Manchester City has begun building a virtual Etihad Stadium in the metaverse with the help of new partner Sony.
On February 18, 2022, the premier league champions announced hat the team has locked a three-year-long deal with Sony to expand its operational capacities through technological prowess. The agreement will allow virtual reality experts to use image analysis and skeletal tracking tools wired from subsidiary concern, Hawk-Eye.
Through the use of ‘image analysis and skeletal-tracking technologies’ created by Sony’s subsidiary Hawk-Eye, the club’s Etihad Stadium will be built in the virtual world.
With 53,400-seating capacity, Etihad Stadium is the home of the Manchester City Football Club. It is the fifth-largest in the Premier League and the tenth-largest in the United Kingdom. Now, with the new venture by Manchester City and Sony, Etihad Stadium will emerge as the first football stadium to enter the Metaverse world.
“You can recreate a game, you could watch the game live, you’re part of the action in a different way through different angles and you can fill the stadium as much as you want because it’s unlimited,” said Manchester City chief marketing officer Nuria Tarre in an interview with Inews, quoted in Cointelgraph.
The presence of the virtual Etihad Stadium in the Metaverse is considered to be able to overcome geographical barriers for fans who want to be part of a live match or rebroadcast. City Football Group’s Chief Marketing Officer, Nuria Tarre, told Inews on February 18 that the whole point of creating a metaverse is for fans to watch the game live.
Sony’s subsidiary Hawk-Eye, most famous for its use in high-profile sporting events such as Wimbledon, will provide the virtual reality expertise, including image analysis and skeletal-tracking technology.
This is not Manchester City’s first steps in the virtual world. The club recently backed out of a sponsorship deal with crypto firm 3Key Technologies due to concern over its digital footprint.
Manchester City seems to be leveraging the metaverse to provide wider access for fans around the world. Man City’s plunge into the Web3 and Metaverse could be interesting for Liverpool FC. The Reds may follow suit to increase revenue, according to ECHO, Liverpool news outlet.
City rivals Man City also did not want to be left behind, Manchester United reportedly plunged into the Web3 ecosystem with a new partnership with Tezos (XTZ). Tezos will become a crypto partner and will be displayed on the MU training jersey. In addition, Tezos can also help develop the club’s digital merchandise.
