Sport is Great in Atlanta & Middlesbrough

skignz had the delight of being involved in a ‘Sport is Great’ event with the Department for International Trade in Atlanta.

We had been contacted by them to say that a Football Club from England, was interested in visiting Atlanta, on a fact-finding mission regarding commercial opportunities and increasing their reach in the USA.

Of course, we gratefully accepted and were thrilled to find out that the club in question was Middlesbrough FC. 
With skignz being founded in Middlesbrough, and still with our HQ there, it made sense to work in partnership to make the event, and the visit, as informative as possible.

skignz own Jamie Clarke said, “The opportunity to sit on a panel to discuss the business of sport, which included references to using technology as a fan engagement and commercial tool was too good to miss.

The event was attended by businesses and soccer fans from across Atlanta and allowed us to introduce ‘The Boro’ to some of our partners, further strengthening the relationship”.

Relationships are key in the world of business, and skignz are thrilled to have made a business relationship with our hometown football club. We are delighted to be able to have an opportunity to speak with them about how the AR technology can enhance some of the great work they are already doing both at home and abroad.

Jamie Clarke COO of skignz speaking at the Sport is GREAT event in Atlanta, alongside Mark Ellis COO of MFC, Sarah Kate Noftsinger of Atlanta United and Bernie Mullins of the Aspire Group.

If you would like to find out more about the UK DiT and the GREAt campaign then please visit their website at www.greatbritaincampaign.com

If you would like to find out more about Middlesbrough F.C, please visit their website at www.mfc.co.uk

If you would like to find out more about the Atlanta United, please visit their website at www.atlutd.com

If you would like to find out more about skignz, please visit our website www.skignz.com or keep upto date, then how about following us on the usual social media channels.

Winning at Old Trafford - Can you improve on that?

“That’s Boro out”… 

The first words my 14 year old M.F.C. mad son said, as the draw for the fourth round of the Capital One League Cup was made.  

Manchester United v Middlesbrough, at Old Trafford, the Theatre of Dreams…

I had to think hard about whether or not to buy tickets to the game.  The shiver of disappointment from the Play Off Final at Wembley last may still ran down the spine. Then, we learned that there would be up to 11,000 fans travelling.. Oh go on then, one last time….

As 'Head of Data Visualisation Partnerships' at skignz, I couldn’t resist thinking about the possibility of a showcase of skignz at Old Trafford, and how we could maybe make at least one part of the game memorable for my son!

After speaking with Si, the Co-Founder & CMO of skignz, he came up with the plan that we would use skignz to show my son and his friend to their seats, and allow other skignz users to see where they were.

Great Idea! Over 70,000 people in the ground and any one of them would be able to pick us out using skignz.  We also decided to place skignz around Old Trafford for the away fans, guiding them to the correct areas of the ground, and making life easier for them.

Inside the stadium there was an electric feel to the atmosphere as we made our way to our seats, 11,000 Teessiders (me, my son and his friend amongst them) ready to roar on our hometown club to victory in the biggest club stadium in the land.  

My son opened the skignz app on his smart phone…. 
"Have you seen that!!” he said.  

He’d just seen the skignz above his seat.  Then he saw another, and others dotted around Old Trafford there were skignz showing supporters clubs, people, and also support for the plight of the Steel Industry on Teesside #SaveOurSteel.

Middlesbrough F.C. won on penalties against a strong Manchester United team with England Captain Wayne Rooney missing his penalty.

A result that will live long in the memory of Boro fans.  The next day, I asked my now very tired son what he thought of Old Trafford and the trip.  

“I loved it dad. We won and I had my own skignz above my seat.. 
I wonder if LVG (Louis Van Gaal, M.U.F.C. Manager) saw it?”

I’m not sure about that son, but I’m sure he will soon….

If you want to use skignz at your club or on away days, place your own skignz beforehand and it will not only can help you find the 'Away End' at any stadium in the world but will also help you find your friends in the crowds if you link with them.

You can find out all the latest from skignz on both this blog and our usual social media channels

Former Premier League Footballer David Murphy joins skignz

We are delighted to say that David Murphy has now joined skignz as our 'Head of Sports Partnerships'.

The former Premier League Professional Footballer with Middlesbrough, Hibernian, Motherwell and England Under 19, recently retired from the professional game through a serious knee injury in 2014. 

Still in his early thirties, David is looking forward to the next stage of his life with his wife and young family after relocating back up to the Teesside area. 

With a number of other business interests outside of football. He is staying involved in the game and working as part of MFC Manager Aitor Karanka's back room team at Middlesbrough, scouting players and providing match analysis. Going full circle in his career and returning to the club where he joined their academy as a schoolboy.

Over the last 6-12 months David has been informally working with the skignz team, helping provide insight into the world of professional sport and where he felt skignz could become involved. This relationship has now been firmed up with David joining us as 'Head of Sports Partnerships'.

Si Brown (skignz Co-Founder & CMO) said:
"In this role David will be engaging with his extensive network of contacts not only in Football but also in the wider world of professional sports to see where 'skignz may fit'. 

Some areas of consideration are obvious especially around the 'supporters experience'. However by going behind the scenes at professional clubs, can the skignz tech help enhance performance, provide data and information that currently is not being captured or even present current information in a more visual way?"

One of the very few players to win silverware in both England and Scotland, David won the league cup in both countries.

David on skignz:

David on Joining skignz:

For more information on David's, professional career, please take a look at this
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/David_Murphy_(footballer) or see below a gallary of images of him during his playing days.

If you work in the world of professional sports. Especially around marketing, brand, advertising, experience, data and analytics, then please feel free to contact David on either +44 (0) 845 058 0519 or email in the first instance to info@skignz.com