Over in the UK, there’s long been a debate over the presence of some of the latest on-pitch technologies. VAR has proven to be quite the sticking point, with its delays and the few apparently incorrect decisions being made only causing more uproar. In February, however, when the technology was again at the center of a debate, it was its absence that caused it. In cup games between Premier League and EFL opponents, VAR could’ve been the path to the right calls.
The tech used as a feature of the game will always a topic of some concern for fans as it influences the all-important final results. Beyond the pitch, tech is ingrained in the soccer fandom experience, with fans seeking external ways to engage with the sport and clubs looking for ways to enhance what it means to be a fan connected to the team. In recent times, we’ve seen an explosion of additional tech applications to the soccer fandom.
Digital Soccer Experiences Remain Integral
You don’t have to go far to find ways to engage with the biggest sport in the world in the digital space. Easily the biggest winner of the rise of digital entertainment with soccer has been Electronic Arts. Their headline series, EA Sports FC, continues to sell millions of copies each year despite only mild updates coming with each new premium-cost release. Elsewhere, soccer has been used to headline inventive new creations for different lines of entertainment. Online, bingo has enjoyed a resurgence thanks, in part, to its embrace of new digital options and other gambling games.
Here, slots and bingo are top of the bill, which has led to Slingo rising up to become a fan-favorite. In these games, which are the amalgamation of slot gaming with bingo sheets, Slingoooal! and Slingoooal! Championship are the big winners among soccer fans. They focus on scoring goals on the bingo sheets while spinning a slot to determine where those shots will go. Being such a new form of digital soccer entertainment, the website that hosts them has put up a new bingo welcome bonus of bingo and slot spins, which lets new players explore their top bingo rooms and most popular slot game on the house as well.
Bringing Incredible Tech to the Fans
Clubs seem to be eager to embrace whatever they can to enhance the tech that makes it better to be a fan of the club. Late last year, Paris Saint-Germain announced its new partnership with Matchain. In this collaboration, running to 2027, the two are looking to make fans even more active participants via a PSG blockchain. Here, fans can personalize their own experience and tailor their digital interactions through an AI-powered experience. Paris Saint-Germain have worked to get fan tokens on the blockchain and for those tokens to give them voting rights on club decisions – such as the message printed in the home team dressing room.
Barcelona’s BAR token works similarly, giving fans voting powers in a safe, decentralized network. On the way, we’ve got stadium digital twins in the works. Transmira and Zetly announced at World Football Summit Europe that they’re creating virtual replicas of stadiums so that fans can visit these photo-realistic renditions in MR applications. These digital twins of stadiums would allow clubs to create a sports spectacle in the metaverse through accurate virtual representations. This way, new revenue streams will open to clubs, and new ways to enjoy the action through potentially more convenient means will arise.
Fans, at least in the UK, seem to be a bit on the fence about the use of tech on the pitch, but behind the scenes and away from the stadiums, tech is enhancing the soccer experience in a whole host of ways.