Stadium for Bath, a project seeking to build a new community-focused facility for English Premiership rugby union club Bath, has appointed Mike Bohndiek to the new role of chief technology officer.
Bohndiek joins the project from Pragmatic Technological Insight, his recently formed organisation. He had previously spent three years at Premier League football club West Ham United.
Bohndiek has helped deliver large-scale technology services at 14 UK sports venues and oversaw West Ham’s move from Upton Park to the London Stadium. He will take up his new role at the start of January.
Bath Rugby chief executive Tarquin McDonald said: “It is our ambition to create something exceptional in the heart of Bath, and technology is a fundamental part of that. We live in a connected world and we need smart solutions to ensure that Stadium for Bath maximises the opportunities not just in terms of creating an amazing place to watch and enjoy rugby, but also in terms of wider social and community benefits.
“We want to ensure that every stage of the supporter, customer and community experience benefits from the best possible technological solutions. This includes the basics of supporters getting in touch to find friends and their ability to share and celebrate moments and memories at games, but also the times in between and travelling to/from games for example providing up to date travel information which can mitigate congestion in Bath and the impact on residents on match days.
“Technology provides the opportunity for interaction and benefits for supporters, customers, and the wider community not just on match days and we want to ensure we realise those benefits for everyone.”
McDonald added: “I’m absolutely delighted to welcome Mike to the team. He will play a vital role in helping to shape our technology infrastructure and strategy as we accelerate our efforts towards delivering a new Stadium for Bath.
“His deep understanding of sports technology and of the impact digitisation is having on our industry, coupled with his focus on customer and supporter experiences, will prove invaluable as we seek to harness the power of technology to make the new stadium exceptional for everyone.”
The Stadium for Bath project hopes to appoint a lead architect and design team early next year. The project is designed to increase the capacity of Bath’s Recreation Ground stadium, as well as revamp the west stand and north terrace.
The club currently leases the ground from the Recreation Ground Trust and hopes to increase the stadium’s capacity from 15,000 to 18,000 under the new plan.
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