Udine, 1st March 2021 – Udinese Calcio, which has always pioneered the use of new technology at Dacia Arena, and club advisor Infront have decided to adopt Be Shaping The Future’s innovative technological system for monitoring whether anti-Covid rules and protocols are being followed at the stadium, with the aim of facilitating the gradual return of fans.
The first test run of project RE-START, which follows the announcement of the possible partial reopening of stadiums in England from 17 May, took place during last Sunday’s match between Udinese and Fiorentina at Dacia Arena. The 350 people who regularly work at the stadium on matchday wore a device that vibrates – both for the wearer and the stewards – when social distancing is not maintained. Contact tracing within the stadium was also possible, while fully respecting privacy.
“We’re proud to have been chosen by Infront as a strategic partner to trial this innovative system,” said Udinese vice president Stefano Campoccia. “Football is not the same without the fans – not just because of the revenue lost but also because of the special atmosphere fans help to create at the stadium. We want to provide a message of hope. Reopening stadiums is a priority for football and this initiative shows our desire and determination to work with the people whose job it is to draw up the protocols to help us live with the virus safely and slowly return to a life that is as close to normal as possible.”
“Implementing new technology in football is part of Udinese’s DNA,” added Stefano Campoccia. “We have a long-held tradition for launching revolutionary trials, like goal-line technology, which led to VAR, and the facial recognition system tested at the 2019 Euro U21 final. Thanks to Gianpaolo Pozzo’s vision, Udine has always been a launchpad for innovation. Now, with a view to reopening stadiums in complete safety as soon as possible, Dacia Arena can reaffirm its ambition to lead the way domestically and internationally in testing and developing innovative tools that can help fans return to matches in the near future.”
“We were extremely keen to work with Infront on a protocol for the safe reopening of stadiums,” explained Udinese general manager Franco Collavino. “This is the first step, which we hope can pave the way for our fans and partners to return to Dacia Arena before long. We have often been a testing ground for innovative football solutions and we were eager to run this experiment, which further underlines how important our fans are to us and how much we miss them.”
“We have always been at the forefront in seeking technological solutions and services for our partners and clients,” declared Infront Italy managing director Alessandro Giacomini. “Over the last few months we have identified and selected the most reliable partners to work with on finding suitable solutions to aid the reopening of stadiums and the attendance of fans at sports events. We are delighted that Udinese Calcio have once again taken up the challenge with us to test out a solution that could help bring supporters back into football stadiums and to all sports events safely in the short-to-medium term.”
“Our Human Mobility system was a success at the recent World Ski Championships in Cortina, where it helped create a safe environment for workers, athletes and guests,” explained Be Shaping The Future CEO Stefano Achermann. “It has been tested in 16 countries and nine languages, and has been adopted across the board by the Italian company with the biggest market capitalisation. We are happy to put our experience at the service of the entire sport and entertainment industry to aid the controlled resumption of activities.”
