Premier League newcomers Burnley will offer the first ever ‘immersive’ virtual reality (VR) broadcast of a live match using Rezzil’s technology.
The Lancashire club’s pre-season friendly against Italian Serie A side Lazio will be free to watch via the Premier League Player on Meta Quest VR headsets.
Fans will be able to view the game as though they were sitting in the stands at the club’s Turf Moor stadium, with the match digitally recreated using Rezzil’s VR engine.
The feed promises panoramic views, live match commentary, and real time visuals.
The initiative is Burnley’s latest experiment with technology to deepen engagement with its existing supporters and cultivate a global fanbase.
Owners ALK Capital acquired Burnley in a leveraged takeover back in 2020, effectively using the club’s own money to finance the deal and saddling the Lancashire outfit with debt. The US investment firm has frequently stated its intention to drive growth in the Clarets through technological innovation rather than through capital injections of its own.
For example, Burnley have previously held virtual trials to identify new players using a mobile phone application called AiScout and last week announced an original content partnership with X, the social media platform formerly known as Twitter.
“This partnership with Rezzil and Premier League Player allows us to share the magic of Turf Moor in a truly immersive way,” said Burnley chairman Alan Pace. “It reflects our forward-thinking approach to fan engagement and our commitment to global supporters. Our mission is to provide the best experiences to fans, and by entering into the world of virtual reality, they can get closer to the game than ever before.”
Premier League Player is the first product of the league’s partnership with Manchester-based Rezzil, which specialises in athlete training, match analysis and fitness-based VR software, and its products are already used by individual athletes and several Premier League clubs to enhance performance.
It develops products for both widely available VR headsets such as the Meta Quest and the PlayStation VR, as well as more professional platforms that rely on sensors and haptic feedback in order to replicate the sensation of kicking a real ball.
Rezzil’s software offers training sessions and in-game situations, replicating the entire stadium experience, crowd noise and all, and allows players to pit themselves against real-life adversaries.
However, the technology also has obvious fan engagement potential, as recognised by the Premier League, which has adopted a more flexible approach to video game licensing to take advantage.
SportsPro says…
Burnley hope the promise of a truly immersive experience will attract fans eager for a more interactive, personalised experience.
Gamified digital experiences are increasingly commonplace within sport, with computer vision technology capable of capturing real time data to create animated highlights or simulcasts of live events, attracting younger, more digitally-savvy audiences.
In the future, it’s entirely possible that virtual reality rights could be reserved by rights holders, or carved out, or bundled into new packages to take advantage of this demand.
SportsProMedia
