StairMedia: Illuminating stadiums and driving commercial growth in football

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Image via stairmediaglobal.com

It’s likely that football’s TV audiences never actively notice the stairwells of a stadium whilst watching a match. Yet, one company is working to change this by providing football organisations with the opportunity to illuminate its stairwells whilst stimulating economic growth.

StairMedia is a company originating from Spain that installs LED technology for stadium stairwells. Each step is installed with horizontal hardware that, once connected together, delivers an unmissable vertical display.

We currently see leagues and clubs offer televisual space for its sponsors via advertising hoardings, playing shirts and pitch markings. However, StairMedia offers sporting organisations the opportunity to increase its commercial income by maximising the space occupied by banal stadium stairwells.

It is the latest collaboration between technology, marketing and sport sectors, further illustrating the desire of sports organisations to unlock its marketing potential. It also helps to deliver a greater experience for sponsors, who reap the benefits of a highly engaging advertisement that captivates TV audiences.

The company began its sporting journey in basketball, permanently installing its product in the home arena of Spanish basketball club, Saski Baskonia. Since then, it has established high-profile partnerships with some of football’s most recognisable stadiums and organisations.

Most recognisable is Wembley Stadium, where its TV facing stairwells display the logo of the England football team’s official mobile network partner, EE, during their games. The English FA has also utilised StairMedia for its FA Cup semi-finals and finals, helping the competition’s sponsors capture the attention of viewers nationally and internationally.

Later, English powerhouse Manchester City capitalised on StairMedia’s prominence by permanently installing its technology on the stairwells of the Etihad Stadium. This deal has been replicated by Liga MX clubs Chivas de Guadalajara and Santos Laguna.

At the centre of StairMedia’s product is the use of LED technology to illuminate each step on a stadium stairwell. The use of LED in football is not new, with elite stadiums and local grounds turning towards the option for powering floodlights, scoreboards, big screens and advertising hoardings. Therefore, using the technology delivered by StairMedia ticks an important environmental sustainability box for football organisations.

Another plus is the high levels of energy efficiency and durability that comes with LED products, making them a more financially viable option. This ultimately contributes to the return on investment football organisations hope to achieve when installing StairMedia technology.

Behind this is a software system that seamlessly integrates with existing stadium technology, making installation easy for stadium staff and contributes to a highly engaging image for television audiences.

The NRL pioneered StairMedia’s innovative product for its finals series, evidencing its potential in the Australian sports stadia market. This represents a massive opportunity for Football Australia, and the Australian Professional Leagues (APL), to entice current and future sponsors through StairMedia’s game-changing product.

At a time where Australian football is coordinating a major expansion effort, engaging with innovative companies like StairMedia would help unlock new marketing potential. This would play a major role in helping the aforementioned organisations reach its key targets and achieve greater financial stability.

Depending on the timeframe and costing structure, Football Australia or the APL could seek to implement the technology incrementally – as done in the United Kingdom – showcasing it at major events such as the A Leagues Grand Finals, Australia Cup Finals, and World Cup qualifying matches.

Capturing every inch of televisual space for sponsorship and marketing is not an easy task, but through technology companies like StairMedia, football organisations can improve their commercial standing in an environmentally sustainable manner.

We expect to see the stairwells of football stadiums continue to come to life, as StairMedia expands its operation across the globe.

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GIS Masterclass: Fan Engagement and Marketing with Terry Lynam and Karen Grega

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Image Credit: Global Institute of Sport

The Global Institute of Sport recently hosted a masterclass on Fan Engagement and Marketing, bringing together two industry leaders to tackle the field’s most pressing issues.

The Global Institute of Sport (GIS), which offers a Master’s in Sports Business and Sports Analytics through the University of Newcastle, regularly holds masterclasses with industry leaders as part of its curriculum.

The latest focused on fan engagement and marketing, covering two key themes: the growing tension between live sport and online streaming, and the role of data in shaping the fan experience.

The panelists 

Terry Lynam recently concluded her role as General Manager of Fan Experience and Events at Football Australia, overseeing the AFC Women’s Asian Cup on home soil.

Karen Grega is an experienced sports management consultant with a multi-code background. She currently represents Football Coaches Australia (FCA) and Heartbeat of Football, and has previously worked with Sydney Cricket Ground, Venues NSW and Sydney FC.

Live Sport and social media.

