S TA DIUM T ECHNOLO G Y
ENTERTAINMENT VALUE Sport is thrilling to watch, but a match only lasts so long. How can teams keep fans’ attention by constantly entertaining them in new and exciting ways? Alan Rownan looks at how stadium tech can help teams to engage with their fanbases
I
t’s impossible to ignore the volume
excluded) of US$43.2 million, which ranks
of high-profile stadium/venue
the club sixth in the League and lower than
redevelopments and new-builds
London rivals Arsenal and Chelsea.
taking place. It’s impossible to ignore
Initial estimates based on Tottenham
Tottenham Hotspur’s grand opening
Hotspur’s first game at the new stadium
of Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, and the
shows just how big an impact this upgrade
promise of additional revenue the stadium
will have. If Spurs maintain a 95 per cent
will generate in regular Premier League
sell-out ratio, as achieved against Crystal
games, not to mention NFL UK games,
Palace in their first game at the new
concerts and other revenue generators.
stadium, attendance over the course of
The highest attended season at White
a full season will skyrocket to 1,120,219,
Hart Lane in recent years was 2015/16 with
an increase of 65 per cent from even the
a total attendance of 678,887. Stadium
best seasons at White Hart Lane. Such an
sell-out ratio stood at an impressive 98.48 per cent, leaving little room for growth. This equated to ticket revenue (corporate
Alan Rownan is head of sports at Euromonitor International
increase in attendance and ticket sales will elevate the club to new heights. This increase in volume is hugely important in growing ticketing revenues, however the headlines have focused largely on how experience-orientated the new stadium is, shining a light on what Tottenham Hotspur is doing differently, and how this focus on experience will fuel quality fan engagement.
Attention seeking Albeit somewhat hackneyed, the phrase ‘no one size fits all’ is wholly applicable in this case. In the 2017/2018 football season across © SHUT TERST OCK/E O NAYA
26 of the world’s biggest football leagues, the average sell-out ratio was just 57 per cent. That’s a lot of empty seats and lost revenue. Not every league, or every team can guarantee the same quality of entertainment product as the Premier Teams must embrace technology in order to keep their fans’ attention
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ISSUE 2 2019
League and Tottenham Hotspur, but learnings can be gleaned, as other
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