How the Olympique Lyonnais became the first digital football club in France

The OL strategy: a focus on digital

If you are into soccer, you’ve heard about it. If you’re passionate about digital, you’ve probably heard about it too. And if you’re a soccer fan passionate about digital, well there’s a good chance you’ve heard about it! On January 9th, 2016, after a difficult early season, the OL opens its new stadium: the Stade des Lumières. You may think: “yeah right, another soccer stadium, big deal!”, and you’d be right: it is a soccer stadium, but it is also a concentrate of technology, making the OL the most digital club in France.
 
First “smart-stadium”, the Stade des Lumières bet on a great user experience (or rather on a great spectator experience). Wi-Fi is the first step: equipped with more than 700 Wi-Fi terminals, the stadium can have more than 7,000 simultaneous connections, for free. The record for simultaneous connections was set during a OL-PSG match, where more than 15,000 people used the Wi-Fi, with 7,500 at the same time.
 
The “digitalization” of the stadium can be found in the smart phone of each of their supporters. The OL was the first French stadium to develop its own mobile application, in order to improve the spectator experience. The app makes it simpler to get to the stadium, with an e-ticket online booking, access map, parking maps… Once you are inside the stadium, you can also order food and drinks that you will pay directly via the app. You can even watch slow motion videos of the game! One of the main ideas behind this app is to become a “cashless stadium”.
 
This is a really interesting turn for the club: over 60,000 people are attending each game, and each of them has different consummation behaviors. Transcribing these digitally via the app and the e-shop allow the OL to identify the entire new medium in which it can develop.
 
The digital projects to come are quite exciting. The Euro and the 6 games that will take place at the Parc OL will shine the light on this new way to attend a soccer game, and push the user experience further. Even at the second step of the championship, the OL is still one step ahead.