Sports

How stadiums are meeting the ever-growing demand for data and connectivity

Stade Orange Vélodrome in Marselle being prepared for 2024 Six Nations opening match between France and Ireland in February Of all the rapidly changing trends witnessed by sports – and in particular their fans – over the past decade, one of the most significant is what has become of sports stadiums. Indeed, it could be […]

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2 weeks ago

June 3, 2025

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Stade Orange Vélodrome in Marselle being prepared for 2024 Six Nations opening match between France and Ireland in February

Of all the rapidly changing trends witnessed by sports – and in particular their fans – over the past decade, one of the most significant is what has become of sports stadiums. Indeed, it could be argued that the term ‘modern sports stadium’ is somewhat old fashioned as the homes of sports teams have evolved into multi-use events facilities.

Any stadium that is being constructed from new or being upgraded is done so with the clear message that the end result won’t be what passed before to satisfy fans. The new or enhanced stadium is now a true communications hub, capable of meeting the connectivity demands of those who visit them: that is of the transmission of masses of video content to and from not just fans but also broadcasters, and not just content from sports fans but also those going to music events.

For all sports stadiums, providing a modern, high-quality communications network is very much a team game, principally involving a leading comms operator that not only understands current demands but can demonstrate how to manage the inevitable data explosion. Few countries’ sports arenas have had to deal with this issue more than those in France. And – as exemplified with its work for the last Rugby World cup and Olympic Games, as well as routine Ligue 1 games – few companies have provided solutions to meet this demand more than Orange.

Calling growth in data at today’s sports arenas ‘robust’ would be very much an understatement. A 2024 study from Ericsson calculated that arena venues had seen a 67% growth in data usage compared with a year previously, noting specifically that fans in stadiums now demand high-performance, robust and reliable mobile coverage to share, interact with and stream content. The next survey will almost certainly see this figure surpassed considerably. At the Stade Orange Vélodrome in Marseilles, this will be a certainty.

The home of Olympique de Marseille (OM) – traditionally seen as France’s second team behind the enriched Paris Saint-Germain – is unique in that not only does it have naming rights sponsorship from a leading global comms operator, it is also the home of a test bed for mobile and fixed communications technology and services. Orange’s relationship with OM really began in earnest in the 4G days of June 2016 as part of a grand strategy to create a totally renovated connected stadium in time for that year’s Euros tournament.

Recalling the connectivity demands of the time, Guillaume Chabas, head of innovation at Orange Business and head of the 5G Lab at Orange Vélodrome, said the first step was to create something significant with the wireless connection and create and purpose some applications for new usage. In 2016, 4G was the mobile standard but on its own it was not enough. WiFi connectivity had to be implemented to upgrade network capacity because 4G was not enough to meet anticipated network loads.

Six years later – just months away from a Rugby World Cup that would see Orange Vélodrome act as a key host stadium – 5G had very much entered the room and not just metaphorically. The end of the 2021/22 football season saw fans in the hospitality boxes and premium seats able to make use of the Orange 5G network to see the first use cases that the next-generation mobile infrastructure could support. Indeed, Orange Vélodrome was also France’s first 5G-equipped stadium, taking advantage of a non-standalone core network that comprised a 3.5GHz mid-band network complemented by experimental mmWave 5G in the 26GHz range. There was also AWS Edge Capacity connected to an experimental 5G area and to a cloud/hybrid edge.

Initial supported technologies and services included virtual reality (VR), augmented reality (AR), video analytics based on artificial intelligence (AI), and real-time monitoring of stadium resources. One of the most impressive and interesting of these was the Augmented Match service, a mixed-reality mobile app developed jointly by Orange and Immersiv.io that allowed fans to access real-time technical and statistical information about the players on the field. This gave the option of data on the players – such as distance ran, goals scored, general pedigree etc – transposed upon the official TV feed of the game for those watching on a smartphone. The players’ positions were displayed in real time along with other data, such as shots, dribbles, passes and defence.

The app ran over the experimental 26GHz 5G network along with edge computing, using Computer Vision to detect player position, with 5G ensuring a very high-speed connection, necessary to provide the lowest possible latency to avoid any lag between the actions on the field, AR data and even digital twins of the players.

