ABSTRACT

For some years the use of Wi-Fi in sports stadiums has been considered a utility in the US. In the same way electricity and water are considered essential to staging a live event, so too is the use of an Internet connection for fans to share images, videos and emotions. In 2014, fans of PSV Eindhoven famously protested against the use of Wi-Fi in the Philips Stadium, just a week after Manchester United banned fans from taking iPads into Old Trafford. The fan-facing reasons for a networked stadium are clear. In February 2014 Datacoup launched their service to great fanfare, proposing that individuals 'unlock the value of the personal data' and using their platform to enable Datacoup to sell their personal data and give them a percentage of the proceeds. It's clear that augmented reality and virtual reality are only going to play an ever-increasing role in our world so they do have the potential to reinvent the fan experience.