Cisco and St. Louis City SC are delivering world-class technology to CITYPARK

CityPark

Cisco has joined Major League Soccer side St. Louis City SC as the club’s Technology Partner.

In representation of their shared vision, the goal is to create one of the most connected and fan-centric environments in the MLS, using CITYPARK as a brand new 31-acre stadium district.

Cisco is the worldwide leader in technology that powers the internet. They are no strangers to global football either, having worked with the likes of Manchester City and Real Madrid from the Premier League and LaLiga respectively, among other clients all over the world.

Cisco inspires new possibilities by reimagining applications, securing data, transforming infrastructure, and empowering teams.

From a stadium perspective, CITYPARK will see the benefits of Cisco arise from networking, security, Wi-Fi and digital signage to give home and visiting fans alike one of the most innovative matchday experiences across all sport.

A state-of-the-art network, leveraging Wi-Fi 6, will be widely used across CITYPARK’s main stadium, training centre, team headquarters and two-story team store.

Wi-Fi 6 is Cisco’s next generation standard for connection quality, with the advantages being faster speeds, more bandwidth (four times greater capacity than traditional Wi-Fi), higher reliability and less taxing on a device’s battery. With this technology, no user will ever have to put up with dodgy download or upload speeds.

CITYPARK is one of only a few MLS-specific stadiums to deploy Cisco’s Wi-Fi 6 technology. It has been delivering record-setting results in leading venues around the world, including SoFi Stadium in Los Angeles and State Farm Stadium in Glendale, Arizona – sites of Super Bowl LVI and LVII – the pinnacle of National Football League (NFL). They have also worked closely in the lead up to the 2024 Olympic and Paralympic Games in Paris.

“As a next-generation venue with frictionless markets and mobile-first technologies at the forefront of CITYPARK’s engagement, an innovative fan experience is reliant on a robust and secure connectivity,” St. Louis City SC Chief Experience Officer Matt Sebek said via press release.

“Every piece of data flows through Cisco’s converged technology, allowing us to streamline IT operations and provide heightened experiences through elevated video distribution, point-of-sale devices, digital signage, real-time app engagement and so much more.”

In addition, Cisco will initiate leading cybersecurity solutions throughout the CITYPARK district, adding in the extra layer of reassurance that all data is safe for fans.

Cisco is relied upon to secure the largest sports and entertainment events in the world, highlighted by their IPTV technology to be implemented at CITYPARK – a dynamic, end-to-end signage solution that combines high-definition video delivery with state-of-the art digital signage. The 4K deployment will power screens across the stadium district, all entirely customisable and centrally managed via one point of control.

“CITYPARK is designed to be a one-of-a-kind sporting campus, with a world-class infrastructure that will allow it to serve as a platform for innovation for years to come,” Cisco Managing Director of Global Sales – Sports, Media and Entertainment, Ken Martin, added via press release.

“By partnering with Cisco, City SC is making a clear commitment to providing its fans, visitors, coaches and players an unparalleled and seamless experience across the entire district.”

St. Louis City has recently begun their debut Major League Soccer season in fine form, with fans to experience the ‘new normal’ for what to expect on gameday.

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Football NSW releases $600,000 towards Grassroots Grants to meet Participation Pressure

The Victorian State Government has announced new grants and funding for 11 new community infrastructure projects for local football clubs, totalling $3.8 million.

Sixty-five football clubs across New South Wales have secured a combined total of nearly $600,000 in funding through the NSW Office of Sport’s Local Sports Grant Program. It follows as a result of Football NSW’s scale of demand for community sport support and the growing pressure on clubs struggling to keep pace with surging participation.

The grants, covering 69 individual projects across the Football NSW footprint, will fund facility upgrades, equipment purchases, participation programs and accessibility improvements: the unglamorous but essential infrastructure that determines whether community clubs can function at the level their members require.