It’s no surprise to discover that Chabas and his team were also actively involved in the 2024 Paris Olympics for which select maritime events were hosted in the nearby marina in Marseilles. In terms of challenges, and indeed environment, the Marseilles nautical events brought about unique conditions for network broadcast. The company leant in on the established Stade Orange fibre network that routinely sees use in transporting high-quality broadcast video during OM home fixtures. A key part of the broadcast service was based on using specially optimised Samsung S24 smartphones as TV cameras directly on boats, supported by an Orange private 5G network.

Fast forward to 2025 and the Orange Vélodrome is upping the connectivity ante to stay relevant for today’s fans. “From the way athletes train to how fans experience the game, technology is transforming sports at every level. While unlocking new business opportunities, it creates immersive entertainment and democratises sports, making them more interactive and inclusive,” says Chabas.

Orange has now deployed four key applications to boost broadcasting and ultimately the fan experience, namely an evolved Immersiv.io app that brings AR overlays and live stats and replays directly into the stadium; Touch2See which is designed to enable visually impaired fans to ‘feel’ the game through tactile tablets; 5G+ for Camera, said to offer “seamless” media production; and Team Connect, based on a private 5G network that is said to enable private 5G media production. Specifically, the app is designed to allow real-time, high-performance interference-free live broadcasting and critical event communications during events using dedicated frequencies and cloud services to streamline operations.

Going forward, Chabas see more innovation from the connectivity set up. Key projects being investigated include potential advanced monetisation opportunities from video feeds by which AI could recognise key brands’ sports equipment. Prioritised electronic payment services are regarded as another key area. But essentially, the key will be delivering an advanced comms infrastructure to make these potentials real, with AI very much at the forefront in the new immersive world of sports broadcast.

“As 5G, AI, and immersive technologies evolve, the future of sport is not just something you watch; it’s something you live,” Chabas concludes.

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Sports

117 Student-Athletes Named to MAC Spring Academic Honor Roll

Story Links Annville, PA (June 18, 2025) – The Middle Atlantic Conference (MAC) announced its 2025 MAC Spring Academic Honor Roll on Wednesday morning and 117 DeSales student-athletes across nine sports were honored on the list. The MAC Spring Academic Honor Roll is comprised of student-athletes who compete in a varsity level […]

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13 minutes ago

June 18, 2025

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Annville, PA (June 18, 2025) – The Middle Atlantic Conference (MAC) announced its 2025 MAC Spring Academic Honor Roll on Wednesday morning and 117 DeSales student-athletes across nine sports were honored on the list.

The MAC Spring Academic Honor Roll is comprised of student-athletes who compete in a varsity level sport and registered a spring semester GPA of 3.20 or higher.

Among the highlights for DeSales were 15 student-athletes who earned a perfect 4.0 GPA including: graduate student Tim Connell (men’s outdoor track & field), graduate student Dean Ricco (men’s outdoor track & field), sophomore Weston Simak (men’s outdoor track & field), senior Cody Smith (men’s outdoor track & field), senior Elizabeth Chidester (women’s outdoor track & field), sophomore Catherine Crampton (women’s outdoor track & field), junior Abby Durbano (women’s outdoor track & field), first-year Ellie Kozich (women’s outdoor track & field), sophomore Sophia Manidis (women’s outdoor track & field), senior Emma Mele (women’s outdoor track & field), graduate student Gavin Zavorski (baseball), first-year Courtney DiPrenda (softball), senior Tori Kenney (softball), junior Nicole Minelli (women’s lacrosse), junior Emily Prokopovich (women’s tennis).

Overall DeSales’ nine winter teams totaled 213 student-athletes eligible for the MAC Spring Academic Honor Roll with 117 earning the honor and thus 54.9% percent of the eligible student-athletes were recognized by the conference.

A complete list of DeSales recipients include:

Spring Sports

Men’s Outdoor Track & Field (23) – Jozef Callano, Nick Chinn, Tim Connell, Braeden DeGrazia, Lens Demosthene, Dylan Doskocil, Jordan Gallo, Bryce Guthier, Kaden Issa, Jack Jacobson, Trevor Keperling, Colin Marsh, Javell McMichael, Bryce Phillips, Alex Porambo, Dean Ricco, Weston Simak, Peter Skulski, Cody Smith, Jordan Smith, Dane Watson, Brian Whitney, Joey Wilson.

