Bolton Wanderers Undertake Digital Transformation With ADI
Bolton Wanderers has become the latest football club to invest in ADI’s technology and services, as the League One outfit look to transform The Toughsheet Community Stadium with multiple in-bowl digital platforms ahead of the 2023/24 season.
With an ambition to elevate the matchday experience for fans and drive more commercial revenue streams, Bolton Wanderers have opted for two new 26 square-metre superwide LED screens in the South East and North West corners, both featuring a 10mm screen resolution, as well as a 360 degree mid-tier LED ribbon and a four-sided camera-facing digiBOARD perimeter system.
Alongside the hardware, ADI will be responsible for delivering a fully remote matchday production service for Wanderers through a Live Venue Broadcast Fibre Network, which will remove the requirement for a broadcast studio to be built on site and enables the remote delivery of an immersive matchday programme, match after match.
Venue Transformation
The investment will transform the newly-branded Toughsheet Stadium into one of the most digitally advanced stadiums in League One and provides a huge canvas for the club to engage with fans and activate commercial partnerships.
Wanderers’ existing scoreboard will be replaced with two new 26 sqm landscape screens featuring an improved 10mm resolution. Along the high-level middle tier, 432 metres of LED ribbon will be installed, while a transformative four-sided LED perimeter system will be instated pitch side.
“We are delighted to be partnering with a leading digital brand within the sports industry, and this is the next step in our efforts to elevate our matchday experience for all those visiting the Toughsheet Community Stadium,” said, Neil Hart, CEO, Bolton Wanderers.
“Not only will this state-of-the-art technology improve the way in which supporters take in a Bolton Wanderers home game, this is a fantastic way for the club to generate additional revenue through the use of advertising in collaboration with our commercial partnerships.”
Remote Content Delivery
The content running to the screens will be managed remotely from ADI’s Lancashire-based production galleries by a dedicated team. Working closely with the club’s marketing and media departments, the service includes creation of dynamic club branded assets and ongoing production of matchday entertainment delivered via a progressive broadcast fibre network.
A huge benefit of multi-platform content management is that Total Stadium Takeover (TST) can be achieved across the in-bowl LED, which will revolutionise the club’s commercial offering. This essentially means that ADI’s Studios team will use an in-house CMS that offers the flexibility to deliver separate content across each display or synchronise the output in order for a partner brand or club message to appear across the entire platform.
Claire Fitzgerald Firth, Head of Engagement & Client Services at ADI, said: “Bolton Wanderers’ investment in a venue-wide digital transformation will revolutionise the club’s existing commercial platform.
“Having multiple in-bowl digital displays gives Bolton a powerful canvas to build out their portfolio of sponsors and commercial partners, while also boosting the matchday experience for supporters through the activation of more dynamic content across the displays.
“The club will now also have the ability to deliver Total Stadium Takeover, which can create a unique atmosphere inside the stadia bowl adding further commercial and experiential value.”
Image: ADI
