Our 2013 NFL Tech Series provides a quick hit of tech insight on all 32 NFL teams up until kickoff of Week 1 of the regular season. Each feature includes the latest tech advances implemented by the organization in the effort to advance the team’s success… in a wide variety of venues.
Stadium experience, fan engagement, mobile technologies, player performance and health, statistical data gathering and analysis… any and all aspects of the organization’s procedures in the effort to find success in the NFL is on the table. We’re uncovering those efforts, investigating those innovations and pondering the benefit they might provide, for the team, players and fans alike… today and looking forward.
Chip Suttles, VP of Technology for Seattle Seahawks and Sounders FC is in his second season with both teams. He has responsibility for IT, Digital, and Stadium Technology; here are few items that are on the horizon at CenturyLink Field this year.
Connectivity
Can you hear me now? That phrase is all too familiar to Seahawks fans watching from CenturyLink Field. In fact, cellular connectivity was one of the most popular issues voiced by fans in 2012. As a result, the team partnered this offseason with AT&T to build out a neutral-hosted Distributed Antenna Network (DAS). AT&T customers will notice an immediate improvement in connectivity while Verizon customers will have to wait until October. T-Mobile and Sprint customers will have access shortly thereafter, to be determined.
Of course, any discussion about connectivity must also include Wi-Fi and the team is excited about some ongoing improvements in this area. This offseason the team added 90 new access points to supplement existing coverage to the 112 suites and add new coverage to the club level. Fans in these areas can access via an open SSID network called, “Stadium PUBLIC”.
It was a bit surprising to learn that Wi-Fi is still not available to fans outside of the suite and club levels (although this can be expected given the complexity of the solution). However, the team has partnered with CenturyLink and is currently conducting a full Wi-Fi discovery right now, soliciting proposals from four vendors. They are hoping to have one selected by November that will facilitate a Wi-Fi roll out for the entire stadium in advance of the Seahawks’ 2014 season.
Digital Signage
In addition to connectivity improvements, the team has invested in digital signage. This involves installation of 400+ new monitors across CenturyLink Field concession stands and merchandise kiosks throughout the stadium running on a Harris Broadcasting Platform. The monitors will show food and beverage items, live game action and partner advertising.
Mobile App
Logging over 130,000 downloads in its inaugural year; the Seahawks’ mobile app is off to a good start. According to Suttles, in addition to the proposed Wi-Fi enhancements the team has added some new capabilities with the hopes of building upon that success:
- Opanga’s NetRover technology will be integrated into the team’s Android & iOS mobile app, which will provide fans with high definition mobile video playback with no buffering of content.
- SportStream’s SportsBase product will be added to both the iOS and Android versions of the team’s mobile app which will provide fans with high-quality social media streams from the most authoritative voices.
“The Seahawks are always looking to innovate – to bring the best possible experience to their fans. In our second season of partnership we’re expanding the range of features and devices supported available to Seahawks fans – like filtered social content delivered to the Seahawks app powered by our SportsBase platform. It’s great to have such a forward thinking partner at the top of the NFL in performance on and off the field.”
– Bob Morgan, SportStream CEO
The team will also be launching a version of its mobile app for the iPad.
NFL Initiatives
In support of an NFL initiative to make the in-stadium experience more valuable to fans, the Seahawks will utilize a muted hand-held camera to capture locker room footage to be intermixed with game production and shown on the in-stadium video boards.
In addition, the team will provide Wi-Fi in locker rooms for the NFL to run its emergency medical system (EMR) on Microsoft Tablets on game days (the league provides its own Wi-Fi access on the sidelines).
E-Commerce
The team recently announced a new partnership with Fanatics to launch a new online store. The online store offers fans more merchandise choices, state-of-the-art technology, seamless navigation and a quick checkout process.
Closed Captioning
The Seahawks have added full-time closed captioning by partnering with LNS, a Portland, Oregon-based company. Fans will see the captioning across the LED ring board within the stadium.