Editor James Billington
Contributors Nick Bradley, John Challen,
David W Smith, Scott Stonehewer, Richard N Williams
Senior Art Editor Andy Bass
Designers Anna Davie, Louise Green
Production Emily Fanning
Publication Manager Godfrey Hooper
godfrey.hooper@markallengroup.com
Editorial Director Tom Stone
Publisher Simon Hughes
simon.hughes@markallengroup.com
Chief Operating Officer Jon Benson
Chief Executive Officer Ben Allen
Chairman Mark Allen
A MARK ALLEN GROUP COMPANY
www.markallengroup.com
Stadia, ISSN 1468-3067 (print), ISSN 2397-6497
(online), (USPS 018-087) is published quarterly,
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06FRONT OFFICE
A round-up of the latest
industry news, announcements,
openings and product launches
08DRAWING BOARD
Plans to redevelop
Millwall FC’s stadium have been
revealed by AFL Architects
10DRAWING BOARD
The YTL Arena will
be one of the UK’s largest live
entertainment complexes
20ON THE BOARDS
Four leading architects
discuss latest and future projects,
plus the impact of the coronavirus
46BRIGHT IDEAS
New demands for
sports fi eld lighting is leading to
breakthroughs in LED technology
52TICKET INSPECTOR
Advancements in
mobile ticketing is preventing
fraud and improving fan access
oming into 2020, the stadium industry was set
for one of its most exciting years ever. Yet, just
hours before sending this issue of Stadia to
the printers, events around the world quickly
unraveled and we now find ourselves in time of crisis.
As you will surely know, the coronavirus (Covid-19)
pandemic has spread across the globe with its effects
bringing societies, industries and entire countries to
their knees. The impact to human life has been great,
as is what it has done to economies. Sport has been
shutdown, with all professional leagues stopping play.
Major international tournaments such as UEFA Euro
2020 have been postponed, and at time of writing even
the Olympic Games is very much in doubt as to whether
it will take place in 2020. It is unimaginable scenes.
Stadia stand empty, supply chains are broken,
construction is grinding to a halt and future projects are
in jeopardy. While the result leaves hundreds of billions
of dollars up in the air, this industry really is only one of
many under all the rubble. As the full impact of the virus
only became clear as we were going to press, frustratingly
we did not have the chance to bring you a deep dive
into what the rami cations of the pandemic could be
for the stadium industry. However, while talking to
leading architects about their latest projects (page 20) we
managed to include opinion on how the coronavirus has,
and will, e ect their line of work. Perhaps it is too early
to predict what the full extent of the impact will be – will
it lead to new health and safety measures at venues? Will
virtual reality broadcasts and digital audiences become
the norm? Will planned projects fall through?
One thing we can say with certainty is that despite
facing adversity we must carry on. And perhaps the
great content we have in this issue, from the engineering
excellence at Queensland Country Bank Stadium (page
38) to the high-tech ticketing technology transforming
events (page 52), will serve as a welcome distraction
and inspiration for the future. One particular feature
I am extremely proud to highlight is our reporting of
how professional sports are making great strides in the
awareness, acceptance and action for inclusivity at stadia
(page 30). e growing movement for venues to build
dedicated spaces and train sta to support fans who have
sensory needs is a fantastic e ort and important cause.
Keep safe, keep positive and enjoy the issue.
James Billington, editor
PRODUCTS & SERVICES
The newest products and
most innovative case studies
from across the industry
58 Sidekick
60 Vector Foiltec
62 Daktronics
63 Molcaworld
64 NanaWall
66 FINAL WHISTLE
Colm Moran, facilities
manager at Thomond Park,
reveals the benefi ts of
transforming to a smart stadium
46
04 www.stadia-magazine.com March 2020
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