After the success of its inaugural hackathon last summer, English Premier League club Manchester City is back for round two from Feb. 10-12 at Etihad Stadium, it was announced Tuesday.
Participants of #HackManCity, which will include programmers, designers, researchers, social strategists, marketers and others, will be charged with unlocking innovative digital fan engagement ideas and new methods to connect City fans from around the globe.
Through version 2.0, Manchester City will collaborate for the first time with Google, which will provide judges, participants and prizes. Like 2016, this year’s hackathon will also include support from local strategic design agency Play.
“From our first hackathon to our co-created website, among many other activities, we’ve witnessed first-hand that great ideas can come from anywhere,” Diego Gigliani, Senior Vice President for Media and Innovation at City Football Group, said in a statement. “By engaging in open conversation with a diverse and passionate community, we’ve been able to uncover new paths to explore together.
“We hope to replicate this again during our second hackathon — by engaging with our community and coming up with creative ways to employ new technologies or digital means that create a sense of belonging among our global fan base.”
Get The Latest Soccer Tech News In Your Inbox!
Successful applicants will be able to follow two separate tracks, including the Cityzen Hack for more experienced individuals and the Academy for those students and professionals who aren’t too familiar with hackathons and are looking to improve their analytical and marketing skills.
Paul Robinson, one of the winners from Manchester City’s first hackathon, said that the experience last summer was “remarkable.”
“I’ve attended many hack days and consider this to be one of the best I’ve been to,” he said in a statement. “Coupled with an incredibly interesting brief and access to resources that are near impossible to get access to in any other context, I’ll remember the weekend for a long time to come. The talent of others competing was exceptional and the quality of the ideas produced over the two days were top-notch.”
Registration for February’s event is currently open for anyone over the age of 18.