Patriots execs are “spending a lot of time thinking about” the possibility of having trouble drawing fans to Gillette Stadium, according to Callum Borchers of the BOSTON GLOBE. Team President Jonathan Kraft last week said, “If we want people to still come to our stadium and find it worth the money, we have to figure out how we give an experience that’s different than the experience at home and give you all the comforts of home.” Possible new features at the stadium include streaming audio of offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels “relaying play calls" to QB Tom Brady, and "locker room video at halftime that ticket holders can view on their smartphones.” New apps “could soon direct fans to ideal parking spots and allow them to buy food and drink from mobile devices so they can pick up their orders without waiting in line.” Patriots Exec Dir of Media Relations Stacey James said that the NFL “would have to approve the streaming of locker room video and on-field audio, and the media would be edited or delayed.” Borchers noted all of the planned stadium extras “could be available as early as next season, thanks to a high-capacity Wi-Fi system installed during the summer” by Salem, N.H.-based Enterasys Networks. During the team’s playoff win over the Texans on Jan. 13, a “quarter of the fans at Gillette used the Wi-Fi network -- an all-time high.” Only seven of the NFL’s 30 other stadiums have “comparable Wi-Fi networks.” Meanwhile, the Bruins and Celtics are “working on a high-capacity Wi-Fi network at TD Garden.” The Red Sox this season will “test a loyalty program using mobile technology to track fans’ attendance at Fenway Park and then reward them for coming” (BOSTON GLOBE, 1/19).
