Chelsea Football Club is moving its ticketing systems to smart cards.
Some 80,000 Chelsea FC members and season ticket holders will receive the new smart cards by August and be able to take advantage of new reward programmes. Developed by Teamcard, a smart technology business for sport, the new membership cards will be accepted in some local retail and restaurant outlets. Fans using the card in partner outlets will accumulate Chelsea reward points for use at Chelsea?s Megastore or towards future season tickets. Ultimately, cards will be loaded with season ticket entitlement allowing fans to enter the stadium by swiping their card through a reader at the turnstile. Bolton Wanderers is using a similar system already. Brian Hawkins of Teamcard said: ?Smart football membership cards are changing the relationship between club and fan. The new benefits that these cards provide supporters extend well beyond the traditional boundaries of the stadium. Already in Bolton, only six months into the scheme, we?ve seen card holders able to reduce the price of their season ticket by half simply because of the rewards they get from shopping in partner outlets.? Teamcard reports it is talking with other clubs in the Premiership, the First Division and the Scottish Premier League.