Women’s Outdoor Track & Field (19) – Sophia Amoretti, Lindsay Bednarek, Sarah Campbell, Ashley Carrier, Elizabeth Chidester, Catherine Crampton, Abby Durbano, Haley Estus, Sadie Fenstermaker, Ellie Kozich, Sophia Manidis, Emma Mele, Melissa Peller, Emma Ribeiro, Rita Salzmann, Adia Tompkins, Nina Viglianti, Kay Wiscount, Olivia Zeitler.

Baseball (13) – Eddie Cwiertniewicz, Justin DeStaso, Matt DeStaso, Bobby Dingell, Jared Drake, Kyle Hart, Colin Houck, Travis Kerr, John Rorick, Zach Rothermel, Aaron Schneider, Eric Wert, Gavin Zavorski.

Softball (15) – Gianna Angermeier, Brynn Balliet, Camryn Coates, Courtney DiPrenda, Ava Goodman, Arabella Heintzelman, Paige Hromin, Madison Kelly, Tori Kenney, Tabitha Lawless, Samantha Leonard, Rachel Lowry, Katie Sharkey, Amy Wood, Cassie Zellner.

Men’s Lacrosse (18) – Ryan Ammirata, AJ Ardizone, Sean Barley, Chase Bowman, Nolan Chiulli, Liam Doyle, Braden Eastman, Jake Fratarcangeli, Anthony Gash, TJ Kearns, Patrick Kerrigan, Tim McLean, Andrew Piccola, Pat Schuett, Andrew Vogel, Taylor Wikert, Mark Winkler Jr., Seth Young.

Women’s Lacrosse (12) – Cami Beetel, Jess Brey, Sophia Campola, Anna Edwards, Maggie Evans, Bridget Hays, Meagan Landers, Bridey Lawler, Hailey Linebaugh, Nicole Minelli, Michaela Regan, Danielle Sieja.

Men’s Tennis (6) – Frank Boffa, Brent Holzman, Luke Jessup, Zach Marshall, Rey Salazar, Reece Stein.

Women’s Tennis (5) – Tara Clark, Lilah Maus, Afaf Nazif, Emily Prokopovich, Nyah Tomlinson.

Golf (6) – Kyle Artis, Nick Foreman, Brandon Fox, Jimmy Kelly, Patrick Kusters, Peter McGinley.

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Nebraska volleyball adds three more commits to 2027 roster

Bob Devaney Center LINCOLN, Neb. (KLKN) — Nebraska volleyball is now up to five recruits in the class of 2027. Three commitments came in on Tuesday: Pulelehua Laikona, Shaye Witherspoon and Mallory Johnson. Laikona is a defensive specialist/libero who plays for the Arizona Storm. She is the No. 102 recruit in the 2027 class, according to […]

Published

14 minutes ago

June 18, 2025

Your Sports Nation

LINCOLN, Neb. (KLKN) — Nebraska volleyball is now up to five recruits in the class of 2027.

Three commitments came in on Tuesday: Pulelehua Laikona, Shaye Witherspoon and Mallory Johnson.

Laikona is a defensive specialist/libero who plays for the Arizona Storm. She is the No. 102 recruit in the 2027 class, according to PrepDig, and the No. 12 libero.

Witherspoon is ranked No. 10 by PrepDig and No. 11 by PrepVolleyball.

Johnson is also a defensive specialist/libero and is the No. 31 overall prospect, according to PrepVolleyball, and is ranked No. 68 by PrepDig.

Bonus!

— Dani Busboom Kelly (@danib18) June 17, 2025

They join Malorie Boesiger and Kendall Omorruyi in the 2027 class.

