INNOVATION AWARD
Crystal Palace FC
Crystal Palace Football Club announced a groundbreaking partnership with GiveVision and Shared Access, becoming the first club in English football history to adopt state-of-the-art technology that enables visually impaired supporters to watch a game live from anywhere in the stadium.
DFL Bundesliga In-Match Analysis: Next Level of Automated Data-Driven-Storytelling
The Deutsche Fußball Liga (DFL) proudly presents the “Bundesliga In-Match Analysis,” a pioneering technology designed to transform live football broadcasting. This state-of-the-art system automates the creation and delivery of video clips enriched with real-time data and analytics during Bundesliga matches. By leveraging advanced machine learning algorithms, it identifies key moments in the game, enhancing them with detailed statistics and dynamic graphics. This automation facilitates the immediate dissemination of engaging content to fans worldwide, directly during live broadcasts.
The “Bundesliga In-Match Analysis” significantly reduces manual efforts and operational costs traditionally associated with producing enriched sports content. It streamlines production workflows, ensuring that content is delivered more quickly and with greater accuracy than ever before. For fans, this means deeper insights into the game’s dynamics and an enriched viewing experience that brings them closer to the action.
This innovative solution not only meets the rising demand for interactive and data-driven sports content but also strengthens the global appeal of Bundesliga broadcasts, reinforcing Bundesliga’s position as a leader in sports innovation. The system’s seamless integration and scalability demonstrate DFL’s commitment to enhancing sports media production and consumption, ensuring the Bundesliga remains at the forefront of digital sports broadcasting.
kitround’s Declutter & Do Good campaign with Visa
kitround is an innovative marketplace platform dedicated to the reuse and redistribution of sports kit, addressing both sustainability challenges and financial barriers to participation in sport. Launched in June 2024, kitround collaborates with sports governing bodies, clubs, charities, schools, brands, and grassroots organisations to ensure sports kit remains in circulation rather than being discarded.
In partnership with Visa, kitround introduced the “Declutter & Do Good” campaign to promote sustainability and equity in sport through the recommerce of sports kit. This initiative successfully engaged communities, selling pregamed sports gear and raising substantial funds for grassroots sports. The campaign leveraged Visa’s sponsorship of football and other sports to demonstrate its impact at the grassroots level while highlighting sport’s role in sustainable and inclusive practices.
The campaign exceeded expectations, collecting over 7,000 pieces of kit and surpassing donation targets by 120%. It generated over 30 million impressions, 35,000 clicks, and raised significant funds, with Visa committing £1 per item purchased, up to £20,000. Influential figures such as Fran Kirby and Adam Peaty amplified the campaign’s reach, setting a new standard for sustainability in sport and reinforcing the potential of recommerce to drive positive environmental and social
London Stadium Roof Solar Membrane Project
London Stadium is known as one of the world’s best multi-use venues, built for the London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games, transformed into the home of West Ham United and a history of hosting sports and arts events.
Sustainability was at the heart of the Olympic promise from London 2012 and remains a core strategic pillar of all activity at the venue. The Mayor of London has an ambitious sustainability and environmental agenda and has highlighted London Stadium as the flagship investment project as part of his 2030 Net Carbon Zero vision.
The Solar Membrane Project was the first to receive funding from the Mayor’s Green Finance Fund, helping public sector bodies decarbonise and accelerate London’s transition to Net Zero. The £4.35 million project will enable the Stadium to save more than 200 tonnes of carbon emissions a year and generate enough to power all the venue’s major events, and 10% of its annual electricity use.
The initiative is first of its kind in the UK, and the largest solar array on any Premier League venue. The installation will be completed by summer 2025 and drive a reduction of over 850,000-kWh per annum, a saving of 10% on electricity costs.
Manchester City’s ‘The Ladder’ on Fortnite Creative
Man City’s ‘The Ladder’ on Fortnite Creative
Man City’s ‘The Ladder’ is a world football-first gaming experience on Fortnite Creative, within globally renowned game platform Fortnite. Fortnite is a platform with >200m MAU, with >60% of players aged between 18-24. The experience is an extension of Man City’s aim to deliver best-in-class experiences for fans both in-person and digitally. Core to this fan engagement strategy is the implementation of innovative digital-first initiatives that seek to engage Gen Alpha and Gen Z audiences globally.
