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The Barclays Premier League Live event, which is the second of its kind, took place on 13 and 14 December at the Mumbai Metropolitan Region Development Authority Grounds at Bandra Kurla Complex. In total, almost 30,000 football fans turned up to watch live matches broadcast on a giant 380 square-foot screen, meet legends of the Barclays Premier League and get up close with the iconic Barclays Premier League trophy.
The Barclays Premier League Live experience featured a number of dedicated areas, including the ‘Live Match Zone’ where fans could watch live football matches on a giant screen, as well as the ‘Club Zone’ in which attendees could learn more about the 20 football clubs in the league. Visitors also have the chance to have a picture of themselves taken lifting the trophy decorated with the ribbons of their favourite club via green screen technology.
The ‘Screening Zone’ gave supporters the opportunity to experience the noise and excitement of a match day before learning all about the winning teams and captains of the Premier League in an exclusive film.
A mini football pitch was created for the ‘Pitch Zone’ where Barclays Premier League clubs conducted skills sessions with local football teams. There was also the chance for young fans to take part in a game of football run by Premier League community coaches.
Football skills pods were also developed for the ‘Skills Zone’ for supporters to test their accuracy, close control and shooting power.
Footballing legends Robbie Fowler and Peter Schmeichel were in attendance at the Barclays Premier League Live event to offer the crowds pre- and post-match insight on the live matches. They also took part in autograph-signing sessions.
Pre-event, 40 local media representatives were invited to walk around the event site before it opened, as well as being treated to a five-a-side match between the Bollywood All Stars and BPL Legends teams. Twenty kids from the Magic Bus charity also had a training session with Robbie Fowler and Peter Reid.
Success metrics from the 2014 Barclays Premier League Live event include a total footfall of 29,884 across the two days – 25% more than what the client forecast – as well as 2,572 green-screen interactions and a social media reach of eight million.
Simon Tracey, head of client services, Wasserman Experience, said: "The Barclays Premier League is one of the most famous and premium sports brands in the world, so expectations are always high for BPL Live, no matter where the event is held. However, India is renowned for being a tough market to operate in, so we’re incredibly proud to have delivered a fantastic activation of this size, run to the highest UK standards.
"We certainly had some challenges along the way, including a freak thunderstorm the day before opening (it hasn’t rained in Mumbai in December for over 40 years), but the team were fantastic in overcoming all obstacles and the event exceeded all expectations."
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