Guest post: Duane Roft is the founder of teamtrackr, who make fan engagement apps for sports teams, organisations and sponsors.

On Wednesday the 8^th May the football world rocked at news of the retirement of Sir Alex Ferguson – one of it’s longest-standing and most recognizable and successful characters.

On the same day the blue half of Manchester released their own news that could have an even greater impact on the game; that they were installing high density Wi-Fi at the Etihad, effectively turning it into the “Premier League’s most technologically fan-friendly stadium.”

While other clubs (most notably Liverpool) have begun trialing solutions of their own connected stadia, Man City are unleashing the big guns with Cisco’s Connected Stadium Wifi and StadiumVision Mobile.  Capable of delivering live video and other event information direct to mobiles, Man City are promising one of the most “immersive, video rich experiences in sports” and will effectively turn fans’ mobiles into a second screen for live games.

The potential for this type of technology is huge, and it’s clearly a direction that a lot of clubs are heading in and many more will head in.  With ticket prices continuing to rise, the pressure is always on to improve the fan experience and open up opportunities to drive further revenue, and mobile presents huge opportunities in both of these areas.

But mobile also changes our behavior, which could potentially lead to a negative impact on the atmosphere at games.  When was the last time you sat through a TV programme without checking your phone 57 times to see what film that actor was in or if anything was happening on Twitter, just because you could?

It’s no different socially either, with measures like “phone stacking” having to be employed so that we can actually focus on real-life communication rather than the mystery and potential of a new email, Tweet or text.

Live Events

Using technology at live events could be great, but there is a fine line between engagement and distraction and complimenting the matchday experience and fragmenting it.  The Brooklyn Nets basketball team (cited in the press release as currently utilizing this technology) play a sport known for its stop/start nature; there are regular time-outs and breaks in play that a fan could take advantage of to maximize the impact of the technology.

One of the great things about football is that there’s a collective of people with their attention on the game, willing their team to victory.  It’s like being part of an organic mass that reacts to the action, encouraging and motivating the players; feeling like their support makes a difference.

By providing opportunities that distract from being part of this collective, is there a danger of creating a fragmented fanbase, leading to a loss of atmosphere for all in attendance?  If people are Tweeting during the game or looking for other fans to chat to does that mean they are fully invested in the match day experience and want to share it or does it mean that they are looking for a distraction?

It’s a concern that Mark Bradley of the Fan Experience Company also has.  “It’s a sign of the changing times.  The nature of fans is changing – especially younger generations who have a bigger need to interact – and there’s a danger that if we go too far down the line it could finish off the traditional atmosphere of a game.”

Bradley believes that Barcelona illustrate the perfect example of a club who’ve gone from a hardcore “tribe” of fans to everyone holding up their smartphones during games.  “Our research always pinpoints ‘atmosphere’ as a big driver of fan engagement, so clubs would need to get the balance right. Otherwise we may damage one of the core elements of the UK football experience.”

It’s unclear exactly what Man City will do with the technology, but as a club who have such a strong and authentic relationship online with their fans you can bet that they’ll be looking to be as interactive as possible.  Even a cynic like me can see the value of goal replays from multiple angles in the dead time after someone scores, but a “live” video stream of alternative angles during the game feels like a step too far.

Datatainment

The biggest opportunities to engage will be through the “dynamic data channel”, with “stats, trivia contests and multi-player games” cited as potential possibilities.  Stats – or “datatainment” as termed by City’s digital savant Richard Ayers – is already something that the club have been focusing on, opening up player stats data publicly at the start of last season, so it seems reasonable to assume that there will be an emphasis on that.

Personally, I’m a huge fan of stats, but this raises an interesting point about their relevance in real-time at live events.  At what point are we expected to stop watching the game to check them?

The key to success is through simplified processes and genuine engagement, and it’s exciting to see what other features will emerge.  The opportunities to add to the pre-game experience both in the stadium and at City Square, the club’s fanzone area, and at half-time are huge, without infringing on the distraction debate.

Giving the fans more of a voice by allowing them to rate player performances or vote for their man of the match in real time will be an exciting evolution to the experience, as will curating user-generated content for use on the web and beyond, potentially creating a virtual stadium for fans not at the game and the huge international audience.

Commercially, the US currently leads the way in at-event opportunities, with apps allowing seat upgrades and the ability to order food from your seat widely available already.  Keeping all of this functionality in one place and providing a seamless customer experience is key, but it still feels like a fragmented landscape that nobody has really cracked yet.

Whatever City come up with one thing is for sure; the engagement/distraction line will move significantly in the next few years as technology improves and the cost to implement it reduces.  The key, Bradley notes, is to listen to what your fans want.  “If you can understand what motivates different fan groups you can find ways to satisfy them all.”

City are a club that get digital and if anyone will come out with an offering with the genuine intent of improving their fans’ experience then it is them.  But even they can’t predict what impact this technology will have on the overall matchday atmosphere, and it will be interesting to see on which side of the line this lands and how it evolves.