Everton kicks off with new system

Everton Football Club is overhauling its IT networks and installing new retail systems to deal with the increased business it expects to receive when it plays in Europe next season.

The Champions League hopefuls are working with Cisco and BT to install a converged voice and data network around the club's Goodison Park stadium in Liverpool before the start of the season next month.

By replacing its existing 3Com infrastructure with a fibre network, the club will be able to install new business applications, internet telephony and wireless internet connectivity for corporate hospitality boxes and the press.

'All the hospitality locations have been overhauled, and we are looking at other corporate facilities. We want to ensure that people come to the grounds for corporate events rather than go to business facilities elsewhere,' said Steve Etheridge, head of IT at Everton FC.

Everton will also work with The Logic Group to upgrade their retail and ecommerce systems to be able to cope with growing merchandise sales in the UK and the Far East.

The Logic Group will manage electronic funds transfers (EFT) and security for sales from tickets, mail order, hospitality and Everton's ecommerce site.

The club's participation in this month's Premier League Asia Trophy and its sponsorship deal with Asian brewery Chang Beer has forced a switch to the 24-hour managed EFT service as a result of a massive growth in online merchandising sales coming from supporters in the Far East, says Etheridge.

'We decided to switch to The Logic Group's service as we needed to be forward thinking and ensure that, due to demand, our payment card processing did not disintegrate under pressure,' he said.

The retail IT specialist will manage payment processing for Everton's shops, bars and restaurants at Goodison Park, and its two shops in Liverpool.

The supplier will also protect the club's online transactions through the Verified by Visa and MasterCard SecureCode payer authentication schemes, and install chip-and-PIN technology for Everton's point-of-sale systems.