The first soccer-specific stadiums in the U.S. were built in 1999 on low budgets, but a new wave of stadiums are in the works as Major League Soccer (MLS) continues to grow. As mentioned in previous blog posts, it seems like plans for a new soccer-specific stadium are announced every month, such as Orlando, Florida; Washington, D.C.; Minnesota; and Los Angeles. Additionally, David Beckham’s plan in Miami could be announced shortly, and San Antonio is considering major renovations to their 8,000-seat stadium to pursue MLS expansion.

“Soccer is on the tipping point and the facilities are starting to reflect that,” Bruce Miller, Populous architect and designer of the new venues in Orlando, D.C., and Minnesota, told Sports Illustrated. “The experience doesn’t start at game time, it starts when people leave work, meet their friends at a pub or restaurant, kick a soccer ball, play music, and then march to the match to their seats.”

Orlando City’s stadium is currently under construction and will include multiple European stadium features such as a canopy, as well as a safe-standing section with a capacity of 4,000 for their Supporter’s Section, also known as The Wall. Safe-standing sections were the topic of last week’s soccer post.

Sporting Park, home of Sporting Kansas City, set the benchmark for the new wave of soccer-specific stadiums when it opened in 2011 after a US$200+ million construction project. With a focus on a canopy that shelters fan from weather and reflects the fan noise back onto the pitch where Sporting KC is approaching 70 straight sellouts, it’s obvious the stadium has been quite the hit.

“The canopy creates a sense of enclosure to the building, it intensifies the fan experience,” Miller said. “Soccer is different where the fans create the experience and the megaphone that is the supporters section drives the energy in the building.”

It’s pretty clear what the next wave of soccer-specific stadiums will include. What do you think the next wave of convention centers, arenas, and performing arts centers should include?

(Top image: Populous. Sounders march: Joe Szilagyi/Creative Commons. Sporting Park image: Brent Flanders/Creative Commons)

The Sacramento Kings are partnering with Appetize, a cloud-based point of sale (POS) platform, in order to enhance the guest experience at Sleep Train Arena and the Kings’ future home at Golden 1 Center.

Appetize replaces two separate systems and includes advanced payment options, such as Apple Pay, Google Wallet, RFID, Bluetooth, and mobile ordering. It will also align with the Kings’ loyalty platform, which allows fans to earn points via scanned ticket barcodes. The mobile ordering portion will work inside the Kings’ iOS and Android apps.

“Our fans don’t want to miss a second of Kings basketball or world-class entertainment. Now that our concession stands have the latest technology and fans can order from their seat, they’ll spend more time enjoying the action on the floor,” said Kings President Chris Granger in a statement. “We’re excited to upgrade Sleep Train Arena for our final season and then incorporate Appetize’s innovative solutions at Golden 1 Center next year.”

The Appetize platform features analytics, reporting, and live inventory management. It’s used in more than 300 U.S venues.

“Working with forward-thinking partners like the Kings is absolutely our sweet spot” said Kevin Anderson, vice president of business development at Appetize, in a statement. “We’re putting faster, easier-to-use interfaces in front of operators and giving managers more controls and insights, all while increasing fan experience. This is a huge win for Appetize to work with one of the true leaders of innovation in all of sports.”

(Image: Sacramento Kings/NBA)

L to R: Commissioner Ajit Pai, Commissioner Mignon Clyburn, Chairman Tom Wheeler, Commissioner Jessica Rosenworcel, and Commissioner Michael O’Rielly.

You may have heard by now about the latest US$718,000 FCC fine for electrical contractor M.C. Dean for blocking Wi-Fi connections at the Baltimore Convention Center. What you may not have heard, though, is the ruling has two dissenters: FCC Commissioners Michael O’Rielly and Agit Pai.

“We are, once again, trying to set important and complex regulatory policy by enforcement adjudication,” O’Rielly wrote in his dissent. “This is backward and not the best course of action.”

Before the FCC can enforce rules, Pai wrote in his dissent, rules must exist.

“That’s why I believe that the FCC should adopt rules that limit Wi-Fi blocking,” Pai wrote. “In this case, the Commission proposes to fine a company $718,000 for engaging in Wi-Fi blocking. But here’s the rub. Because the Commission dropped the ball earlier this year, we do not have any rules that limit Wi-Fi blocking. Indeed, the only relevant rules we have on the books preclude liability in these circumstances.”

Pai believes that Wi-Fi blocking is currently lawful under the FCC’s rules.

“But even if I am wrong about that, the Commission’s case would still founder,” Pai wrote. “That is because it is certainly not clear that Wi-Fi blocking is currently unlawful under the Commission’s rules. And a core principle of the American legal system is that the government cannot sanction you for violating the law unless it has told you what the law is.

“This decision is the latest evidence that the FCC’s enforcement process has gone off the rails,” Pai continued. “Instead of dispensing justice by applying the law to the facts, the Commission is yet again focused on issuing headline-grabbing fines,” Pai wrote. “And while I have no doubt that this NAL [Notice of Apparent Liability] will generate plenty of press, I cannot support this lawless item. Therefore, I respectfully dissent.”

For more on this story, please read Bob Brown’s article in Network World.

(Image: FCC)

VenueNext CEO John Paul announced yesterday during the Web Summit in Dublin, Ireland, a new strategic partner: Legends Hospitality.

“Adding Legends Hospitality to our list of strategic partners gives us great confidence in our ability to innovate further for guests and venue owners in this space and to deliver large scale impact, as we strengthen our early lead in the sports and entertainment market,” VenueNext wrote in a blog post on its website.

Legends Hospitality clients include Yankee Stadium in New York, New York, and AT&T Stadium in Dallas, Texas.

“The partnership has been in place for several months as the tech vendor gradually rolls out new features in new mobile applications for both facilities, according to VenueNext VP/Marketing Louise Callagy,” wrote Don Muret for SportsBusiness Daily. “In Arlington, some pieces are already folded into AT&T Stadium’s new mobile app, including video replays and parking directions. Wayfinding features inside the stadium will be added in the near future. At Yankee Stadium, the mobile upgrades include scanning of tickets at gate entrances.”

VenueNext’s other partners are Levi’s Stadium in Santa Clara, California, and the Amway Center in Orlando, Florida.

(Image: VenueNext)

I’m not going to bury the lead here: There’s a Whataburger in the renovated AT&T Center in San Antonio. As a 100-percent, red-blooded Texan, this is great news. Even better, guests can access this Whataburger location on non-event days.

“We are extremely proud of the new AT&T Center,” said Bexar County Judge Nelson Wolff, in a statement. “With improvements made at all levels of the arena, fans will have an enhanced experience with improved technology, new seating, and an array of new concession options.”

AT&T Center is located in Bexar County, which implemented a visitor tax that ultimately helped fund the $110 million renovation.

The renovation focused on the fan experience, and upgrades include a larger Fan Shop, a new bar area on the H-E-B Fan Zone level, and more than 600 HD TVs installed throughout the arena. Also, there’s improved Wi-Fi and new seating in the venue.

“This was a substantial project in a condensed timeline,” said Lori Warren, Spurs Sports & Entertainment senior vice president of corporate finance and strategy, in a statement. “It could not have been completed without the selfless collaboration of all those involved. The end result is a first-class facility that the community can really be proud of, and we’re excited for fans to experience the all-new AT&T Center.”

And that Whataburger.

(Image: AT&T Center)