of the inner bowl of the stadium and access to a VR 360° view of select suites.
Spurs will install Aruba, Hewlett Packard Enterprise organization to implement most of the aforementioned networking solutions. Aruba will be augmented by HP’s Pointnext services to ensure that such solutions are futureproof.
It should be noted that Tottenham’s decision to create a technology infrastructure to boost fan experience goes in line with modern trends in sports. For instance, big data is going mainstream where matters such as fixture schedules are decided by algorithms and not people.
The fully-retractable venue will have a capacity of 61,559, the largest in London. Its ground will have a synthetic surface under the pitch that will be used for NFL American games, among other events.
