AAMI Park to implement facial recognition technology to improve match day safety

AAMI Park Security at Victory games

Melbourne Victory have announced that AAMI Park will be implementing facial recognition technology as part of its security monitoring and surveillance system at the venue ahead of the 2023/24 A-Leagues season.

The goal from the A-Leagues is to introduce several tools to AAMI Park in order to create a safe and enjoyable experience for all attendees, guests, players and staff.

The technology may be used to identify individuals who have been banned by Football Australia, the Australian Professional Leagues, competing clubs as well as persons who pose a threat to the safety, security, or integrity of the event, venue, or precinct.

No Australian football fan has forgotten about the disgraceful riots and actions of the ‘OSM’ Victory supporters at last years’ Melbourne derby – that evening at AAMI Park played a part in the swift decision to introduce this technology for safety purposes.

The technology works similarly to a QR Code like we saw during COVID-19 protocols where the system collects an image of a person’s face that is then converted into a special unique code known as a mathematical template for identification purposes (like a barcode).

Melbourne Victory Managing Director Caroline Carnegie explained what the technology means for future Victory games at AAMI Park.

“We have had an enormous amount of feedback from our members and fans around Stadium security measures and how we can ensure a safe environment for everyone to enjoy our games. As a Club, we are pleased that AAMI Park will have improved security measures in place this season,” Carnegie said in the press release.

“We are extremely excited for the season ahead and look forward to our members and fans supporting our boys and girls in blue and creating an atmosphere that rivals what we witnessed during the recent Women’s World Cup. We want an atmosphere that is representative of everything we love about football and that enables us all to represent our Club together.”

Melbourne Victory are preparing for another big season in both A-Leagues competitions, recently crushing the Women’s team membership records and consistently being a top-three club membership wise in the men’s competition.

This makes it extremely important that the club fixes the glaring safety issue at home games to prepare for this season and try to create a really attractive experience to increase crowd numbers at AAMI Park which have been down over 30% since the 19/20 season pre-Covid.

This technology has already been tried and tested in the Brazilian league at Allianz Parque, home of football club Palmeiras, with great success in its infancy.

The São Paulo Public Security Secretariat (SSP) revealed that the facial recognition technology helped arrest 28 criminals in the first four matches at the stadium, with 253 missing people identified and 146,793 tickets verified by the new tool since they brought it in mid-May 2023.

Initially, the facial recognition technology was brought in with an effort to speed up access to the stadium and also combat ticket touting, however clearly the statistics show that it has a lot of power combatting potential criminals which seems to be who the A-Leagues are targeting.

This move to implement facial recognition to improve fan and staff safety can only be seen as a huge positive and a rare proactive decision made by the A-Leagues.

The importance and magnitude of this move cannot be understated either as it also has the gleaming potential to transform the way we get into future A-Leagues events, how we buy food and merchandise, and the overall fan experience in the stadium.

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UEFA and Unilever renew partnership

UEFA has embraced Unilever as an Official Global Partner of the UEFA Women’s EURO 2025, kicking off in Switzerland on July 2 until July 27, 2025.

Unilever’s deal with UEFA builds off of their 2024 partnership and will see a wide array of Unilever’s Foods and Personal Care brands ignite their own integrated advertising campaigns to connect with fans and consumers in and out of the stadium, including household names like Dove, Rexona, Knorr and Hellmann’s.

UEFA marketing director, Guy-Laurent Epstein expressed UEFA’s excitement to work with Unilever again.

“Building on the success of our collaboration last summer, we are delighted to be continuing our partnership with Unilever for UEFA Women’s EURO 2025,” he said in a press release.

The support and interest in women’s football is on a sharp upward trajectory, and with Unilever’s portfolio of Food and Personal Care brands reaching billions of people every day, we look forward to celebrating the power of the game and bringing excitement to fans everywhere.”

General Manager of Unilever Foods Europe, Robbert de Vreede conveyed his enthusiasm for Unilever’s involvement in the upcoming Women’s EURO 2025.

“We are thrilled to partner with the UEFA Women’s EURO 2025, enabling our Foods brands to connect with a large audience who come together enjoying the thrill of a football match with friends whilst sharing delicious foods,” he said in a UEFA press release.

“Just as a great BBQ brings people closer, football unites fans in a shared experience of passion and camaraderie. In this partnership we will create memorable moments that highlight the best of summer – good food, great company, and beautiful games.”

General Manager of Unilever Personal Care Europe, Fulvio Guarneri detailed why the collaboration between UEFA and Unilever was a perfect fit.

“This is an exciting opportunity for some of our biggest brands to tap into a big cultural moment and connect with millions of consumers who will be watching the UEFA Women’s EURO 2025,” he said via press release.

“It’s a great time for women’s football and this partnership fits perfectly with our Personal Care products which are all about feeling clean and confident, and taking part in sports. Together with our retail partners, we look forward to building on the success of last year’s men’s tournament, delivering unmissable campaigns across a variety of channels that celebrate the power of women’s football.”

Unilever joins an exciting list of brands for the UEFA Women’s EURO 2025 tournament, including household names such as adidas, Amazon, AXA, Booking.com, EA, Euronics, Grifols, Heineken, Hublot, Just Eat Takeaway.com, Lay’s, Lidl, PlayStation and Visa.

The Club Development Conference highlights community football

Significant Sporting Events Program 2023-24

On Saturday, February 1st, over 200 attendees came together at Valentine Sports Park for the 2025 Football NSW Club Development Conference.

With registrations for the 2025 season still coming in, over 85 Football NSW clubs from both Sydney Metropolitan and regional areas gathered for a dynamic day of workshops, panels, and special guest speakers, celebrating community football.

Presented by Stephanie Brantz, the Conference included keynote addresses from Karen Jones, Acting CEO of Destination NSW and Chief Executive of the NSW Office of Sport, Dr. Catriona Rose of the Australian Sports Commission, and Matildas cap #167, Ellie Brush.

After the successful second edition of the conference, Trevor Huxley, Football NSW’s Program Manager for Club Development, expressed his excitement over the strong support from the community.

“The Club Development Conference is a fantastic opportunity to bring together all levels of the game to learn from one another, network and discuss best practice for grassroots football,” said Huxley via press release.

“It has been inspiring to see grassroots clubs across the state in attendance, illustrating a remarkable commitment to supporting their local communities. It’s vital that Football NSW continues to lead in this space, providing support to the volunteers and local administrators who are central to the ongoing growth of our game.”

Along with the keynote speakers, attendees were able to choose sessions tailored to their Club or role, covering topics such as safeguarding, volunteerism, marketing and data analysis, infrastructure and grant funding, player and spectator behaviour, women & girls’ football, diversity and inclusion, and grassroots coach education.

The Football NSW Club Development Conference serves as a pivotal platform for enhancing community football by Empowering Clubs, Facilitating Networking, Offering Targeted Education and Showcasing Leadership.

By focusing on these areas, the conference plays a crucial role in strengthening community football, promoting inclusivity, and ensuring the sport’s sustainable growth.

To gain further details and access Club resources, click here.

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