10 teams join Southampton FC’s Future of Football challenge

Mar. 21, 2023, London, UK — The Future of Football challenge officially launched this week with an event at St Mary’s Stadium in Southampton. In the following four-week virtual program, teams will rapidly test and pilot their solutions, participate in tailored workshops, and have regular and direct access to Southampton FC, Sport Republic, and Yolo Group decision-makers.

Future of Football draws 260 applicants

Of the 260 original applicants from 43 countries, Future of Football organizers selected 20 to pitch their ideas to a panel of judges. Half of them now have the opportunity to show decision-makers from Southampton FC, Sport Republic, and Yolo Group how their solutions will support the club’s values of innovation and commitment to its fans and community. 

Sarah Batters, director of marketing and partnerships at Southampton FC, stated: 

“The Future of Football challenge is intended to help us find new ways to engage with our fans or develop our football teams using tech. We’re pleased to see the teams and ideas that will now be focused on helping us achieve those goals.” 

Teams will compete in the program, with only a few reaching the finals. At the St Mary’s finale, six teams will pitch for a commercial relationship with Southampton FC and a £100,000 discretionary prize pool for post-program solution development. 

Henrik Kraft, Sport Republic, and Southampton FC chairman had these words to say:

“At Sport Republic, we’re looking forward to seeing how these teams progress through the program and leverage technology to innovate sport and drive club growth. We’re getting a front-row seat to the creation of the future of football,” 

Tim Heath, GP at Yolo Investments and founder of Yolo Group, spoke on the developments:

“Creating something unique and testing solutions quickly is what Yolo Group and this program are about. Congratulations to those who have made it that far – the challenge now is to turn plans into reality. After seeing the pitches, I’m now excited to see the outcomes,” 

The ten final solutions

The ten teams that will be focused on creating solutions for updated football experiences in the football development or fan engagement space are: 

1. Atom Stars creates quick-to-launch virtual worlds to address real-world problems
2. BeFootball VR brings fans into all aspects of the football experience through XR
3. CollectID connects the physical and the digital to ensure product and experience authenticity
4. Connected Fanatics offers a connected merchandise platform that creates new fan experiences and team connections
5. DIBZ uses SMS to elevate the at-game fan experience
6. Fanprime gamifies loyalty solutions for brands with large communities
7. Gemini Sports Analytics enables sports executives to make data-driven decisions with the help of AI
8. MLA uses machine learning insights to predict injuries and improve sport performance
9. Turfcoach leverages AI to inform turf data analytics for pitch management
10. X-Plora upgrades games, tours, and other in-person experiences with AR/VR and gamification

About Southampton Football Club

Southampton Football Club is a professional football club that plays in the Premier League, the top tier of English football. Based in Hampshire, on England’s south coast, the club plays its home games in the 32,000-capacity St Mary’s Stadium, a stone’s throw from St Mary’s Church, where the club was formed in 1885. Nicknamed “The Saints'”, the club’s proudest moment came in 1976 when they beat Manchester United 1-0 in the FA Cup Final at Wembley Stadium.

Having been named one of the world’s fastest-growing football club brands in 2015, the club achieved its highest-ever Premier League finish of sixth in 2016 to secure European qualification for a second consecutive season. Proud of its 137-year heritage but constantly moving forward, the club is renowned for doing things differently and using its strong guiding principles to turn potential into excellence, both on and off the pitch.

About Yolo Group

Yolo Group brings next-level innovation to gaming, fintech, blockchain, and more.

Serving millions of users worldwide, the Yolo Group is committed to putting the customer at the center of the universe via a wide range of fun, fast, and fair products and services, including the pioneering bitcoin-led casino Bitcasino.io and innovative sports betting site Sportsbet.io.

Number 26th on the 2022 EGR Power 50 list of leading global operators, the Yolo Group continues to drive crypto adoption and fintech innovation within both the iGaming and entertainment industry via its array of disruptive B2C and B2B brands. 

Yolo has rapidly expanded to more than 900 employees of more than 60 nationalities. The Yolo Group continues to incubate and support new brands, developing its vast, expansive ecosystem of people, products, and services. 

Media contact details

Contact Name: Heidi Leid

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Yolo is the source of this content. This Press Release is for informational purposes only. The information does not constitute investment advice or an offer to invest.