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English Premier League football club Southampton has teamed up with owner Sport Republic and Yolo Group to launch The Future of Football, which aims to find and support innovative sports technology startups.
The challenge has been opened up to companies to test their ideas for updated football experiences in either football development or fan engagement. Southampton will offer a four-week virtual programme, powered by Sport Republic and Yolo Group, to create opportunities and break away from “conventional methods”.
The Future of Football will welcome startups with a focus on Web3 technology. Selected teams will rapidly test and pilot their solutions, take part in tailored workshops, and have regular and direct access to decision-makers at the club, Sport Republic, and Yolo Group, which operates Southampton’s main sponsor Sportsbet.io and will serve as the managing partner of the challenge.
A finale will be held at Southampton’s St. Mary’s stadium, where teams will pitch for a commercial relationship with the club and a £100,000 (€113,000/$120,000) discretionary prize pool for post-programme solution development.
Wireless services provider Cellnex Telecom has agreed a deal with Spanish LaLiga club Real Betis to install a distributed antenna system at the Benito Villamarín Stadium.
The infrastructure will allow all fans at the stadium to have optimal mobile coverage. Real Betis and Cellnex have tested a disruptive service that improves the fan experience at the venue, turning it into a ‘smart stadium’.
Cellnex has also worked with Synamedia to deploy and test an application that provides fans with a “unique” experience through their mobile phone. The application features real-time video streaming with eight cameras that provide fans with a complementary audiovisual experience while watching the match.
The application also includes replay functionality, which integrates metadata to make it easier for users to see highlights and check line-ups and statistics. Additionally, the application will enhance the experience for fans with disabilities, with features to include a channel with audio description.
Sports Entertainment Network has this week launched its SEN Stadium feature at the Sydney Cricket Ground to provide fans with a live commentary listening experience while at the venue.
The in-stadium app feature seeks to overcome traditional transmission delays to broadcast at the SCG with zero latency. The app has already launched at several venues across Australia, including the Melbourne Cricket Ground, Marvel Stadium and Optus Stadium.
SEN Stadium has launched at the SCG as the venue hosts the third Test between Australia and South Africa.
German technology company Sporttotal has agreed a development deal with Global Sports Platforms to establish a US-based entity, Staidium.
The entity will serve as the base for Sporttotal’s business operations in the US, with GSP’s David Cochran and Kevin McLaughlin to be responsible for establishing Staidium’s business infrastructure in the country.
As part of the agreement, Sporttotal’s self-developed and fully automated camera will be installed in numerous ice arenas, basketball and volleyball venues, American football and soccer stadiums, as well as racquet sports venues. Staidium’s services will be available via tailor-made subscriptions to its customers.
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