Revolutionising AFL fan engagement through technology: insights from Marvel Stadium’s CIO/CTO
What does it take to build the most technologically advanced stadium in the Southern Hemisphere? That was the central question at the close of Orikan Collaborate 2023, where Rob Pickering - CIO and CTO at the AFL - delivered a wide-ranging keynote on the intersection of technology, fan experience, and the future of Australian rules football. From 5G infrastructure and autonomous retail to augmented reality wayfinding and integrated parking, Pickering's presentation offered a rare look inside the AFL's technology ambitions - and the genuine complexity of delivering innovation at the scale of a national sporting code.
Rob Pickering's Role and Strategic Priorities
Pickering’s path to the AFL’s top technology role came via a career in IT services – a background that shaped a pragmatic, outcomes-focused approach to technology leadership. His remit spans collaboration with the league’s clubs, management of Marvel Stadium’s technology infrastructure, and oversight of the AFL’s broader IT operations.
Cybersecurity and cloud infrastructure sit at the centre of his strategic priorities. The AFL has made a deliberate shift toward cloud-based architecture, motivated by the enhanced security posture it offers and the flexibility it provides to scale and adapt as technology evolves.
Marvel Stadium: A Testbed for Ambitious Technology
5G Infrastructure
The rollout of 5G connectivity across Marvel Stadium provides the foundation for a new generation of fan-facing applications – from high-bandwidth streaming to real-time interactive experiences that were not possible on legacy network infrastructure.
Autonomous Retail: Amazon's Just Walk Out Technology
Marvel Stadium has trialled Amazon’s Just Walk Out technology – a cashierless retail experience that allows fans to take items from a store and leave without stopping to pay, with the transaction processed automatically. Pickering noted positive early results, particularly the reduction in concession queue times on event days.
AR Wayfinding and Integrated Parking
A flagship initiative discussed by Pickering was the development of a new Marvel Stadium app featuring augmented reality wayfinding – allowing fans to navigate the precinct through their phone camera, with directional overlays guiding them to their seat, facilities, or entry gate.
Critically, the app also features integrated parking – connecting fans’ parking and stadium experiences within a single platform. This unified experience, where parking, ticketing, navigation, and retail converge in one app, represents the direction major venue technology is heading. Orikan’s parking platform is a direct enabler of this vision, providing the access, payment, and reservation infrastructure that makes seamless in-app parking possible.
Unique Challenges: Multi-Tenancy and Accessibility
Pickering was candid about the complexity of innovating at Marvel Stadium’s scale. Unlike purpose-built single-sport venues, Marvel Stadium operates as a multi-tenant facility hosting AFL, concerts, rugby, soccer, and a diverse range of events – each with different audience profiles and operational requirements.
Accessibility was also highlighted as a priority. The implementation of Field of Vision technology for vision-impaired attendees – providing audio-described content to enhance the in-stadium experience for fans who cannot rely on visual displays – was cited as an example of technology designed to serve all fans, not just the majority.
Engaging the Next Generation of AFL Fans
One of the more forward-looking threads of Pickering’s keynote was the challenge of fan engagement with younger demographics. Like all major sports organisations, the AFL is navigating a generation of potential fans whose entertainment habits are shaped by digital platforms, gaming, and interactive content.
The response is not to abandon the unique qualities of live AFL – the atmosphere, the community, the shared tradition – but to use technology to personalise and deepen the experience. Delivering relevant, targeted content to a diverse fan base, rather than broadcasting the same experience to everyone, is the strategic direction.
Community, Tradition, and the Limits of Technology
Pickering was equally emphatic about what technology cannot replace: the emotional connection fans have with their clubs, the communal experience of a live match, and the traditions that make Australian rules football distinctive.
The AFL’s technology strategy is not about replacing the human experience of football – it is about removing the friction that stands between fans and that experience. Faster entry, better navigation, shorter queues, seamless parking, more relevant content – each improvement allows fans to focus on what they came for.
Key Takeaways for Venue and Event Operators
- Cloud-first infrastructure is the foundation on which modern stadium technology is built – not an optional upgrade
- Integrated experiences, where parking, ticketing, navigation, and retail converge in a single app, are the industry direction
- Accessibility must be designed in from the start, not retrofitted
- Engaging younger fans requires personalisation, digital integration, and willingness to experiment
- Technology is most valuable when it removes friction and lets fans focus on the experience they came for
Frequently Asked Questions
Marvel Stadium has deployed 5G network infrastructure, Amazon Just Walk Out autonomous retail, augmented reality wayfinding via the stadium app, integrated parking through Orikan’s platform, and Field of Vision technology for vision-impaired fans – among other innovations.
Just Walk Out is a cashierless retail technology that allows customers to take products and leave without stopping at a checkout – the transaction is processed automatically. At Marvel Stadium it has been used to reduce concession queue times on event days.
Through Orikan’s parking platform, fans can reserve, access, and pay for parking directly within the Marvel Stadium app – creating a unified pre-arrival and in-venue experience. The entire event day, from parking to seat, is managed within a single application.
The AFL is investing in personalised digital content delivery, exploring gaming and interactive formats, and building technology infrastructure that reaches younger fans on the platforms they already use – while preserving the live, communal experience that is central to Australian rules football.
Field of Vision technology provides audio-described content to vision-impaired attendees at live events, enhancing the in-stadium experience for fans who cannot fully engage with visual displays. It is an example of accessibility technology designed to ensure all fans can meaningfully participate in the live event experience.
