Object tracking – Augmented Reality on its way to the service sector
The ball has to go into the goal!
Drive – Augmented Reality in Professional Soccer
by J. Wagner
Modern technology in top-class sport: Soccer
Soccer is passion, soccer is emotion, but soccer cannot exist solely on those fundaments. In order to be successful in the business “professional 
soccer” a soccer-club it needs money, a lot of money. Most of the income is made up of sponsorship money, entrance fees for visitors and income from the sale of TV rights, but in professional soccer business successful merchandising is a must, too. At Real Madrid, for example, the sale of the new Cristiano Ronaldo’s jerseys has been rumoured to have already refinanced a large part of the transfer fee.
But soccer is first and foremost a sport, where only success counts. In addition to the goal of winning as many games as possible, a club is also assessed by its business sustainably. This is not always possible, but new technology can change the future of professional football forever.
“Only those who run professional football in an economically sustainable manner can become legends.”
We create future – Augmented Reality for stakeholder.
Nowadays, soccer clubs fight for their shareholders and stakeholders, which is too understandable, since year after year everything evolves around the omnipresent budget. Sponsors, fans, players, suppliers and of course the media want something for their contribution. So how can 
Augmented Reality bring tangible added value to the world of professional soccer?
Augmented Reality creates something that makes it easier for us humans to perceive our environment. The art of forming a reality out of an idea is not something we all possess. However, if we support our perceived reality with digital visual aids, then something new, something great will emerge. Want some examples?
How about telling an exciting new story with an Augmented Reality app, purely through a smartphone that films a sponsor’s logo on the display? So-called markers allow this. Start the app, aim at the logo and suddenly the CEO of the company steps into the display of the smartphone and wishes the viewer a cool game! Or how about this: The visitors of the game are asked to search for an object (advertising display, logo, object) that will automatically lead them to a price-competition? You direct the display of your smartphone to the middle circle and suddenly the current lineup of your favourite team appears with a few words of the captain addressed to you?
How does that sound? The picture of the match in your daily newspaper the next day will transform into a video of the game situation with live comments from the two coaches? Augmented Reality as technology does exactly what soccer does as a sport, it emotionalizes products and brands.
Soccer means emotion
Augmented Reality allows new ways of promotion
All stakeholders are involved
Creativity is made easy
The added value that emotionalizes!
If soccer initiates the right use of this new form of emotionalisation, all the groups involved, both stakeholder and shareholder, will soon feel the added value. Whether it’s new sponsors who want to be part of this mix of pure emotion combined with promising technology, whether fans can experience the game much more excitingly and comprehensively, whether players will present themselves much better or whether the media will discover new forms of communication for themselves, everyone will benefit.
Do not lose!
Augmented Reality will significantly raise the level of top-class sport, and smart managers are already building on this future. It is time to embark on this new form of emotionalisation. Better sooner than later, because in the end only one thing counts is victory.
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