20 Oct The In-Stadium Experience for Major League Soccer Fans

Technology is changing match experiences for MLS fans. You can now order food from your seat, have a personalized team app that displays all the stats of your favorite club, and view live player highlights featuring different camera angles directly from your phone. In that sense, soccer in the US is far more advanced than in some other parts of the world, and that makes for a unique experience for fans.

With the proliferation of social media as part of every aspect of our lives, consumer expectations and behaviors during match day are changing. Wi-fi is now a requirement during the soccer experience; fans check in at the stadium, tweet about the game, Snapchat their friends throughout the game, update their Facebook status, and post #selfies to Instagram as proof that they were there live.

Should club owners want fans looking up at the game on the field or looking down at their handheld devises? Sure, why not? Technology is the unique factor that makes soccer in the United States different than in other countries. Major League Soccer teams are leading the way in this aspect of the game, looking to connect the fans inside the stadiums and amplify their experiences.

MLS owners from the Portland Timbers have sold out every game; the Seattle Sounders average up to 40,000 fans a game. You can catch all the buzz on social media throughout the weekend as the games go on, fans are not less involved with the game because of Social Media, but the opposite. The MLS is pushing for popularity in the states, and better connections for the fans (both literally and figuratively) might be what the league needs to pave the way for fans looking to join in on the fun.