Clear has had kiosks set up outside Banc of California Stadium as part of a trial run for the techTONY FLOREZ
Many sports fans "may not need a ticket" when they return post-pandemic to watch their teams play live as several teams, including the Mets and LAFC, are "testing facial-recognition technology in stadiums," according to Parmy Olson of the WALL STREET JOURNAL. Facial-recognition supplier Trueface Founder & CEO Shaun Moore said that some venues are "looking to use facial-recognition scanners to start bringing small numbers of high-value fans such as VIP guests or season-ticket holders back for games." Olson noted facial-recognition technology is "at the point that it has proven to be reliable." However, some said that the technology "raises privacy issues." LAFC fans next year will be able to "use an app called Clear, made by Alclear and used by some airline passengers to speed through security checks by presenting their fingerprints or showing their faces." Fans will be able to "take and download a selfie and link their Clear accounts with their existing Ticketmaster profiles." LAFC CTO Christian Lau said, "Our plan is to move everything to face." He added that the club "started doing trials of Clear's older face-and-fingerprint kiosks just before the lockdown and that 600 fans had used them to get in over the course of two games." Olson noted Alclear and LAFC "haven’t disclosed costs, but an access-control kiosk like the one LAFC is buying typically costs several thousand dollars" (WALL STREET JOURNAL, 8/2).
