Making the sport more exciting and interactive for fans is one of the key challenges that football authorities around the world are facing up to. By looking at a few of the ways that Portuguese football is implementing technology, we can see how fan engagement is taking center stage.
The Switch to a Digital World
We can get an idea of how the world is moving to a digital format by looking at the ecosystem set up by the Portuguese Football Federation. They’ve worked with Altice Portugal to create a streaming platform as well as ecommerce and ticketing portals. This has helped the Portuguese authority establish itself as one of the most digitally diverse in the football world.
The scope of what can be done to add to this strong start can be seen when we look at alternative industries that have undergone a complete digital transformation, like online casinos that include themed slots and live dealer games. The range of online casino promotions available shows how bonus offers and promotions are used to increase engagement and loyalty. The use of tournaments with leaderboards increases the gamification and adds to the excitement when spinning the reels on slot games.
The Rise of eSports
The Portuguese FA has also been a leader in the area of eSports. Major teams like Sporting, Braga, and Benfica all take part in the country’s official FIFA tournament, known as eLiga. This has now been joined by a new campaign titled ‘it will never be just a game’ for popularising eSports, including football games.
The importance of eSports is noted in the fact that a special eSports division has been created by the country’s FA. Working under the name of FPF eFootball, this is the division that carries out the administration of the eLiga and works to ensure that the Portugal National Team is prepared for eSports events.
Virtual Reality Streaming and the Metaverse
A game between FC Porto and SL Benfica in 2015 was the first time that a football game was broadcast live using virtual reality (VR). Multi-camera VR technology was used to film the action, meaning that viewers with Samsung Gear VR headsets were able to enjoy 360-degree views of the game taking place. As the technology has improved, more recent VR streams have made it easier for us to enjoy the action conveniently.
FC Porto was the first football team in Europe to make a move into the metaverse, with a partnership they entered into with Upland in 2022 leading to their Estádio do Dragão being mapped onto the platform as a virtual platform. This has allowed them to offer fans the chance to buy non-fungible tokens (NFTs) based on the club.
These different areas confirm the numerous ways that technology is being put to good use in driving fan engagement in Portuguese football. Fans can still watch games traditionally by visiting the country’s stadiums. However, the use of various kinds of technology has opened up new opportunities for enjoying matches in a more modern setting.
