The Parramatta Eels, one of Australia’s premier rugby league clubs, recently opened its new multi-million-dollar Centre of Excellence (COE). Designed to be a hub for the club and the wider Western Sydney community, this cutting-edge facility was funded by a partnership between the New South Wales government, Australian government, and the Hills Shire Council. The complex features five full-sized rugby league fields and is Australia’s first gender-equal elite training facility.
While the new campus provides a world-class physical infrastructure, the Eels realised that to fully leverage the new facilities to enhance fan engagement, the club required a robust, intuitive, and centralized digital content delivery system.
The Eels needed a system that had the flexibility to create and deploy dynamic content seamlessly across the main stadium and the connected facilities. The solution would need to deliver a first-class spectator viewing experience, while also empowering management and staff via intuitive tools for efficient content management, especially during live events.
Awarded through a competitive tender, the Ci Group, a Melbourne-based systems integrator, designed and installed a tailored AV solution at the COE to fully meet the demands of this elite sporting environment. The solution features LG displays, QSC audio and a Vitech IPTV and digital signage platform. The result is an AV system that not only supports the Eels’ daily high-performance training but also enhances the experience for fans and wider community users.
The Ci team implemented a comprehensive Vitec IPTV and digital signage platform. The Vitec solution creates a seamless and dynamic flow of content, beginning with the various sources. Live terrestrial and satellite broadcasts, as well as local feeds from press conferences and other events, are captured by Vitec IP gateways. Once captured, streams are encoded into high-quality IP streams and sent over the stadium's network. For the main game broadcast, a Vitec MGW Ace encoder ensures ultra-low latency, so fans see the action as it happens.
At the heart of the operation is the Vitec AvediaServer, which acts as the central management platform, controlling content displayed on screens throughout the facility in areas such as the community gym, football lounge, and office spaces. From a single user interface, operators can effortlessly control all the content, from TV channels to digital signage. This content is then distributed to the various displays via Vitec media players. Each media player receives its designated stream, decodes it, and delivers a high-quality, low latency viewing experience on the connected displays, ensuring every fan and visitor is always engaged and informed.
A key feature of the system is its ease of use, enabling staff to utilize tablet-controlled presets to efficiently manage and switch between digital signage and live TV content in real-time. This intuitive control provides the Eels staff with the ability to respond instantly to the evolving needs of spectators, audiences and others as required.
This comprehensive system allows the Eels to easily manage all their digital screens from a central point, no matter where they are located. Staff can now switch between live TV and custom-made digital signage with simple, tablet-based controls. This gives the club complete flexibility to show live game highlights in one area, display player stats on another, and run promotional messages on a third, all while ensuring a consistent and engaging experience for everyone in the facility.
Since the installation of the Vitec system, the Parramatta Eels have experienced significant improvements in both fan engagement and internal communication. The team can now create a wide variety of new and dynamic content, which was previously impossible. During a recent fan day event, the Eels leveraged the system to display a dynamic storyboard on a large LED screen at the entrance, allowing fans to take photos that were instantly showcased. The event passed without incident, demonstrating the solution's reliability.
By leveraging the variety of signage options available, the Eels can effectively engage their staff, players, guests, and partners during numerous events held at their facilities, thereby maximising their overall engagement. The solution’s benefits extend across both the whole complex and ensure a consistent and high-quality content experience throughout the entire campus.