Brighton & Hove Albion Fans To Receive Free Wi-Fi At The Amex Stadium
The Cloud is to power a free Wi-Fi network at Brighton & Hove Albion, improving connectivity for fans and boosting commercial opportunities for the club
Fans of Brighton & Hove Albion will be able to access free Wi-Fi during home matches at the club’s Amex Community Stadium after the club agreed a deal with hotspot provider The Cloud.
The network will be powered by Ruckus Smart Wi-Fi and coverage will extend across the bars, concourses, press areas and stands of the stadium, which opened in 2011 following a lengthy planning and construction process.
Club officials hope the arrival of Wi-Fi will make it easier for fans to access the web to find out scores from around the country, use social media to post comments and pictures and to access the new official Brighton & Hove Albion mobile application.
Brighton Wi-Fi
This, they say, will improve the matchday experience as fans won’t suffer from poor cellular signal, bringing more people through the turnstiles and unlocking a wealth of commercial opportunities.
“Our fans want to get online– everything from catching up on scores to uploading videos from the stands. The ability to get online has become a big part of match day,” explains Brighton chief executive Paul Barber. “For us, mobile is a great way of bringing the fans closer to the action and there’s an opportunity to expand on that in the future with competitions, games or other interactive tools. Having fast, free internet across the ground is key to engaging with fans.”
The deal was brokered through a sponsorship agreement with SkyBet, which also sponsors the Football League, and is owned by BskyB – the same parent company of the Cloud, which has nine million customers.
“We know that football fans love to get online when they are in or near the stadium – to get the latest sports updates or share their own pictures and comment,” says Vince Russell, managing director of The Cloud. “It’s also a great way to bring the club closer to its customers and fans – giving them more customer insight and allowing more efficient targeting of commercial opportunities like merchandising, food and beverage.”
Earlier this year, EE promised to make Wembley the “world’s most connected stadium” as part of a naming rights deal that will also see mobile ticketing, 4G coverage and Wi-Fi connectivity improved at the home of English football.
