CASE STUDY - Aberdeen FC x TEAMcard Access

Enhancing Operations and Fan Experience: Access Control at Aberdeen Football Club

Since the summer of 2023, SPFL club Aberdeen FC and TEAMcard have been working in partnership to deliver an advanced access control solution at Pittodrie Stadium that both improves match-day operations as well as enhances the fan experience.

Now at the end of year one, David Bowman, Head of IT & Digital, and Jamie Howell, Head of Ticketing at Aberdeen have been reflecting on their first season in partnership with TEAMcard.

Challenges

Prior to the introduction of TEAMcard, Aberdeen were facing challenges around fan entry and building pressure on match-day support staff from frustrated supporters at the turnstiles.

"In the past, we experienced challenges with disjointed fan experience as a result of relying solely on staff and stewards to advise fans when there was an issue with entry,"

These challenges were further highlighted with the introduction of Aberdeen Women’s fixtures at the stadium, where new fans who were unfamiliar with the stadiums entry systems struggled with the existing set-up lacking the intuitive user experience they expected.

The desire for change lead to the introduction of TEAMcard, an advanced sports venues access control solution designed to streamline operations and improve fan experience throughout the venue.

Implementation & the TEAMcard solution

Aberdeen opted for the implementation of TEAMcard’s F7 fixed scanning units at every gate, integrating TEAMcard’s scanning technology with Aberdeen’s existing automated turnstiles.

“The simple set-up with our existing turnstiles was great. It meant that all of the required functionality for an advanced system could be put in place without us having to do any major re-fit of the stadiums entrances”.

The design of the F7, which allows for a fast and intuitive fan entry process combined with dynamic fan messaging to allow supporters to self-manage if there is an issue, is what initially attracted Aberdeen to the TEAMcard solution.

“The simplicity of the F7 design can’t be overstated. The layout of the elements, with NFC and barcode scanning alongside each other made for a really easy user experience which we hadn’t seen before.”

“Having the dynamically responsive screen is so simple and gives the fans the information they need right away, which allows them to manage themselves”.

Back-office, Administration and Management

Combined with the elevated front end fan experience, Aberdeen also utilised the cloud-based user-friendly back-office administration system, delivering fast and flexible event management with detailed live data reporting.

“Moving from an on-site server set-up to a cloud based or hosted solution was really important for us, and TEAMcard ticked every box in terms of that requirement”.??

“The structure has allowed us to be totally future proofed too. With the plans for the Women’s stadium at the training ground it was really important for us to know that when that comes around, we can simply scale up and manage another site with the same system”.

The back-office also allows Aberdeen’s match-day staff to carry out detailed pre-event checks to ensure every aspect of the access system is operational ahead of gates opening.

“The pre-event checks also make a huge difference. We can test and check everything in one place and that alone gives us so much confidence”.

“Previously, pre-match checks could take an hour or two on match days. Now it’s a case of 5-10 minutes to fully set the game up. It’s so easy you are almost sitting there wondering if you’ve missed something because it shouldn’t be that simple - but it is”.

For Aberdeen, the ability for different teams to view and monitor live data using customised dashboards, as well as view bespoke reports was another really important benefit of the TEAMcard system.

“The capability for our IT team, Ticketing Team & Match-day Ops team to view relevant data on their own custom dashboards both before and after gates open has been really well received”.

Re-opening The Stadium to Fans

Aberdeen opened their stadium, and the 2023/24 SPFL campaign with a home televised fixture vs Celtic. A midday kick-off in front at a sell-out crowd.

“There is always an element of anxiety when a new system is being used in anger for the first time, but the fact that we had been supported so well throughout the installation and testing process meant we were really comfortable with everything on opening day.”

“To see a sell-out crowd on the very first day of the season, with fans using a brand-new system, all inside the stadium before kick-off was fantastic. It’s a testament to how intuitive the user experience is, but also the speed of it too. The fact that there were no queues at all, even in the 10 minutes before kick-off was brilliant”.

Aberdeen also saw the return of European football, with several evening kick-offs for the UEFA group stage matches attracting sell-out crowds arriving in a highly condensed timeframe.

“To have no queues at evening European fixtures was great. For away fans that was helped further by the system being able to accommodate imported entitlements used by visiting clubs using their own Mobile App”

Dynamic Screens

Better flow rates and fans gaining easy access were achieved by Aberdeen’s smart utilisation of the dynamic screen assets on every turnstile.

“We’ve done a lot of work customising the fan messaging on the screens, which has meant that fans can manage themselves independently. If there is an issue with the ticket, whether it’s wrong stand, wrong entrance, wrong game etc. the screens will let them know, and re-direct them accordingly.”??

“As a result, we are seeing far fewer people coming to the ticket office with issues and we’ve had no fan complaints, at all”.

In addition to the enhanced operational benefits and greater fan experience delivered the F7 unit’s screens, Aberdeen have begun using the dynamic assets to welcome fans in the away end and enhance sponsorship packages around the stadium.

“We always brand up the away end with the visiting team's badge, which gets some great feedback from representatives of visiting clubs”.

“We are also using the screens to brand different parts of the stadium for every game now. The away end is always specific to our visiting team, we brand all gates in the family section with our family section sponsors and also have the match sponsor on all screens accessing the corporate areas”.

Partnership & Support

Since the beginning of the partnership in 2023 Aberdeen have been supported by TEAMcard’s dedicated client services team, delivering general support and live match-day support services whenever required.

“The support from TEAMcard has been great. We’ve always got what we need, and any questions are always answered quickly”.??

“Even since the very beginning, it’s been nice to know the support team and live support services on match days are there, but the fact is we just don’t really need it because the system just works”.

David and Jamie concluded with:

“We have been really pleased with the way the first season with TEAMcard has gone. Everything from onboarding to implementation and support has been great, and the marked improvements to our operations and our fans matchday experience across the board have been really positive”.

“We are really looking forward to the future and are already working through exciting new developments with them which we will be introducing for the new season”.