Southampton F.C. AR Kit

To celebrate twenty years of Southampton Football Club at St Mary’s Stadium, the club wanted to launch a home kit for fans to purchase, with a difference - something that celebrated their values of innovation and aspiration whilst also being steeped in the club’s history. A look to the future whilst paying tribute to the past. So Formidable and UNIT9 joined forces to give the new kit a digital makeover by creating the world’s first AR-integrated football shirt.

Four different markers within the shirt design activated exclusive pieces of club content, from a celebration of twenty years at St Mary’s to a montage of memories from the Dell, as well as a lifesize AR model of club captain James Ward-Prowse showing off his ball skills from the user’s living room. Once all four hidden triggers were located, a 360° AR portal was unlocked, allowing users to step onto the pitch to enjoy an up-close perspective of their favourite players during training. This is truly a kit of the future, with the physical shirt opening up a new communication channel between the club and their fans. Thanks to this technical innovation, Southampton saw kit sales rise 24% year on year - the highest sales the club has seen since 2017. The digital nature of the experience also allows for future content updates to keep fans engaged all season long.