The PGA European Tour, has partnered with Xirrus to supply fans with high-performance Wi-Fi access during its events. Fans will be able to access wireless-powered streaming video, apps and interactive content, creating a home entertainment experience on the course.
It is becoming increasingly more important for pro sports around the world to feed the fan’s technological needs at events. Venues are facing some tough competition from digitally connected homes and Wi-Fi connected living rooms. Fans are increasingly opting to stay home – where their viewing experience is better and cheaper – rather than attending sports events in person and pay for admission. Thus, more venues are turning to Wi-Fi to enhance the fan experience and replicate the at-home ability of fans to watch video content seamlessly, use engaging apps, visit social media sites and share their experiences via Snapchat, Instagram, and other picture sharing platforms.
This is where Xirrus, the leader in high-performance wireless networks, comes in to play for sports venues. Xirrus has partnered with the PGA European Tour to provide fans there with reliable Wi-Fi at its golfing events.
The first phase of this partnership involved the deployment of Xirrus Wireless Arrays for the BMW PGA Championship in May. These Xirrus Wireless Arrays are the first modular Wi-Fi products of their kind that feature upgradability, high scalability, and the ability to consistently serve large crowds at an economic price. The arrays covered the 2,000 seat grandstand as well as the PGA Village and hospitality sections of the course. They provided the fans with access to a wide array of wireless internet options such as on-demand video and digital content to improve their event experience.
Graham Gifford, ICT Director at PGA European Tour, explained the overall importance of Wi-Fi access for fans: “Wireless is playing a fundamental role in helping us entice fans away from watching golf on their TV screens at home, to get out and enjoy the live event itself. The delivery of high-performance Wi-Fi from Xirrus allows us to provide spectators with a home entertainment type experience on the golf course, enabling them to enjoy video and interactive content, visit online communities and share their experiences with friends on social media.”
Gifford also talks about the many different digital features that the PGA European tour can offer spectators with a strong WiFi network: “Our service includes live streaming of tournament highlights to user’s devices and we even have a player tracker app so visitors can navigate the course and follow their favorite players throughout the day. We can also capture users’ preferences, redirect them to chosen content and tailor other promotional services to provide them with a more personal view of the tournament.”
Gifford chose to partner with Xirrus because the European Tour environment has very specific requirements that require the rapid construction and deconstruction on week-on-week basis of the network system. Xirrus was able to install and uninstall their WiFi network in just a few days. Which was much faster than competing WiFi companies.
The European Tour used the Xirrus Management System to provide full monitoring and management of the network, which provided a deep knowledge of user data, such as identifying which locations at the venue experienced higher traffic and tracking typical visitor behavior. This enables Gifford and his staff to learn from this fan behavior and improve the next event.
Overall, the PGA European Tour’s investment in the Xirrus WiFi systems demonstrates the growing need for sports leagues and organizations to address the need to make sure that all of the technological amenities that fans have grown accustom to at home are at the event.