Terry Lynam opened with a pointed statement — one she acknowledged would be controversial. She argued that the sense of community unique to live sport is being eroded by social media and ‘snippet’ consumption.

Central to her concern is how marketing teams are failing to segment their audiences, treating casual online viewers the same as matchday fans.

“If they aren’t spending money on the sport we shouldn’t count them as spectators to the same level as match going fans.”

“What we want to consider as marketeers is how much we want to give away and how much we want our live sport element to remain,” Lynam said.

Grega echoed the sentiment, arguing fan engagement ultimately comes down to human connection. “It’s not rocket science.”

She suggested the industry revisit the concept of sport as a family outing to recapture that communal experience.

Data Driving Decisions

Both panelists highlighted data and analytics as central to modern fan engagement.

Grega recalled the introduction of computerised turnstiles as a turning point, enabling teams to track crowd movements and optimise staffing and entry times.

She also noted the continued value of fan surveys in informing marketing decisions.

Lynam pointed to ticketing technology as a significant data frontier.

Modern platforms like Ticketmaster’s ticket-transfer system now provide detailed customer insights.

“It allows us to have a better understanding of who’s getting the ticket and how they transport themselves there or when they arrive,”

“We can personalise their journey and sell content to them,” Lynam commented. 

The discussion also touched on data sourced from social media and on-field player tracking, as well as interactive stadium technology gaining traction in the US.

This included holographic assistants and player headset interactions that bring a broadcast-style experience to live events.

Activations That Educate

Activations rounded out the masterclass, with Lynam detailing how she created a fan zone on a modest budget for the Women’s Asian Cup.

The activation featured charitable partnerships focused on women’s health, including Heartbeat of Football, Endometriosis Australia and Share the Dignity.

“I’m very hopeful that that type of idea gets pushed through on other sporting events,” Lynam said.

Grega elaborated on the Heartbeat of Football activation, highlighting how a competitive element built around CPR and heart health kept fans engaged while also educating them.

“The whole health hub ticked all the boxes — it was immersive, it was interactive, it was there for all ages, both sexes.”

“That sort of blueprint is one that should be replicated as much as possible,” Explained Karen Grega

The masterclass offered students and industry professionals a valuable window into contemporary sports marketing.

As the competition for fan attention intensifies, the blend of live experience, smart data use, and purposeful activations can help define the next chapters of fan engagement.

More Than One in Five Football Australia Staff to Lose Jobs Amid Growing Financial Losses

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Image Credit: ESPN

Australian football finds itself in a curious position.

From the outside, the game appears to be riding a wave of momentum. Attendances, visibility and public interest have all experienced significant uplift in recent years, while major international tournaments and growing discussion around football’s future continue to place the sport firmly within the national conversation.

Yet behind that momentum, Football Australia is now confronting a far more challenging internal reality.

 

A compounding deficit

Chief Executive Martin Kugeler has reportedly indicated the governing body’s projected financial losses for 2025 are expected to exceed the organisation’s reported $8.5 million deficit from the previous year. Accompanying the financial outlook are substantial organisational changes, with reporting from Tracey Holmes indicating more than one in five Football Australia employees are expected to lose their positions through restructuring measures.

The figures represent more than a difficult balance sheet. They point toward a significant period of recalibration inside the organisation responsible for overseeing the sport nationally.

 

Losing the wisdom of existing staff members

For governing bodies, restructures are often framed as strategic necessities for future sustainability. However, workforce changes on this scale also raise broader questions around the challenges of such a transition.

People are often the carriers of knowledge, relationships and long-term strategic understanding. When organisations undergo significant structural change, the effects can extend beyond immediate financial outcomes.

 

Contradicting timing

The timing is what makes the developments particularly notable.

Football in Australia has spent recent years discussing expansion, growth and long-term opportunity. The conversation surrounding the game has increasingly centred on future potential. Often headlining stronger pathways, larger audiences, infrastructure development and greater visibility.

Against that backdrop, news of deep financial losses and substantial staffing reductions creates a different conversation: one focused not on where the game wants to go, but on what may be required to sustain that journey. Therefore, this announcement points toward stagnancy, rather than growth.

Further detail surrounding Football Australia’s strategy and long-term direction will likely emerge over coming months. For now, the developments serve as a reminder that growth stories are rarely straightforward.

Often, the periods that appear strongest from the outside can also be the moments organisations face their most significant internal tests.

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