Technological Know-How for the World Cup
January 28, 2006
Soccer stadiums just aren’t what they used to be. The day of the multi-purpose arenas are history. More features and services are available and if the stadium is new, then the athletic track will no longer hinder the complete experience for fans by putting an additional 10 to 50 meters between them and the pitch because it is no longer there.
Single-purpose structures -- temples is probably a more appropriate word -- are in and they are extremely high-tech.
The German Soccer Association (DFB) is quite aware of this. In fact, in the association's charter it is written black on white that the DFB must maintain the highest standards possible and constantly keep up with the developments of the times.
Solutions for all kinds of problems
To do this, the DFB draws its equipment from and works closely together with Munich-based technology giant Siemens.
"We are always challenged when the national squad plays a match. We constantly have to deal with the local infrastructure. Our organization department is able to do this only if it can competently have its say," said DFB marketing head Horst Lichtner recently at a technology forum at the Allianz Arena in Munich.
The competence comes from Siemens who provides solutions for areas ranging from environmental expertise to utility services, from ticket sales to, of course, communications and information technology.
The sports and business worlds are not far apart. With innovations, competitive advantages are gained that could make the difference between success and failure. This is particularly true when it comes to technology according to Josef Winter, director of Siemens Germany division.
Sports stadiums generate revenue
The Allianz Arena in Munich, the crown jewel of German soccer stadiums, and home to the king of German clubs, Bayern Munich, opened at the start of the current season and is exemplary of just how much things have changed.
"Although we have installed technology in all 12 World Cup stadiums and in other stadiums in Germany and Europe, we have clearly done the most in Munich," said Winter.
And for good reason. Equipping athletic venues is a lucrative business. The cost of electronic equipment in modern soccer stadiums adds up from between 10 to 20 percent of the price tag. The final price of the Allianz Arena was a dear 280 million euros ($336 million) and Siemens was greatly involved in the stadium shell's lighting, surveillance cameras and sound system just to name a few areas.
Fans coming to the stadium also enjoy the benefits of Siemens smart ticket system. Not only can ticket holders enter the stadium with the smart ticket, it's also a debit card with which fans can purchase food, beverages and other articles.
Getting to the grounds should be easier
If one moves away from the appearances and conveniences of Germany's marquis stadium to a more mundane subject, namely transportation to and from the grounds of the 12 World Cup venues, Siemens also has much at stake.
The company developed the "Ruhrpilot" project, named after the Ruhr River metropolitan region that extends for 116 kilometers (72 mile) in the heart of North-Rhine Westphalia (NRW). Winter said that Ruhrpilot is a computer-supported system that will make sure there is "intelligent traffic management between cars, busses and trains" so that fans and residents don't have to suffer needlessly before, during and after matches at NRW's venues in Dortmund, Gelsenkirchen and Cologne.
Such "complete solutions from one mold," as project leader Thomas Brodocz called it, is a result of years of experience. Siemens coordinated the infrastructure projects for the 2004 Athens Olympics and has won the contracts for the Peking Games as well as the next World Cup in South Africa.