SPORTS TECHNOLOGY


Avegant Glyph's Virtual Retina Display (above) and Google Glass (right) are set to transform the way sports are consumed and viewed by fans


ways to incorporate the technology at other games next season. A device such as Avegant Glyph’s Virtual


Retina Display has the potential to take the fan experience even further. With this headset, an image is created when a low- powered colour LED is reflected onto an array of two million micromirrors, which shape the light into a two-dimensional image that is beamed straight onto the wearer's retina. In theory, this offers the chance to experience a sport as if sitting in the front row, with a 45 degree field of view, no TV outline, head tracking capabilities, and built-in audio, all delivered via a streaming media application. It is still early days for such technology but the possibilities are numerous.


Facility-based improvements Another major strand to the integration of technology into the sports industry is in managing the stadiums and facilities


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that the sports are played in. A good example of this is Dutch football club AFC Ajax’s home, The Amsterdam ArenA. A contract with the Municipality of Amsterdam was signed in April 2014 which will facilitate the use of tablets and smartphones in the stadium and implement new methods of crowd management around the arena. In the coming years the stadium will


also innovate the use of energy grids, improved connectivity and the use of applications for visitors attending the venue and its surrounding areas. Ajax’s home stadium will also become a


testing ground for new tech innovations and ideas, with stadium owners Ajax pushing forward with the formation of an onsite "Living Lab". The logic behind the idea will allow for


companies to test their inventions and ideas, with successful creations being promoted by the stadium and its partners


Sports Management Handbook 2014-2015


for application in other venues and recreational sites across the world. Although these developments all appear


positive, crowd management techniques can be a controversial issue. The use of face recognition technology, for an example, is already being used to monitor sports fans – as well as identify "known troublemakers" – at the gates of stadiums – and is becoming more prominent. Already in use in the US, South America


and Germany, the technology is used to scan and save the images of people entering grounds, with the data being stored on a country-wide database. Although there may be concerns about


a possible invasion of privacy, the aim of using such technology to eradicate sports-related violence and troublesome fans is a noble one, and neatly illustrates the sheer variety of uses for new technology in sport. The revolution is only just beginning. l


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