Marylebone Cricket Club

Intro

Marylebone Cricket Club (MCC) have been working closely with TEAMcard since 2016 with the goal of delivering a flexible, reliable and future-proof venue access solution at Lord’s, the home of cricket. Since then, both teams have collaborated to further develop the application of TEAMcard at Lord’s into an ever-growing solution covering access control and accreditation.

Nigel Edginton, Senior IT Business Analyst and Katrina Wingfield, Business Analyst & Project Manager at the MCC have shared their experiences working with TEAMcard at one of the world most recognisable sports venues.

The Challenge
With a footprint and profile that has been developed and modernised over the past few years, Lord’s has grown in both capacity and popularity for fans of domestic and international cricket of all forms. Historically, management of spectator access to the venue as well as the ticket add-ons and additional products like hampers, has been managed manually by the team at the MCC.

Three was an appetite internally at Lord’s to improve efficiency of these processes by implementing an access system that would allow them to streamline event set-up, modernise outdated collection and reporting processes, gather more insightful fan data and improve the overall experience for fans attending matches across the summer.

The Solution

TEAMcard worked with the team at the MCC to craft an access control system that fitted their unique requirements, providing close support and training that gave the team the knowledge and confidence to operate independently.

Nigel - “Jenny was instrumental in helping us get the most out of the system. Providing support both remotely and on site to support us in the initial set-up for the season, ensuring all of the data is exactly where we need it to be.”

Katrina - “We’ve been educated and support to a point where we feel empowered to just take the system and run with it.”

Implementing a mixture of TEAMcard’s fixed and portable readers at access points across the venue, Nigel and Katrina highlighted a number of core features of the TEAMcard Access system which have contributed to smoother and more effective match day operations at Lord’s.

Notification Engine

TEAMcard’s notification engine, which allows staff to subscribe to automated notifications about key aspects of the access system, delivered directly to their chosen email address, Teams channel or WhatsApp number.

Nigel - “The notification engine has been incredibly useful. We have had a couple of practical examples where individuals have needed to be monitored once they arrived at the ground for various reasons. And the notification engine has allowed us to know exactly when and where they have arrived so we can act accordingly. We are also using it for VIPs and people we would like to introduce ourselves to - it’s a really powerful tool.”

Custom Screens

Lord’s growing use of the customisable screens on TEAMcard’s F7 fixed reader units. Designed to streamline ingress by proving dynamic information to fans about their ticket, as well providing valuable commercial assets to the venue.

Nigel - “The use of the screens has been a really valuable tool for us. The new installation of F7 units around the stadium has opened up a new sales opportunity for us. The goal is to have complete consistency across all of our fan-facing media, and the reader screens are very much part of that. Additionally, many of the screens around the ground are external facing now too, so they can be used as dynamic advertising assets on non-match days.”

Kat - “Operationally, the screens allow fans to self-serve which really helps the flow of fans at busy times and allows stewards to focus on crowd safety rather than trying to troubleshoot ticket questions.”

Automation
Nigel and Katrina highlighted the TEAMcard systems ability to automate previous manual and times consuming processes.

Katrina - “There is so much in the system that makes our lives easier and helps us automate processes that would otherwise be manual and take a lot of time in set up for games. Things like the pre-event checks, automatic notifications and ability to bulk-upload data for key processes are just a few examples of how the system allows us to save time and track progress more easily. We are using the system to digitise old processes that would involve manual recording or counting, and the overall benefit is really noticeable”

Nigel - “The data we can take from the system in a readily available way is also really useful. We are now working to combine the details access data we get from TEAMcard with fan data from other areas of the business, which is giving us some really interesting insight that we have been unable to access previously”

Flexibility

The MCC team noted the flexibility of the TEAMcard system, and how their growing knowledge of its application has allowed them to craft new ways of completing essential tasks around the venue and assist with additional operational processes that were previously a challenge for the team.

Katrina - “We like to push the boundaries a bit, which TEAMcard have always supported, and which has allowed us to start using the access system to help us solve challenges that we hadn’t initially considered an access control system could help us address.”

Support

Lastly Nigel and Katrina highlighted TEAMcard’s support services, and the relationship the MCC have with the wider team at TEAMcard.

Katrina - “Live game support has been particularly impressive. Regardless of when the fixture is, if we ever have an issue or question there is always someone on the other end of the phone to field a question and provide answers or advice.”

Nigel - “The advancements with the recently added support desk have made things even more efficient. We can raise a ticket, and the team receive a reply almost straight away regardless of when it is”

The Result
Today, Lords are expanding their use of the TEAMcard technology stack and implementing solutions across the business that are creating marked improvements to internal processes, the collection of fan data the fan experience.

Alongside the implementation of TEAMcard’s Accreditation module to sit alongside TEAMcard Access, the MCC are extending their use of the system by rolling out brand new TEAMcard F7 units across the stadium, expanding the integration of automated gates and units at entrances which have historically been managed manually.

Lord’s have also grown into a proactive part of the TEAMcard partner community, hosting the 2023 Client User Day and regularly sharing experiences and ideas with other TEAMcard venues from across the spectrum of sports.

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Nigel - “The user group and community of TEAMcard clients is really valuable. We benefit from collaborating with a lot of likeminded people all coming together. Learning from them has given us new ideas of ways to apply the system that are helping our business.”

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Katrina - “Something TEAMcard does really well is that user day and the user group that’s been created. We get a lot from getting together with other venues and sharing ideas. We see TEAMcard as a group of people we can lean on at any stage. It feels very much like a family and that is an aspect of the relationship which we really value.”

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