The Local Sports Grant Program made up to $4.65 million available statewide in 2025, with $50,000 allocated to each electoral district and individual grants capped at $20,000. Football’s share of nearly $600,000 reflects the sport’s status as the largest participation code in NSW, and the degree to which that status has not always been matched by corresponding investment in the facilities and resources required to sustain it.

Volunteers carrying an unsustainable load

The announcement arrives against a backdrop of mounting pressure on the volunteer workforce that keeps community football operational. Across NSW, thousands of volunteers dedicate significant unpaid time each week to administration, ground preparation, canteen operation and the logistical demands of running competitive junior and senior programs. As participation numbers climb, driven in part by the sustained visibility of the AFC Women’s Asian Cup and the legacy of the 2023 FIFA Women’s World Cup, those demands have intensified without a corresponding increase in the resources available to meet them.

“As the largest participation sport in NSW it is pleasing to see almost $600,000 will be reinvested back into supporting our players, coaches, referees and volunteers to improve the football experience across our community clubs,” said Helen Armson, Football NSW’s Group Head of Strategic Partnerships and Corporate Affairs.

The equity dimension

The distribution of the grants across 65 clubs and 69 projects also speaks to the geographic breadth of football’s footprint in NSW, and to the uneven distribution of resources that has historically characterised community sport in this country. Clubs in outer metropolitan and regional areas tend to operate with smaller budgets, older facilities and thinner volunteer bases than their inner-city counterparts. Grant programs structured around electoral allocation, rather than club size or existing resource base, provide a degree of equity that market-driven funding cannot.

The kinds of projects funded under this program disproportionately benefit clubs serving communities where the barriers to participation are highest. A club that cannot offer adequate facilities or equipment is a club that turns players away, often without intending to.

Football NSW has used the announcement to call on the NSW Government to maintain and extend its investment in the sport. “We urge the government to continue to invest in football,” Armson said, in the midst for a nation-wide push for a $343 million decade-long infrastructure fund to address the facilities gap across the state.

The nearly $600,000 secured through this round is meaningful. Against the scale of what is needed, it is also a measure of how far the investment still has to go.

LaLiga and RFEF launch RefCam in latest innovation drive

The technology made its debut in Saturday’s clash between Atlético de Madrid and Real Sociedad in the Copa del Rey final, marking the start a new era for fan experiences.

Giving the game a new perspective

With RefCam, LALIGA and the Royal Spanish Football Federation (RFEF) will provide an entirely new way to see, and experience, live football.

Javier Alberola, the referee in charge of Saturday’s final, wore a headset-mounted camera and microphone, allowing spectators a unique look into the action of elite-level football.

Furthermore, the integrated audio provides fans with better transparency over in-game decisions, a move which strengthens the connection and understanding between fans and match officials while the game unfolds.

This is not just a step forward for officiating in Spain, but the beginning of a future where innovation and technology combine to provide fans with a new way to enjoy the game.

 

The plan moving forward

With the technology taking centre stage for the first time this weekend, RefCam will continue to feature in the coming matchweeks in Spain’s top-flight division.

The current vision is for RefCam to feature in one match per matchday, including the ultimate showdown between European giants FC Barcelona and Real Madrid on Matchday 35. The best technology, for the best match-up in Spanish football.

As LALIGA begins the rollout of RefCam in the coming weeks, the potential is endless for new content and insights during live matches.

“The introduction of RefCam forms part of LALIGA’s broader strategy to keep transforming the way football is experienced, with a focus on making coverage more immersive, engaging and distinctive,” explained LALIGA via official press release.

“As well as enriching the live broadcast, RefCam opens up new opportunities across digital platforms by enabling the creation of innovative content and highlights from a truly unique viewpoint: that of the referee.”

 

Connection to the game

Indeed, the viewpoint of a referee is one which we often overlook as spectators.

As our attention is on the players, managers or on post-match highlights, we forget about the one person who sees the game closer than anyone else in the stadium.

That is what makes RefCam special. It gives us a point of view that we have never seen before.

And a new level of proximity and connection to the game we love.

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