Founded in 1866, Chesterfield FC is one of England’s oldest football clubs and a central part of life in north Derbyshire.
After relegation from the Football League in 2018, the club rebuilt its playing squad and, after six seasons in the National League, won promotion back to League Two in 2024.
As the club worked to rebuild on the pitch, attention also turned to improving the stadium experience for fans, partners and the wider community.
To that end, the club has now adopted Premier League-grade technology with Uniguest Sports Hub to enhance fan engagement, operations and revenue opportunities
Ashley Kirk, chairman of Chesterfield FC, says: “There are two sides to having a successful football club. There’s what happens on the pitch, but off it, we knew there was investment needed in the ground. We wanted fans to feel proud of the stadium, as well as the team.”
Outdated digital communication
While the stadium itself was modern, digital communication across the venue had become outdated and difficult to manage. Content updates were undertaken manually, IPTV lacked flexibility and the club’s small internal team faced increasing pressure to keep systems running smoothly on matchdays.
The club opted to deploy Uniguest Sports Hub across about 40 screens throughout the stadium, spanning concourses, hospitality lounges, offices and reception areas.
The platform brings IPTV and digital signage into a single interface, enabling the club to manage content, layouts and scheduling centrally, while maintaining flexibility across different areas of the venue.
One of the main benefits has been the ability to control live content across the stadium. With Sky Bright Box integration, screens can now display different channels simultaneously, enhancing the concourse and hospitality experience.
Sports Hub also enables real-time engagement through event triggers, allowing goals, substitutions, and 50/50 draw results to be shared instantly across the stadium network, so fans remain connected wherever they are.
Beyond matchdays, the platform supports the club’s wider commercial strategy. Hospitality suites can display tailored branded content for conferences and corporate events, while integration with Microsoft Teams Rooms turns idle meeting room screens into branded digital signage.
“The team are constantly coming up with new inventory that we didn’t have before,” says Kirk. “Sponsors recognise they’re getting in front of 8,500 people every Saturday – and that’s powerful. It took a bit of investment, but the return has already been very good.”
The expanded digital estate has created new sponsorship opportunities across the stadium, while also strengthening the club’s conference and banqueting proposition through more flexible and engaging event experiences.
The improvements have coincided with a strong resurgence in attendances, which have more than doubled in recent seasons. The enhanced matchday environment has contributed to improved fan feedback and a stronger overall perception of the club.
The project reflects a broader shift in the industry, where technology once limited to top-tier venues is becoming accessible to clubs at every level – enabling them to improve operations, unlock new revenue streams and deliver a more connected fan experience.
James Keen, executive vice-president of marketing at Uniguest, adds: “Stadium technology needs to be both impactful and accessible across the sports and entertainment spectrum.
“From stadia and arenas to community venues and clubs, platforms need to scale to meet both engagement and budgetary goals. Chesterfield FC is a great example of how teams lower down the pyramid can create a high-quality, connected experience for their supporters.”
