Our 2013 NFL Tech Series follows all 32 NFL teams up until kickoff on Week 1. Each feature includes the latest from each organization, spanning stadium wifi upgrades, mobile technology, fan engagement, and the tech used by players and coaches to gain an edge. Front office personnel and technology staff throughout the league provided an inside look at how each team plans on improving their franchise through hi-tech advancements. In this new age of technology in sports we are uncovering the many new innovations and strategies being used by teams and where the present and future of NFL technology lies. Now, we look at the Buffalo Bills and what technological advances they have in store for the 2013 season.
What comes to mind when picturing the Buffalo Bills? Jim Kelly? Four straight Super Bowl losses? How about a technologically advanced NFL stadium?
The Bills know that the first two come to mind for NFL fans, just usually not the latter. But with the help of Populous, a global sports architecture firm, the Bills organization will be spending $130 million to make significant improvements to Ralph Wilson Stadium over the next two seasons.
Populous Senior Architect, Kelly Kerns, is heading up the Ralph Wilson Stadium renovation and he was kind enough to join us and share his insights about the project and what kinds of new technologies the Bills will be using to improve the game-day experience and keep fans engaged during games and throughout the season.
One of the biggest challenges today for NFL teams is competing with the comforts of a fan’s home. It can be difficult for franchises to lure a fan away from their couch, big screen TV, NFL Red Zone access and strong WiFi connection. Not to mention the miserable Buffalo winter weather waiting for Bills fans once they step outside.
But Kelly believes that the new renovation will help to combat these issues of getting fans out of their homes and in to the stands. Kelly explains that the “little things” can matter the most to fans. “As part of the renovation in the stands we are introducing new points of sell systems so that you can use your debit card or credit card which most people are used to doing in modern venues today but currently Ralph Wilson stadium still uses cash only,” Kelly explained. “So will help increase the transaction time so not only will we have additional points of sell where you can get food or beverage but the transactions will be greatly increased. At the same time all new concession stands are going to be implemented throughout the stadium. So all of the existing stands will be renovated and then we are adding some too.”
Additionally, one of the main aspects of an NFL game that fans enjoy and can’t get at home is what Kelly calls the “communal feeling.” Kelly explains that the communal experience is of utmost importance and top priority in the renovation. “Right now the stadium is so tight the concourses are just really crammed there really is no communal space. So what we’ve done is open up the north and south entry plazas with rededicated stairs to help people get up and down the main concourse to the entry plaza. Then in the east end zone we are converting the existing administration building at the concourse level to a sports bar so that we get fans some communal spaces there. And then the largest space is the west end zone and the main entry plaza will have a new ticketing area and a new team store that’s open year round that fronts Abbott road. So that’ll be a really activated space that allows people to come up out of the concourse and enjoy that space.”
Kelly also discussed the many new televisions and video display boards that the Bills are putting around the stadium to better engage fans. “Integrated within the concourse we are introducing new IPTVs (Internet Protocol Televisions) throughout so that the Bills can have messaging control as each individual TV. There’s going to be new video boards in the west end zone that will be greatly increased in size. And then in the East end zone there is no video currently so the large advertising board that exists now is going to be converted to kind of a super-sized ribbon board. And then two large video boards will be installed over each corner tower. So that will have a big impact on the game day experience.”
While it may seem rather intuitive to include many interactive video displays around the stadium, there was a lot of planning that went in to the actual placement of the video display boards done by Populous and the Bills. Kelly says:
“The key element here is that this is an existing stadium. So there are some constraints about where we would introduce a technology and those video displays in a cost effective manner. And if you have a fixed roof stadium or even a retractable feature its easier to put a center hung display in a big arena like they did in Dallas. In an open air stadium obviously you don’t really want a center hung scoreboard. So what we did with the Bills is utilize the existing structure in the West end zone which currently is maybe two thirds video display. We are making a full bleed format so we can re-utilize the existing closure and structure so we can more cost effectively provide high-definition video in the west end zone. That impact will be pretty significant. In the east end zone because of the corner towers and the center structure that exists now we thought it would be a really interesting approach to add two separate video displays in the corners and then take advantage of existing structure in the center of the end zone to create something that is new and unique which is really kind of this super-sized ribbon board. So that way you’re really connected on both ends with the fans. Those boards are all relatively low. When you’re down in the lower bowl it’s going to be much more visible compared to some of the other NFL stadiums.”
