Industry update: more on sustainability, fan experience and development

Read more on the expansion plans of Royal Belgian FA, the Everton for Change campaign, the Movember initiative at Grenoble Foot 38 and more in ESSMA’s weekly industry update.

Development & Construction

• The Royal Belgian FA starts the expansion of the Belgian Football Centre in Tubize. From March 2021, the management and administration will join the sports activities at the Belgian Football Centre. In addition, four new pitches, as well as a conference centre, new dressing rooms and a brand-new office will be added on-site. The new building will be eco-smart with solar panels and mobility solutions. Furthermore, the Royal Belgian FA has presented its updated branding including new logos for the Association, the Red Devils, the Red Flames and the 1895 fan club.
• The new 22,000 capacity national stadium of Albania, Air Albania Stadium, will be inaugurated this weekend with the EURO 2020 qualification match between Albania and France. 

SMART & Sustainability

• Everton FC has launched the ‘Everton for Change’ campaign to raise environmental awareness and explore new ways to create a positive impact on the planet. Initiatives include swapping plastic cutlery with wooden cutlery, no plastic but paper straws, individual plastic packet condiments which have been eliminated, and vegetables are delivered fresh in cardboard boxes to reduce packaging. Furthermore, they have reduced  the energy consumption with the use of LED lighting, installation of lighting motion sensors and centrally controlled heating.
• Allsvenskan is ranked first in the ninth RESPONSIBALLSustainability Ranking. The report focuses on Governance, Community and Environment. The RESPONSIBALL report brings together research and analyses of 24 of the most popular football leagues in the world. The Superliga (Denmark) and Premier League had gotten the second and third positions, respectively.

Fan Experience & Hospitality

• To support the Movember initiative, Grenoble Foot 38 implemented a barbershop inside the Stade des Alpes’ VIP Lounges, so fans could watch the match while receiving a trim or shave.
• Willem II will invest in enhancing the stadium experience by renewing its current sound system in the upcoming months. Together with their partner, First Impression, the club aims at creating an ultimate music and audio experience, both for the supporters in the stands and the players on the pitch. 

Partner News

• PSV Eindhoven has installed the Tulifi lighting system of ESSMA Stadium Partner, Signify, at Philips Stadion. The system uses light waves to enable highly reliable and secure wireless bi-directional communication at speeds much higher than most conventional wireless technologies in the workplace, which can reach up to 150Mbps.