It’s been a season of uncertainty for US hockey, basketball, baseball, and now for NFL football fans. With NHL hockey playoffs well underway without fans in arenas, the NFL is getting ready to open a new season with widely differing plans to delay or allow fans into their home stadiums on opening day.
The Buffalo Bills will play to an empty field while Miami Dolphins will allow 13,000 social-distanced fans to cheer on their team at 70,000-seat Hard Rock Stadium. Governor Andrew Cuomo will not yet allow New York football fans to see their team in person, maintaining a ban on large scale events.
Meanwhile, at the Jacksonville Jaguars’ TIAA Bank Field on their September 13 opening day of the new NFL season, fans will be buying their beer and pretzels without lineups, no handling of cash or payment terminals, and less direct contact by fans and food sellers.
All thanks to a new white-label, mobile contactless payment system from Tappit in its second implementation for an NFL team. Earlier this year, Tappit launched its first NFL contactless payment system for Super Bowl LIV Champions, the Kansas City Chiefs.
Tappit will provide the technology for Jags Pay, a white-label mobile payment system for Jaguars fans using the teams’ official app, which lets fans make purchases with their cell phone. Fans can link any bank or credit card to the app for frictionless payments, helping them buy food, drinks, and merchandise quickly and efficiently. Teams can more easily connect with fans, using the app to deliver personalized offers. Season ticket holders using the app will also get discounts on select food and beverages.
Healthier way to pay
While NFL team plans for fans in attendance vary widely across the league, some teams are confident they can implement a pandemic defense, particularly those with outdoor stadiums. The Jaguars plan to open with 25% of capacity to provide social distancing and safer viewing for fans. Jags fans attending games in 2020 will be required to wear face coverings and follow other local guidelines. The Jags and most other NFL teams plan to keep a close eye on the opportunity to increase attendance if the pandemic eases during the season.
“Health and safety are at the forefront of all our fan experience upgrades in 2020, which is why TIAA Bank Field will become a cashless venue for Jaguars games,” said Chad Johnson, Jaguars senior vice president of sales and service and chief content officer.
“With the creation of Jags Pay powered by Tappit, we’re able to minimize person-to-person contact and speed up transactions ensuring fans can return to their seat as quickly as possible. The Tappit technology also gives the Jaguars unique insight into each fan’s preferences, including their favorite food or drink. In the future, we can customize their experience at TIAA Bank Field with exclusive offers tailored just for their game-day style,” Johnson said.
Tappit combines payment security, convenience, physical distancing
Since launching in 2017, Tappit has been providing contactless payment and data ecosystems for sports team, events, stadiums, and other large venues including Taste of the World, Leopalooza, Broken Heel and Wake Up Call Festivals, the Formula 1 Australian Grand Prix, Manchester City and Birmingham City soccer clubs, Dubai 7s Stadium, and many other events in the US and around the world.
The coronavirus crisis has placed an even more critical focus on the advantages of contactless payments for everyone from retailers to event organizers, large public venues, and professional sports teams.
“At Tappit, we’re here to keep fans and staff safe, and we know that coming back into large venues will be a serious choice all fans will make in the current climate,” said Tappit’s CEO, Jason Thomas. “It’s up to teams to alleviate any fears and let fans know that not only are they wanted back in the stadiums, but they will be welcomed back safely.”
“A huge part of keeping them safe is cleaner, cashless payments through solutions like Tappit. But not only is Tappit providing that clean and seamless payment experience, we are also equipping teams like the Jaguars with invaluable customer insights and data other payment methods can’t provide. This makes it possible for teams to really understand their fans, give them the exact promotions or deals they want, and ultimately improve their stadium experience,” Thomas added.
Headquartered in London, UK, Tappit estimates its system provides up to a 22% increase in revenue along with reduced fraud, increased payment efficiency, the ability to streamline operations, and greatly improved fan loyalty and engagement.
With its second NFL team added to its roster, 2020 plans to be an exciting season both for the Jacksonville Jaguars and Kansas City Chiefs as well as Tappit.
By the way NFL football fans, you can find out which NFL teams will kick off their season opener with fans in attendance on the NFL website.
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