English Football League soccer team Bury FC has signed a new partnership in an attempt to make the Energy Check Stadium at Gigg Lane the first cashless soccer stadium in the U.K.
The deal with Tappit, a provider of a cashless payment technology, will see fans use a prepaid card which will enable them to pay for various match day items like food and drinks by tapping a card at payment kiosks. The idea behind the partnership is to cut down on queuing time for fans when trying to purchase products at Gigg Lane. The prepaid card will also be Bury-branded and fans can top up their cards at four different areas of the stadium, including the club’s official team shop.
Tappit has been implemented at a number of sporting events in the last few years including the Dubai Rugby 7s event, held in the United Arab Emirates (UAE). The company has partnered with the rugby tournament since 2014 and has offered its cashless payment technology to over 100,000 fans each year when buying food or drinks.
Most recently the firm has also worked with financial organisation HSBC regarding another Rugby 7s tournament in Hong Kong this year. Wristbands, for HSBC’s customers were preloaded with money and given out to the first 500 customers to buy food and drinks at a fan zone.
Tappit was already Bury FC’s away shirt sponsor when this latest partnership was announced.
In a statement, Bury FC Commercial Director, Matt Caren, said: “Offering our fans the chance to go cashless at Gigg Lane is such a positive move for us. It also helps us find out more about the behaviours of our supporters and learn how best we can communicate with our fans moving forward.”
Rob Groombridge, Tappit CEO, in the same statement said: “When we first spoke to Bury about sponsoring the club, we discussed taking the stadium cashless and were delighted to find the club is so keen to embrace new technology. This is the first step in Bury’s journey to becoming the UK’s first cashless stadium, leading the way in payment innovation within football.”