Categories: Husker Sports, Sports

Tags: GBR, High school volleyball, husker volleyball, Huskers, Mallory Johnson, Nebraska, Nebraska Volleyball, Pulelehua Laikona, Shaye Witherspoon, Volleyball, Volleyball commits

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Trio of Dukes To Compete at USATF U20 Championships

Story Links PITTSBURGH – Duquesne’s Colm Matheney, Louie Liberatore and Rose Kuchera are set to compete in the 2025 USA Track & Field U20 Championships beginning Thursday, June 19, at Hayward Field in Eugene, Oregon. The trio each posted qualifying marks during standout freshman seasons on the Bluff. Matheney will compete in […]

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30 minutes ago

June 18, 2025

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PITTSBURGH – Duquesne’s Colm Matheney, Louie Liberatore and Rose Kuchera are set to compete in the 2025 USA Track & Field U20 Championships beginning Thursday, June 19, at Hayward Field in Eugene, Oregon. The trio each posted qualifying marks during standout freshman seasons on the Bluff.

Matheney will compete in the decathlon (Thursday and Friday), while Kuchera (triple jump) and Liberatore (javelin) are scheduled to compete on Thursday.

Matheney qualified at the Susquehanna River Hawk Multi with a score of 6,300 points, recording personal bests in the long jump, 400 meters, 110-meter hurdles, pole vault, javelin and 1,500 meters. He placed fifth in the decathlon at his first Atlantic 10 Championship appearance.

Kuchera punched her ticket to Eugene with a first-place, school-record mark of 12.51 meters (41-0.5) in the triple jump at the George Mason Dalton Ebanks Invitational in April. The Canonsburg, Pennsylvania, native improved that record to 12.52 meters (41-1) the following week at Bucknell. She earned bronze in the triple jump at the Atlantic 10 Championship and claimed gold at the ECAC Outdoor Championships. Kuchera also picked up A-10 bronze in the long jump and ranks tied for fourth in program history at 5.91 meters (19-4.75).

Liberatore hit the U20 qualifying standard in just his second meet, throwing over 60 meters in the javelin at Carnegie Mellon. He broke the 60-meter barrier six times during the season and became the first NCAA Outdoor Championships men’s javelin qualifier in program history. His school-record mark of 64.50 meters (211-7) came at the IC4A Championships, followed by a 61.08-meter (200-5) performance at the NCAA East First Round.

FOLLOW THE DUKES

Follow Duquesne Track and Field online at GoDuquesne.com, as well as on X, Instagram, and Facebook (@DuqXCTF).

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Volleyball Announces 2025 Schedule

CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. – The Virginia volleyball program released its 2025 schedule on Wednesday (June 18), and the highlights include 14 home matches and 10 against squads that made the 2024 NCAA tournament. The fifth season of the Shannon Wells era opens on the road with a three-match weekend in Washington, D.C., against Georgetown (Aug. 29), […]

Published

31 minutes ago

June 18, 2025

Your Sports Nation

CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. – The Virginia volleyball program released its 2025 schedule on Wednesday (June 18), and the highlights include 14 home matches and 10 against squads that made the 2024 NCAA tournament.

The fifth season of the Shannon Wells era opens on the road with a three-match weekend in Washington, D.C., against Georgetown (Aug. 29), George Washington (Aug. 30) and Howard (Aug 31).

UVA opens its 2025 home slate with the Cavalier Classic, which features VCU (Sept. 4) and Appalachian State (Sept. 6), before heading to SEC foe Auburn on Sept. 9 as part of the “Showdown at the Net” tournament.

To wrap up non-conference play, Virginia will host Michigan in back-to-back matches on Sept. 12 and 13. The Cavaliers will then travel to Columbus, Ohio, for a pair of matches against Troy (Sept. 19) and Ohio State (Sept. 20).

Virginia opens ACC play with a four-match homestand against Stanford (Sept. 27), Cal (Sept. 28), Boston College (Oct. 3) and Syracuse (Oct. 5).

The Commonwealth Clash presented by Smithfield matches between UVA and Virginia Tech are slated for Oct. 15 (Wednesday) in Blacksburg and Oct. 19 (Sunday) in Charlottesville.

Virginia’s remaining ACC home matches include Georgia Tech (Oct. 31), Clemson (Nov. 2), NC State (Nov. 21), Wake Forest (Nov. 23) and North Carolina (Nov. 26).

The Cavaliers’ other ACC road contests are against Notre Dame (Oct. 10), Louisville (Oct. 12), Florida State (Oct. 24), Miami (Oct. 26), SMU (Nov. 7), Pitt (Nov. 9), North Carolina (Nov. 14), Duke (Nov. 16) and Boston College (Nov. 29).

