As one of the winningest franchises in professional football with a fervent fan base that has sold out every home game for the past 43 seasons, we're constantly looking to improve facilities for our fans and people who attend the hundreds of concerts, festivals, corporate outings and other events hosted at the stadium each year. Following the Broncos' 2012 season, we initiated a series of major technology enhancements.
As we continue to compete with high-end HDTVs and home theater systems, the pressure is on to provide the best possible game day experience for our fans at Sports Authority Field at Mile High, and that's just what we did. Here are four ways the Broncos enhanced their technology game.
Faster network for players and coaches
IT professionals know that the key to better technology services often starts behind the scenes. We know that if we wanted the team to communicate faster, and the fans to enjoy and capture their experience in the stadium better a fiber cable overhaul was in order, and we needed Ethernet, the new gold standard of Internet connections, to do it.
So the Broncos enlisted
Comcast to lead an upgrade to the team's Internet connection at the stadium and the fiber connection between the stadium and the team's headquarters and training facility in Englewood.
The Broncos now have a dedicated 100-Mbps Ethernet line for high-speed Internet access and another 100-Mbps Ethernet line connecting the stadium to the team's headquarters and training facility in Englewood.
The network upgrade is helping the Broncos improve productivity by accelerating the transfer of game video and access to coaching applications in their offices. The increased bandwidth allowed the IT staff to move away from tape-based backup systems, providing simpler, more reliable disaster recovery methods. Even players, who are equipped with iPads containing their playbooks, can now easily access video content and update their playbooks with the latest information.
Faster network for fans
The upgraded Ethernet network also enhanced the in-stadium experience for fans by allowing the Wi-Fi network to support up to 25,000 simultaneous Wi-Fi connections, more than 10 times the previous limit. The entire stadium is now one giant Verizon Wi-Fi hotspot powered with an Internet connection from Comcast.
The Wi-Fi has more than 500 access points throughout the stadium -- including several in the parking lots. While free Wi-Fi connectivity is currently limited to Verizon Wireless customers, the Broncos are presently working with other carriers to provide a similar level of service.
The Ethernet effort was so comprehensive, in fact, that it earned the attention of the industry's prestigious
Metro Ethernet Forum's "Best Carrier Ethernet Business Application" which recognizes the partnerships between Comcast and the Broncos.
Larger-than-life scoreboards
The Ethernet cables, of course, are what fans can't see. However, step into Sports Authority Field at Mile High and there will be one thing impossible to miss: the enormous new high-definition scoreboards.
Provided by
Daktronics, which also created the LED scoreboards at Coors Field and most recently the Pepsi Center, the enormous scoreboards practically bring fans directly into the action. The third biggest in the NFL (trailing only Dallas and Houston), the new video displays feature the latest in LED technology with 952 lines of resolution, and measuring 40 feet high and 220 feet wide.
With enhanced image clarity, the new displays can show one large image to highlight live video and instant replays or it can be divided into separate windows to show a variety of vivid graphics, statistics, scores and more. Also, surrounding fans along the club level is a new 1,424-foot-long LED ribbon display providing up-to-the-minute statistics and game information.
HDTVs everywhere
We also know that fans don't want to miss a play while waiting in concession lines or hanging out in one of the suites. Even better, live viewing coupled with up-close moments captured by cable TV provide a completely immersive experience. So we added over 1,000 HDTVs, powered by Comcast, throughout the stadium, including the party suites, club areas and newly renovated concourses so fans don't miss a play.
As for what's next, the Denver Broncos hope to keep the successes coming -- on the field and in the stadium.
Russ Trainor is VP if IT for the Denver Broncos.
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