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Digital communications technology company Cisco has entered into a wide-ranging partnership with St. Louis City SC as the Major League Soccer franchise prepares for its debut season at the newly-built CityPark stadium.
As a technology partner of the club, Cisco will leverage its solutions across networking, security, Wi-Fi and digital signage to create an immersive match-day experience for fans.
Cisco will implement a fully converged network across the 31-acre stadium district, which also includes St. Louis City SC’s training centre, team headquarters and a two-story team store.
CityPark will leverage Wi-Fi 6, Cisco’s next-generation wireless standard, to deliver faster speeds, more bandwidth and higher reliability. CityPark will be one of only a handful of MLS-specific stadiums to deploy the technology.
Additionally, Cisco’s IPTV technology will be implemented at CityPark, with the 4K deployment to power screens across the stadium district.
Matt Sebek, St. Louis City SC’s chief experience officer, said: “As a next-generation venue with frictionless markets and mobile-first technologies at the forefront of CityPark’s engagement, an innovative fan experience is reliant on a robust and secure connectivity.
“Every piece of data flows through Cisco’s converged technology, allowing us to streamline IT operations and provide heightened experiences through elevated video distribution, point-of-sale devices, digital signage, real-time app engagement and so much more.”
Ken Martin, Cisco’s managing director of global sales for sports, media and entertainment, added: “CityPark is designed to be a one-of-a-kind sporting campus, with a world-class infrastructure that will allow it to serve as a platform for innovation for years to come.
“By partnering with Cisco, City SC is making a clear commitment to providing its fans, visitors, coaches and players an unparalleled and seamless experience across the entire district.”
The 22,500-capacity CityPark will host its first MLS game on March 4 when St. Louis City SC welcomes Charlotte FC. The stadium officially opened in November as City SC’s reserve team faced a team representing German Bundesliga club Bayer Leverkusen.
Earlier this month, St. Louis City SC unveiled a number of sustainability initiatives for CityPark, which will open as a zero-waste stadium.
CityPark was built at a cost of $485m (£401m/€455m). In October, the club announced that the venue would no longer be called Centene Stadium, with a new naming-rights sponsor now being sought.
Healthcare company Centene was unveiled as the stadium’s naming-rights sponsor in February 2022 as part of a 15-year deal, but since October the venue has been known as CityPark.
Following discussions with Centene, the club agreed to reshape its partnership with the company. The two parties will work together on community health and wellness initiatives promoting youth soccer and fitness.
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