Knowsley firm Stadiacard clinches technology deal with Brazilian football club

Apr 22 2009 by Neil Hodgson, Liverpool Daily Post

A KNOWSLEY firm has clinched a seven-figure technology deal with one of Brazil’s most famous football clubs.

And, with the country set to host the 2014 World Cup, more opportunities could follow.

Stadiacard.com will provide smartcard technology for Santos Football Club, which produced the world’s greatest footballer, Pele, and more recently Premier League stars Robinho and Elano.

The company, which has also worked with Liverpool, Falkirk, Dunfermline and St Mirren Football Clubs, sealed the five-year deal in a “beauty contest” with six other contenders from Europe and South America. Although Santos’s Vila Belmiro stadium, in São Paulo state, only holds 21,000 fans, the club has an estimated 2m-strong fan base.

South America has had problems with crowd trouble in the past, but Stadiacard’s system will enable football clubs to control access and provide electronic ticketing options.

The Knowsley company’s technology is based on contactless smartcards containing microchips which cannot be seen or damaged.

Fans use the cards to enter the ground through automatic turnstiles, giving precise details of the numbers accessing a stadium, thereby enhancing safety.

The cards also give clubs details of how the cards have been used and identify the spending habits of supporters.

Officials from Stadiacard, including chairman George Cullen and business development director Frank Roebuck, visited the club last month and clinched the deal, which is believed to be the biggest of its kind in South American football.

Mr Cullen said: “Brazilian football faces enormous challenges in the lead-up to the 2014 World Cup, and Santos have decided to get ahead of their rivals by agreeing a complete package with Stadiacard.”

He added: “Stadiacard will provide Santos and their huge fan-base with a complete turnkey solution for their stadium. This will enable the club to enhance safety and security, make the supporters’ experience of going to the Vila Bemiro more enjoyable, and will maximise commercial growth potential.”

Mr Roebuck said: “Santos said one of the key factors which helped us win the contract is that our system is a single solution for ticketing, access control, and customer relationship management.

“Every other proposal consisted of several suppliers trying to integrate their separate software solutions.

“We have seen only in the last few days reports of ticket allocation problems in Britain. Our system completely eradicates any of those issues.”

Santos administrative supervisor Modesto Roma Jnr added: “After three years of searching and analysing all the proposals, the club’s committee voted seven to nil in favour of Stadiacard. They were clearly the best solution.”

The club has won the Brazilian national cup competition a record eight times, and celebrate its centenary in 2012.