Man City’s ‘The Ladder’ is a 1v1 map that is inspired by Man City’s ‘glyphs’, a series of symbols which represent a collection of recognisable icons within the City brand. Gamers immerse themselves in a Man City world with 11 themed arenas such as the ‘blue moon’ level, inspired by the famous City anthem, and the ‘bee’ level, taking inspiration from the iconic Manchester worker-bee.
This innovative experience received wide public acclaim including highly-viewed and engaged social coverage, and was selected to feature on Epic Games’ ‘Epic Picks’ tab, highlighting the best experiences on the Fortnite Creative platform. The map saw 100,000s of plays and a deep level of engagement, showcased by a high average play time.
Revolutionizing Football: The DFL’s 10K 3D 360° Mixed-Reality Supercup Experience
The Deutsche Fußball Liga (DFL) introduces “Revolutionizing Football: The DFL’s 10K 3D Mixed-Reality Supercup Experience,” marking a milestone in live sports broadcasting. This innovative project was executed in partnership with Softseed during the 2024 Supercup, featuring the world’s first live football broadcast in 10K resolution combined with 3D mixed reality, delivered through Apple Vision Pro headsets.
Designed to cater to the evolving demands of a tech-savvy audience, this initiative integrated ultra-high-definition visuals with immersive three-dimensional depth and 360-degree views, offering fans an unparalleled virtual in-stadium experience. Advanced HEVC compression technology was employed to manage massive data volumes at 1TB per minute, while keeping latency remarkably low at just 35 seconds.
The initiative’s success was confirmed by the exceptional feedback from over 120 guests at BayArena, who experienced this immersive technology firsthand. Their reactions emphasized the superior clarity, depth, and immersive quality of the broadcast, significantly enhancing the viewer experience.
“Revolutionizing Football” not only redefines sports broadcasting standards but also reinforces DFL’s leadership in sports technology innovation, paving the way for further advancements and global expansion in how viewers engage with live sports.
Serie A & Hawk-Eye Revolutionising Officiating with SAOT
Lega Serie A has been a pioneer in adopting innovative technologies to assist referees and improve the quality of football in Italy’s top flight.
To reach its objective of increasing officiating accuracy, Serie A – alongside longstanding partner, Hawk-Eye Innovations – chose the most innovative officiating technologies, paving the way for wider adoption by other governing bodies in Europe.
From the adoption of Goal Line Technology (GLT) in 2015, to VAR in 2017, and all the way to the first full season of Semi-Automated Offside (SAOT) during the 2023/24 season, the partnership between Serie A and Hawk-Eye represents a commitment to positioning the league at the forefront of technological innovation.
The launch of the Iliad International Broadcasting Centre (Lega IBC) in Lissone, in September 2021 accelerated Serie A’s targets of seamlessly integrating advanced officiating technologies in an efficient and sustainable manner. Remote operations from the Lega IBC eliminated logistical complexity and helped in operational cost savings.
Serie A and Hawk-Eye have shifted the status quo when it comes to implementing technology in football. The introduction of SAOT has resulted in 100% accurate offside calls during the 2023/24 season, reducing delays and providing fans with clarity through virtual replays.
Unsilence The Crowd by Sela and Newcastle United
What is it like to experience a live football game if you can’t hear? Sela, sponsors of Newcastle United and specialists in live experiences, recognised an opportunity to help a fan demographic too often overlooked – the Deaf community. Using cutting-edge technology, we developed a world-first: a replica NUFC shirt woven with intelligent sensors that translated the ebbs and flows of crowd noise into a complex “physical language” of waves and tingles. Deaf fans called it “transformative”. The technology has been used in two major football tournaments and is forging a lasting legacy for millions of fans around the world.
Unsilence The Crowd by Sela and Newcastle United
What is it like to experience a live football game if you can’t hear? Sela, sponsors of Newcastle United and specialists in live experiences, recognised an opportunity to help a fan demographic too often overlooked – the Deaf community. Using cutting-edge technology, we developed a world-first: a replica NUFC shirt woven with intelligent sensors that translated the ebbs and flows of crowd noise into a complex “physical language” of waves and tingles. Deaf fans called it “transformative”. The technology has been used in two major football tournaments and is forging a lasting legacy for millions of fans around the world.
