(Photo by Graham Denholm/Getty Images)
MELBOURNE, Australia — Augmented reality is an area that is showing a lot of traction for teams and venues to showcase their creativity and innovation.
The NBA has an AR game where fans can overlay a basketball court and shoot some hoops anywhere in the world. Teams and venues down in Australia have also been busy with the Brisbane Heat leading the way with their AR app that enables fans to bring trading cards and match tickets to life while the Sydney Cricket Ground recently debuted an activation where fans can recreate his famous final ball century in augmented reality.
Another Australian team in the AR space is the BBL Melbourne Renegades, who have delivered a new AR app which sees fans bring the team to life through a cricket game by wearing a special glove.
After downloading the Renegades app, I headed out to a recent BBL match at Etihad Stadium and was able to pick up a glove to see how the game worked. Wearing the glove and holding my hand out, I scanned the printed AR team logo on the glove whereby the wicket pitch then appeared on my hand in front of me. I spun the wheel to select my shot before attempting to hit the ball. The cricket game came to life in the palm of my hand.
SportTechie caught up with Ben Osborn, digital manager for the Renegades and governing body Cricket Victoria, to learn more about the app and the team’s future plans for technology and fan engagement.
How did the Renegades AR app come about?
The Renegades have always pushed the boundaries in the Big Bash League, and after launching Australian sport’s first ever Facebook Chat Bot (RUBi) last season, we were looking for a new challenge. The Brisbane Heat had built out a VR product, but we decided that AR was a better choice for us as it allowed every Renegades member and fan with access to a smart phone or device the ability to engage with the AR game. The idea of using a glove as the AR marker came squarely from our Marketing Manager Chris Gergely – who often has very out-of-the-box concepts…but this choice of execution has been a hit with the kids.
How was the AR App built? Who did you partner with?
We partnered with a local development company called ARE (Augmented Reality Experts) in Collingwood VIC. Alec and Pat from ARE brought a lot of experience and passion to the project, and really understood the unique idea we were trying to create for our members and fans.
What has the reaction been like from fans?
Reaction has been very positive so far from our Renegades members and fans, especially our younger fans. The idea that you can have Aaron Finch playing cricket in the palm of your very own hand struck a chord of excitement with fans – and is certainly a very new concept to many people. The fact that you can play the AR game as you sit in your seat at a Melbourne Renegades home game at Etihad Stadium also adds to the experience.
Is using new technologies like AR a big focus of the Renegades and what else could be in store for fans in future seasons?
Absolutely, as mentioned above, the Renegades always look to push the boundaries in the Big Bash League both on and off the field, whether that be via an AR Game, or riding a moto-cross bike down the Yarra River. We see Renegades AR building out into more of an interactive experience at-match, with the ability for fans to battle other fans in the stadium, as well as building a centralised scoring system that we could display up on the big screen on match nights to highlight our top scorers.
