Celticlive Adds To Stadium Wi-fi Debate

Stadium wi-fi is currently a hot new area for investment and debate. By overcoming the long-standing problem of connectivity black-spots that most large stadia suffer from, wi-fi could open doors to multiple possibilities – including enhanced fan engagement and communication – not only for fans, but also for sponsors, rights holders and partners.

As more UK stadia get connected, we look at one of the first full-scale installations to go live: Sports Revolution’s project with Celtic FC, CelticLIVE.

In 2013, Sports Revolution, in collaboration with Cisco Systems, brought hi-density wi-fi capacity to Celtic Football Club’s 60,832-seat Celtic Park.

This was the first hi-density network to be installed in the UK that provides wi-fi access across an entire sports stadium, including the corporate facilities, concourses and stadium bowl seats.

In a fully integrated model, Sports Revolution combined the wi-fi network with a mobile fan app to create an engagement platform called ‘CelticLIVE’.  The app, built on Sports Revolution’s StadiumLive platform, allows fans to view and interact with a range of club content, specifically designed to enhance the matchday experience at Celtic Park.

The app was launched to coincide with Celtic’s Champion’s League home tie against Ajax in the 2013/14 season. The app was downloaded 15,000 times at launch, and has now reached a total of 44,983 downloads. Some 72,415 videos have been played through the app, with 19,733 shares of the app’s content on social media; Twitter alone has accounted for a reach of 4.6m via the CelticLIVE hashtag.

The reliability and comprehensive access to the wi-fi network at Celtic Park has seen over 136,000 fans register to use it since installation. On any matchday, an average of 20% of fans in attendance are logged on – around 10,000 users – according to Sports Revolution.

CelticLive is a ‘second screen’ companion – it works like an interactive matchday programme, containing video highlights, interviews, player trivia and live stats. Content for CelticLive is generated live during the game by a dedicated team based at the stadium.

The network was also used during the opening ceremony of this summer’s Commonwealth Games at Celtic Park – representing one of the first times a major UK stadium has been equipped with wi-fi for an international event of this magnitude. Fans using the network were able to enhance and share their experience through an open portal, allowing access to social networks.