Manchester United has teamed up with California-based Extreme Networks to modernise its in-stadium fan experience.

The iconic British football club has hired the cloud-driven networking company in a multiyear partnership as its official wifi network and analytics provider.

The installation of Extreme Wifi 6 access points at the Old Trafford stadium will begin later this year to transform the fan experience with fast, reliable wifi connectivity and increase the club’s capability to deliver high-performance, low-latency and secure digital services. Additionally, Extreme will help Manchester United access real-time network analytics to drive more personalised and informed decisions around both the fan experience and overall venue operations.

The deployment will power faster wireless speeds and low latency, providing a high-quality connection and a performance boost for secure fan-facing technology such as mobile ticketing and other digital offerings.

ExtremeAnalytics provides Manchester United with rich data sets and insights around performance and usage, dwell time and location-based services in real time. As a result, the club can continuously review and optimise venue management by identifying stadium bottlenecks, overcrowded concessions and other consumer traffic patterns, while gaining insights into fan activity to customise experiences and pinpoint sponsorship opportunities.

Extreme offers high-speed wireless connectivity customised for high-density venue environments and bandwidth-heavy apps and devices used by fans and club officials. ExtremeWireless Wifi 6 access points also support increased network efficiency to power secure in-stadium services.

Network administrators gain a real-time view into the health, performance and security of their network. Leveraging a single interface, ExtremeCloud IQ helps stadium officials monitor and control wifi capacity, efficiency, device configuration, traffic patterns and analytics to streamline management and performance of the network, while scaling IT operations.

“Our collaboration with Extreme Networks is an important step in our drive to enhance and modernise the in-stadium fan experience at Old Trafford, opening up exciting opportunities for the club to deliver next-generation digital services to fans on matchdays and to visitors throughout the year,” said Collette Roche, chief operating officer at Manchester United. “Old Trafford is known as the Theatre of Dreams because of its 112-year history of triumphs and dramas. With experience working with other iconic venues around the world, Extreme will help us keep our stadium up to date while preserving the character that makes it unique. Providing fast, reliable wifi to fans, underpinned by cutting-edge analytics to optimise performance, is a crucial part of that process.”

Ed Meyercord, CEO of Extreme Networks, added: “Speed, precision and performance are equally important on and off the pitch, and Manchester United is investing to make the stadium experience just as impressive as the match itself. We’re thrilled to partner with one of the world’s most celebrated sports clubs to provide the technical DNA that will forever change the way fans experience Old Trafford. We believe the combination of Extreme’s Wifi 6 and analytics will provide the insights and scale required to ensure success and that fans won’t miss a beat.”