Borussia Dortmund will be the first soccer club in the world to employ virtual LED advertising technology at all of its home matches for the upcoming Bundesliga season.

The technology, which was created by Supponor and ADI and is licensed through the Lagardère Sports agency, can replace sideline LED signage, targeting ads to the region of different television viewers. Fans inside the stadium won’t see changes, but those watching or streaming the match will see the most relevant sponsorship ad displayed along the side of the field. (See this linked example.)

Just last year, Dortmund featured first-team players from 17 different countries—including U.S. wunderkind Christian Pulisic. This technology will allow the club to ensure that viewers from each of those nations see pertinent advertising at all of its home matches at Signal Iduna Park. The Bundesliga approved the use of virtual signage last March. The tech was also used by England at a warmup game for the World Cup this summer.

Supponer’s CEO, James Gambrell, told SportsPro Media in April that his company has worked with the NHL and supported its first NFL game last fall when the Patriots and Raiders played in Mexico City.

SportTechie Takeaway

Such targeted advertising has grown commonplace among static ads, but the animated LED signage is new and offers a world of possibilities. Sports with global followings, such as soccer, are an obvious application for this technology, because of the range of different markets a single game will reach. Additionally, many major soccer stadiums already have LED signage ringing the perimeter of their pitches. This technology could enable a club to feature, say, one banking sponsor for viewers in the U.S. and another for viewers in Asia.