Smart card to replace the season ticket

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Intelligent Venue Solutions Limited (IVS) has been appointed the preferred UK and Europe supplier and promoter of the Fortress GB - RFID Smart Card. The company intends to expand its use across the English Premier League. The technology is already operational in the City of Manchester Stadium, home of Manchester City, and is due to be installed at Arsenal’s new ground, the Emirates Stadium.

The smart card technology may spell the end of the traditional season ticket, which can be replaced by a credit card sized “smart card”, with all the information of a regular season ticket contained in a chip within the card. Fans would walk up to the turnstile as normal, but instead of passing their ticket to the turnstile operator they would simply present their card to a card-reader and enter the stadium. The smart card would speed up access at turnstiles and would provide clubs with additional information such as supporters’ entry times.

Andy Moss, director of Intelligent Venue Solutions Limited said: “Football is one of the first major sports to benefit from this new technology and the system at the City of Manchester Stadium has proven to be a huge success.”

Initial discussions are underway with number of other premiership clubs with many more expressing an interest in the technology. IVS has also secured exclusive distribution and marketing of the RFID Smart Card in South Africa and China and will hope to play important roles within the 2008 Olympics in Beijing and the 2010 Football World Cup in South Africa.