Virginia will also host an exhibition against James Madison on Aug 16 (Saturday). Broadcast designations, including matches on ACC Network, will be posted to VirginiaSports.com once announced by the ACC and ESPN. Start times are subject to change based on broadcast selections.

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Six Caltech Men’s Water Polo Student-Athletes Named to 2024-25 Academic All-District Team – Pasadena Now

[print-me target=”#content”] 5 recommended Share Six Caltech student-athletes have been named to the College Sports Communicators 2024-25 Academic All-District Men’s At-Large Team, a remarkable number from a single institution. Kaleb Dy (Walnut, Calif. Walnut), Axel Haydt (Austin, Texas Westlake), Andres Heredia (San Diego / Francis Parker), Justin Hong (Pasadena, Calif. / Pasadena), Sujit Iyer (Marietta, Ga. Wheeler) and Joshua Braun (Bakersfield, Calif. / Garces) each received the honor. The men qualified […]

Published

39 minutes ago

June 18, 2025

Your Sports Nation

Six Caltech student-athletes have been named to the College Sports Communicators 2024-25 Academic All-District Men’s At-Large Team, a remarkable number from a single institution.

Kaleb Dy (Walnut, Calif. Walnut), Axel Haydt (Austin, Texas Westlake), Andres Heredia (San Diego / Francis Parker), Justin Hong (Pasadena, Calif. / Pasadena), Sujit Iyer (Marietta, Ga. Wheeler) and Joshua Braun (Bakersfield, Calif. / Garces) each received the honor. The men qualified for the accolade by achieving at least a cumulative grade point average of 3.50 on a 4.00 scale while also participating in at least 90 percent of the team’s total games or starting in 66 percent of those contests.

As a team, Caltech achieved the highest GPA in collegiate water polo this past season.

Hong, Haydt, Heredia and Braun all ranked among Caltech’s top six players in point production this past season. Hong led the team in assists with 20.

Find the full list of honorees here.
Find more information about the Academic All-America and Academic All-District programs at AcademicAllAmerica.com

Follow Caltech Water Polo on Instagram and follow Caltech Athletics on Facebook, Twitter/X and Instagram.

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Orioles minor

UPDATED at 10:45 with information from Major League Baseball. SARASOTA, Fla. (WWSB) – The Baltimore Orioles announced late Tuesday night that a 19-year-old minor-leaguer on its Florida Complex League roster has died. The announcement of the death of infielder Luis Guevara comes three days after the organization confirmed that some of their players were involved […]

Published

42 minutes ago

June 18, 2025

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UPDATED at 10:45 with information from Major League Baseball.

SARASOTA, Fla. (WWSB) – The Baltimore Orioles announced late Tuesday night that a 19-year-old minor-leaguer on its Florida Complex League roster has died.

The announcement of the death of infielder Luis Guevara comes three days after the organization confirmed that some of their players were involved in a collision of two personal watercraft off Lido Key Sunday.

While the Orioles organization did not tie Guevara’s death to the crash, an article on MLB.com confirmed he was involved in the crash.

The Florida Wildlife Conservation Commission, who is investigating the crash, said two personal watercraft, each with two people aboard, collided head-on. Two riders sustained minor injuries; two others were hospitalized.

The FWC has so far released few other details.

In the statement released Tuesday night, the Orioles organization asked for “their continued privacy during this difficult time.”

The Orioles statement in full:

“The Orioles are heartbroken to share the news of the passing of minor league infielder Luis Guevara.

“Luis was a beloved member of our organization, and we are devastated following his tragic passing. Our thoughts and prayers are with his family, friends, and teammates and we ask for their continued privacy during this difficult time,” said Orioles Executive Vice President and General Manager Mike Elias.

“Guevara, 19, was signed by the Orioles as an international free agent out of Tinaco, Venezuela in January 2023. He appeared in 30 games this year, his first season in the United States, playing in 24 games with Single-A Delmarva, four with the FCL Orioles, and two with Double-A Chesapeake. He spent his first two professional seasons from 2023-24 with the DSL Orioles.”