Manchester City football club wants to be at the forefront of a technological revolution in sports so it is launching a virtual reality app.
The aim of the club is to improve the experience of football fans before, after, and during matches. In 2015 it launched a VR trial with Sky Sports and LiveLike to provide fans with the opportunity to experience a live Premier League match in virtual reality, now the club is teaming up with LiveLike again to offer exclusive content.
The CityVR app, which will be available from the Oculus Store and is enabled by a Samsung Gear VR headset, will transport fans to a virtual VIP suite where they can watch highlights from the club’s 2015/16 home fixtures.
Fans will be able to watch the highlights from different areas of the pitch by looking at a camera icon placed in multiple locations.
Users of the app will also be able to see a virtual dashboard that provides player information, match stats, and deeper insights into the game.
Diego Gigliani, SVP of Media and Innovation at City Football Group, said: “Our trial with live VR last season was eye-opening, with fans reacting in awe of the immersive nature of the experience. With the launch of CityVR on the Oculus platform, we’re now able to let millions of fans around the world experience that same content also.”
This is far from the only move that the club has made in order to provide a greater fan experience. It recently created a regional partnership with a fan engagement technology company Ballr, which sees the Live Fantasy Sport app become an official partner in China, India, Indonesia, Thailand, Vietnam and Singapore.
Man City also have a long standing partnership with SAP, which most recently saw the introduction of the CityPulse Wall, an interactive digital wall for fans outside the Etihad stadium.
