Beyond The Final Whistle

Originally published via LinkedIn Immersive Onside Newsletter, July 7, 2026

An Immersive Onside Analysis

Football clubs have spent the last two decades using technology to make matchday easier.

Online ticketing replaced paper stubs. Club apps put schedules, parking information, and digital wallets in supporters' pockets. Cashless concessions and mobile ordering shortened queues. These innovations made attending a match more convenient, but they didn't fundamentally change the experience.

Recently, I've noticed something different.

Instead of using technology to solve logistical problems, some clubs are beginning to use it to create experiences.

Newcastle United recently unveiled AI-powered interactive displays that let supporters play gesture-controlled games, virtually try on merchandise, and interact with digital content around St. James' Park. Queens Park Rangers has announced TifoXR, an upcoming virtual version of Loftus Road designed to connect supporters beyond matchday. Manchester City has partnered with Sony on FavoriteSpace, a virtual platform where fans can gather, explore digital club spaces, take a virtual tour of Etihad Stadium, and experience exclusive content together. Israeli club Maccabi Tel-Aviv created MaccabiVerse, an immersive fan experience available on Meta Quest VR headsets, which allows fans to relive match day highlights, visit a virtual club museum with rare historical items, and more.

Different technologies. Similar ambitions. They're all trying to answer the same question:

How does a football club stay connected with supporters when they aren't sitting in their seats?

For clubs with global fan bases, that's becoming an increasingly important challenge. Most supporters will never attend a home match in person. Their connection to the club comes through broadcasts, highlights, social media, podcasts, and mobile apps. Digital experiences offer another way to narrow that distance.

That doesn't mean technology should become the main attraction.

Quite the opposite.

The best matchday experiences are still built around the football itself. Technology works best when it fades into the background and adds something meaningful, whether that's helping a supporter discover club history, creating a memorable moment before kickoff, or giving someone thousands of miles away a stronger connection to their club.

More Than Football

Football isn't the only industry exploring these ideas.

Sphere has reimagined the live event through immersive visuals and spatial audio. Cosm has created shared reality venues that let fans experience live sport together in ways that sit somewhere between a television broadcast and being there in person. Museums are extending exhibitions beyond their walls through digital storytelling that continues long after visitors leave.

Different audiences. Different technologies. The same idea.

The experience no longer begins at the entrance or ends at the exit.

Football clubs are beginning to explore that same possibility.

I don't know whether every experiment will succeed.

Some probably won't.

Supporters have a remarkable ability to ignore gimmicks and embrace experiences that genuinely add something to the day. Mobile ticketing once felt like a novelty. Today it's simply part of attending a match. Some of today's experiments may follow the same path.

Others will disappear as quickly as they arrived.

Football has always been about more than ninety minutes.

Clubs are finally starting to design for the hours that surround them.

Disclosure: The author previously served as Vice President of Global Mobile Software and was involved in the business development of TifoXR. He has no current affiliation with the company or the project.