Free wifi throughout Etihad Stadium

Manchester City has become the first Premier League club to introduce free wifi throughout their stadium.

The Etihad Stadium now has high-density broadband which is capable of providing 30MB download speeds, and marks an ongoing digital initiative at the club that includes apps aimed at visiting fans to help them navigate the area.

The goal is to enhance the match day experience through the use of mobile technology, with the club encouraging fans inside the ground to engage with the club on social networks like Facebook and Twitter.

The club has previously shown images posted to photo-sharing site Instagram on the big screens inside the ground.

Diego Gigliani, director of marketing for media and fan development at the club, said: “T he launch of high-density wifi allows us to offer free, high speed internet access to all our fans, marking an important step forward in Manchester City’s drive to become the most technologically and digitally advanced football club in the world.

“Mobile technology and social media in particular, play a key role in our fans’ match-day experience. It was, therefore, important for us to embrace this growing trend and enable our fans to share their passion for the club with fellow City supporters around the world, in real time, free of charge, all from the comfort of their seat.”

The wifi will be available to every fan inside the 48,000-capacity stadium on match days, having undergone an extensive testing process.

Liverpool previously tested out wifi in their 12,000-capacity Centenary Stand, but have since said the club has no plans to roll it out around the rest of Anfield stadium after some supporters complained about the speed of the connection.

Championship side Brighton and Hove Albion are pioneering their own use of technology with the Digital Stadium initiative, which enables fans to connect with others in the crowd at a game and build a network in the stands. Brighton’s Amex Stadium has a capacity of 27,000.

A 2013 report showed that the number of people accessing the internet using their smartphone has more than doubled since 2006.

Social sharing sites like Facebook and YouTube have large amounts of content posted from in and around football stadiums.

Free wifi throughout Etihad Stadium