Another way the renovation will enhance the game day experience for Bills fans is by improving the wireless infrastructure at the stadium. This will help deal with the increasing amount of stress being put on WiFi systems due to a growing number of second-screen devices being used by fans. This ability to provide every fan with a strong WiFi connection is something that Kelly understands needs to be done in every NFL stadium.
“That’s a problem that all the NFL teams are kind of wrestling with. The NFL is ahead of the other leagues in trying to develop solutions but they also have the largest challenge. Having WiFi available to all the various users within the stadium is a big challenge. We successfully did it in Kansas City for Sporting KC but that’s just under 20,000 fans. So the different problem with an NFL stadium is that you have 73,500 fans at Ralph Wilson stadium, it’s very different. The Bills have been really investigating best practices and what is being done and implemented around the league but they are working outside the project funding to have an outside provider install WiFi throughout the stadium and the intent is to have it installed concurrent with the IPTV and the new fiber backbone that we are putting in to the stadium so that both of those systems can be up and running for the 2014 system.
So what that means is that the DAS system will allow people to get connected on their smartphones or any cell phone. And then the WiFi system with the high density deployment is intended to allow fans to not only connect to the internet but also connect to certain streaming messages and apps that might only be available in the stadium. All that is really being developed and its new and exciting and continually evolving. And I think in the case of the Bills it’s setting an infrastructure in place so that they can react to emerging technologies.”
But even with all of these new additions to Ralph Wilson stadium that will improve the game day experience for fans, the Bills organization will ultimately be judged by one thing: winning. That is why it was important for Kelly and Populous to work with the Bills to improve the player experience as well. And in order to improve the player experience, the renovation focused on drastically improving player facilities. Kelly explains that, “Right now the player facilities are extremely worn and dated. The field tunnel will be improved and cleaned up.
Then on a day-to-day environment we looked at a lot of different improvements in terms of expanding the training facility to meet the business needs of the Bills and what impacted the players and what would help the Bills recruit some very valuable free agents. So what we focused on is expanding and renovating the existing weight room. It’s going to be about one third larger than it is now with an enhanced environment. Then greatly expanding the locker room, the personal lockers and the day to day facilities. Right now it’s a very cramped facility and player roster sizes have grown over the years so that was something that was really needed. We are introducing technology within the locker rooms to help with instant messaging between players and letting coaches better communicate with players. And the way players these days are used to being connected we integrated iPads in to the lockers too. And then lastly the dining nutrition center is being expanded and totally renovated with new serveries so that the players can get the best nutrition available in an atmosphere that is appropriate for an NFL team.”
Another way the Bills are using technology to improve player performance is by having the strength and condition staff monitor player exertion rates during training camp with individual GPS tracking devices from Catapult Sports. The devices capture useful data from each player such as acceleration, top speed, change of direction, total distance and more. The Bills head of Strength and Conditioning Eric Ciano explains that the primary goal of the Catapult devices is to prevent injury. “If he’s at four practices in a row, his player load is through the roof, his distance is really high, we may have to be careful with this player.
For us we want to be the link between the offensive and defensive coordinator and the special teams coach so that with guys everybody kind of knows what’s going on so that you’re not wearing them out, I’m not wearing them out, and then eventually he breaks. We kind of have a way to monitor those guys and know where everybody stands.”
With the GPS tracking devices the Bills can monitor a player more closely all season long and hopefully have a better chance of preventing an over-use injury. Additionally, one day the Bills are looking to build practices specifically around the gathered analytics and quantitative insights from the GPS devices
Overall, Bills fans should be very excited about the new renovation and the technologies that the Bills are using to improve the fan and player experience. The renovation being done to Ralph Wilson stadium will surely make going to Bills games one of the most fan friendly experiences around the league. Fans will have strong WiFi signals during games, a communal experience at the stadium which will hopefully trump the at-home experience of watching a game, and great new video display boards to improve the actual game action. Also, with upgraded training facilities and a growing knowledge of how to increase a players efficiency and health the players themselves will benefit and Buffalo will become a more appealing location for free agents. But most importantly, the Bills have set up their franchise to be able to grow as technology does, ensuring that they will have a better chance of meeting fan and player needs for years to come.