In 2011 two of the oldest horse racing clubs in the world, the Australian Jockey Club and the Sydney Turf Club, merged together to form the Australian Turf Club (ATC) which prides itself on being one of the world’s most desirable destinations for thoroughbred racing. These two clubs have some of the richest traditions of any horse racing establishment. It would be easy for them to ignore technology and continue to maintain their standards of operation that have lead them to have long and successful histories. But to their credit the Australian Turf Club understands that fans of all sports today (no matter the traditions of the sport) around the world require reliable wireless access today. This is why they turned to Xirrus to install a wireless network to serve their 500,000 annual fans.
Xirrus is a leader in the wireless industry in installing networks that serve large crowds of smartphone-using fans. Rohan Sawyer, General Manager, Sponsorship at Australian Turf Club, explained this decision to install wifi and why it’s a necessity for today’s sports fans: “Today’s race-goers want to stay connected with their friends on social networks, make use of wagering, as well as communicate with the ATC during the race day. Central to enabling this seamless communication is high-quality Wi-Fi. By partnering with Xirrus, the established leader in the space, we’ll be able to enhance the overall visitor experience at our iconic racecourses.”
One intelligent feature of the Xirrus wireless network that is being used at the ATC is called Application Control. It optimizes the fan’s experience by prioritizing certain applications, as well as restricting the use of apps that require a lot of bandwidth. By using this Application Control, the ATC allows for a safe and simple app using experience for fans at all of its race tracks.
“Application control allows the ATC to monitor and control the type of traffic that flows through the wireless network, for instance we restrict bandwidth-hogging peer to peer traffic, which ensures that we can supply optimum bandwidth to our patrons for using key applications,” explained ATC’s IT Manager, Pablo Pelaez.
Overall, Xirrus installed 240 Wireless Arrays that took around ten weeks and enables thousands of smart mobile devices to be used concurrently throughout the racecourse precinct. So far the new wireless network has been tested on tablets and smartphones during the recent BMW Sydney Carnival. Fans were able to download up to date betting odds with speed and without the congestion usually experienced at other major events. Some of the most visited sites were social media platforms where visitors shared their experiences at the track.
“The greatest benefit has been to the club’s members and race goers, being able to access high speed, high quality Wi-Fi free of charge. Customer access to the internet is extremely important in our industry so this is a very positive step in adding to the overall race day experience,” commented Sawyer.
Check out this video with Rohan Sawyer further discussing the partnership between Xirrus and the Australian Turf Club: