England’s Football League has announced that free wi-fi, for a particular set of official apps, will be made available at Championship, League One and League Two stadiums.
Fans will be able to access club-branded apps to get news, social media content, highlights and betting. However access to the wider internet would not be possible.
The Football League said “the majority” of clubs had signed up to participate in the deal. A full list of confirmed participating clubs will be announced after 30 June. British wi-fi provider Intechnology will implement the service.
In an online article, the Football League said the service would “deliver the complete digital match day experience to supporters”.
The free wi-fi would come as a boon to fans who had been frustrated with overloaded mobile networks at half-time, according to Intechnology chief executive Peter Wilkinson.
Having to use 3G or 4G services could also be expensive, he added.
The club mobile applications are being developed for iOS and Android users and will be free to download from the respective app stores.
Shaun Harvey, the Chief Executive of The Football League, said: “I am absolutely delighted to welcome intechnologyWiFi to working with The Football League and its clubs.
“Once again, The Football League is leading the way with regard to delivering digital solutions to its member clubs, so that they can enhance the supporter experience at their matches. The fact that intechnologyWiFi is able to deliver this solution at no cost, while also facilitating new revenue streams for our clubs, made this a compelling proposition.”
Peter Wilkinson, CEO, Intechnology plc, said: “This deal is a much-needed game-changer for the football fan wanting to enjoy their sport to the fullest and get closer to their club than ever before.
“Anyone who has tried to log-on in a stadium during a busy football match will know the sheer frustration of poor connectivity caused by bad WiFi or overburdened cellular networks (i.e. 3G or 4G), which can also be hugely expensive (in terms of data) for users. Our solution will revolutionise the digital match-day experience for fans, harnessing the power of great WiFi connectivity and the smartphone in the palm of their hand to deliver a market-defining digital content offering.”