Fans of the Reading and Aston Villa football clubs will be able to use their existing stadium entry card for contactless payments inside Fortress-operated stadiums backed by the football clubs’ first loyalty programs, according to a Monday press release.
When the service goes live this year, soccer fans will be able to purchase items online and on-site using their stadium cards, with plans to include hotels and restaurants surrounding the clubs’ home stadiums to analyze fans’ preferences to shape loyalty offers, the release said.
“This is just the beginning of Wirecard’s partnership with Fortress within the sporting stadium sector and we are looking forward to giving football clubs the possibility of seamless payment experience with added value,” said Brian Lawlor, director of sales and business development for Germany-based Wirecard.
London-based Fortress GB operates systems supporting payments for tickets, loyalty and access at 130 stadiums and event venues worldwide, which connects to more than 7.5 million cards that leverage the Mifare application, according to the release.
