Key Tech Considerations for Sports Projects

Economists predict a 24 percent compound annual growth rate for sports facilities from 2024 to 2034 (from Globe Newswire, Prophecy Market Insights, February 2024)¹. This growth encompasses not only the sports facilities themselves, but it also trickles down to related systems, services, and products. Technology enablement is a major part of this. Technology in sports facilities can enhance experiences and operations, yet there is much for owners and operators to consider before buying. This blog post explores offers step-by-step advice for successful technology integration within sports projects.

Start with a Vision and Goals

Shoot the moon during initial conceptualization. Do you envision virtual reality headsets to athlete training or fan experience? Is a building management system that can help curb energy usage and create a net-zero facility on the wish list? A grand vision is a good place to start. For most sports projects, if bandwidth is king then audiovisual is queen.

“Enough bandwidth to power exploding mobile usage is often a top priority when fans are trying to use a ticketing app to get in the door,” said Chris Andrews, Director of Technology Integrations at Aptitude. Andrews points out it’s not just a matter of keeping up with the flow of foot traffic into a venue; fans are also texting and checking the score of another game, and coaching staff are using iPads to communicate with each other and the athletes. “If you don’t have the bandwidth, it’s a problem,” said Andrews.

The second most important priority in sports is almost always audiovisual (AV). AV is a huge part of what powers an immersive fan experience. It can be key for practice facilities too.

“In our recent Baylor football project, our client wanted to level up the AV in their practice facility for athletes, recruits, and coaches,” said Operations Director Sean Graham, who oversees many sports projects. “Having an amazing sound system in the workout room, an AV-equipped meeting space where the team could watch game footage, and a space that would make a great first impression were all goals for them. There were many logistics involved to reach these goals.”²

Budget Expectations

Don’t think of budget conversations only as a time to reign in the wish list – think of it as an exercise in prioritizing. Keep in mind that ‘out of sight’ technology can be as or more important than showcase features. For example, AV often takes center stage at sports venues and therefore should require a sizable portion of the overall budget. The network architecture is, on the other hand, neither top of mind nor visible from the outside, yet it is more important because it’s the backbone for every system in the venue.

Do Not Skimp on Design Time

It’s critical to have a whole systems integrator collaborate with the architect, engineer, and builder throughout the design process. Individual system providers are not designing for the big picture; they are only focused on their single solution. Successful tech enablement requires connectivity specifications and designs that account for each system and how those systems connect to the backbone infrastructure, as well as how they ‘talk’ with other systems. When design time is short-changed, there will be problems down the road.

The Technology Integrator Should be Team Captain

Every sports venue contains dozens (if not hundreds) of technology systems. They must work in harmony to achieve optimal results. Owners can think of the Technology Integrator as their team captain. The AV company or the software provider are integral players on the team, but they can’t win the game alone.

Turnovers are Good for Teaching

Turnover is not negative in the construction world; it’s time to turn over the new building. When a construction project comes with new tech that will be touched by everyone from your Fan Engagement Staff to the Facilities Manager to the Coaching Staff, there needs to be a headache-free plan for training and troubleshooting potential problems. A good tech integrator will make sure teaching is part of the turnover process, and they will be accessible if something does not work after turnover.