Innovative digital strategy transforms fan engagement and the cricket experience

板球正在改变。二十二十年代的到来是一种较短的游戏形式，它帮助吸引了新的人群到板球上。人群往往年轻，更旺盛，并且对体育体验的期望。

萨默塞特郡板球俱乐部(SCCC) is one of England's leading clubs. It has embarked on a complete digital transformation journey which it hopes will accelerate success. The hope is that this digital strategy will transform its commercial and on-field activities – and create the most engaging fan experience in English cricket.

A more demanding demographic

SCCC总部位于汤顿（Taunton），与英格兰的板球热点相距甚远，但仍远高于其体重。

SCCC商业销售总监Suzanne Roper说：“我们的目标很简单：我们想成为最好的目标。”“在田野和下去。”

She says the club, and cricket in general, needs to catch up with the digital experience of other sports. Spectators, commercial partners and coaches are a lot more demanding in terms of access to Wi-Fi.

"Fans want to engage with social media throughout the game. They also expect live replays of key moments," says Roper. "For this audience, high-performance wireless is non-negotiable. Cricket has often lagged behind other sports in that respect."

"Fans want to engage with social media throughout the game. They also expect live replays of key moments," says Roper.

以萨默塞特方式做事

SCCC需要大修其老化的无线解决方案，并且由于2019年板球世界杯的三场比赛，SCCC开始寻找长期解决方案。The England & Wales Cricket Board, which was overseeing the Cricket World Cup, offered an off-the-shelf solution managed through a service provider.

"This would have been fully tested and easy to deploy", says Sarah Trunks, SCCC's Strategy Director, "but would have been too generic." The club, she continues, prefers to do things "the Somerset way".

"We wanted something that worked for us, long after the World Cup has left town. In particular, we wanted to fully own and optimise the data we'd be collecting, and to effectively manage different network users."

弹性，高性能和用户行为的颗粒状可见性

The network upgrade is built entirely on Aruba Edge Architecture. It includes a total of 110 high-density internal and external阿鲁巴access points（包括305、325、335、365、375和377），一个完全弹性的群集阿鲁巴series 7220 Mobility Controllersmanaged by aMobility ConductorandArubaOS 8。校园核心由Aruba 5406R开关with full resilience built in and a total of 16阿鲁巴2930m校园边缘开关provide connectivity for each pavilion, stands external areas and CCTV connectivity and much more. The infrastructure is overseen by阿鲁巴空军。

该解决方案可确保地面内外的高性能网络访问，并能够容纳9,000个并发连接。It ensures 100% uptime, with built-in failover and high-availability. Ongoing support and service management is provided by Aruba's long-time partner, ITEC.

除此之外Aruba分析和位置引擎（啤酒）provides rich data about connections, devices and user to a Skyfii Analytics platform which allows SCCC to have full visibility on crowd behaviours and movements across the site.

Successfully supporting a once-in-a-generation event

Trunks表示，Aruba升级取得了完全的成功。现在，地面的所有区域都享有高性能的无线，俱乐部现在有一个基线可以建造。对于俱乐部比赛，在最初三个月的服务中，有10,000多名观众已注册无线访问。SCCC在2019年的Twenty20比赛中的每一场都是7,500个座位的售罄。

SCCC successfully hosted its three World Cup matches, each match a sell-out, each with more than 100 of the world's media in attendance, all expecting flawless connectivity. Post event, the ground was voted by fans as the best of all the eleven venues, with excellent Wi-Fi coverage.

"The World Cup was great for proving our decision worked, conducted with the eyes of the world on us," says Trunks. "It's given us the confidence that we have a strong network in place."

Gathering, retaining and optimising valuable data

展望未来，由ITEC设计和部署的Aruba解决方案使SCCC能够收集，保留和管理自己的数据。Trunks说她从不对服务提供商解决方案感到满意，并且第三方可以访问俱乐部成员，商业合作伙伴或活动客户的数据：“我们现在可以控制我们如何使用数据。这对我们至关重要。”

她看到这些数据为俱乐部未来的策略提供了信息，无论是绘制地面繁忙的区域，还是个性化粉丝的销售和营销信息。同样，这将使俱乐部能够更接近活动的客户（活动业务占年收入的近20％，并占据了淡季的占主导地位）。

"It's also easier for us to manage the network, certainly in terms of how the network is being used and the different access we grant to different users," Trunks says. "Aruba AirWave is an invaluable tool."

"It's also easier for us to manage the network, certainly in terms of how the network is being used and the different access we grant to different users," Trunks says.

Security and data protection

The new network at SCCC offers a mine of valuable data. With this, Trunks and her team are committed to the highest levels of security. This cannot be at the expense of seamless access and sign-on to the network for fans, collaborators, staff, and commercial partners.

The Aruba Edge Architecture, including software such as AirWave and controllers' interface, enable ITEC to define intelligent device and user profiles. Based on these profiles, users, devices, and things can be assigned to secure VLANs.

"During the World Cup, we detected a rogue access point on our network which was causing problems. Using AirWave, we drilled down to the exact location and details of the device," said Trunks. "The culprit was identified and contacted, and the device was quarantined. This is the level of control and insight we now have on our network to protect our business and our users."

In the near future, SCCC will be looking at the implementation ofAruba Clearpass政策经理。This will give them the ability to automate all policy implementations. "There was simply not enough time to do all this before the 2019 World Cup," explains Trunks. "But we know we have potential for further innovation and safeguards and we have a clear roadmap of how to achieve them."

加速数字旅程

Roper承认SCCC仅在其数字旅程的开始。未来几年将使俱乐部开始增加更大的功能。

An app is planned for 2020, with a host of features for club members. Streaming HD match coverage, replays, and audio commentary will provide an in-ground content experience equal to that available to viewers at home; the stadium will become ticketless; there will be 'service to seat' for food and drink customers.

"We're very pleased with the progress, but we have much to learn," says Roper. "We're looking at how other sports do things – many U.S. sports are way ahead in terms of service. But we recognise we're not just competing with other sports.

“板球现在是一个家庭景点，争夺家庭的休闲支出。我们可以从整个休闲行业中获得服务。”

流式高清匹配覆盖范围，重播和音频评论将提供与家里观众相当的地面内容体验；体育场将变得无票；将为食物和饮料客户提供“可容纳”。

Applying a digital layer to improve the overall cricketing experience

No one comes to a cricket match for the Wi-Fi, and the digital experience must remain secondary to the physical. But Roper says the club is excited about the ways this "digital overlay" can add to the overall experience.

她解释说：“我们可以向粉丝发送量身定制的消息，并确保没有人错过片刻的动作。我们可以跟踪队列或创建与个人相关的促销活动。”“一切都在推动粉丝体验的重大改进。”