USL Champions Orange County SC are now adding precise what3words addresses to help fans get to Championship Stadium.
Orange County has adopted innovative what3words location technology to help guide people to precise event and venue locations easily and accurately. They are the first US sports team to work with what3words – the technology is already deployed at Wembley Stadium, The O2, and at the Emirates Stadium, home of Arsenal FC.
With the Championship Stadium in the middle of the Great Park, and new fans coming to the game each week, the reigning USL Champions wanted to make it as easy as possible for their fans to both find the stadium and also navigate around the facility itself.
what3words is an easy way to identify precise locations. It has taken the globe and divided it into a grid of 10ft squares, and assigned each square a unique combination of three random words: a what3words address. Now, people can find exact places at any event or venue using just three words. For example, ///jungle.insert.cursing is the what3words address of the exact place the County Line Coalition, our most passionate fans, stand. The free what3words app is available for iOS and Android, and via the online map, enabling people to find, share and navigate to what3words addresses in 50 languages to date.
In the latest international partnership for Orange County, who have a historic tie-up with Glasgow Rangers, what3words becomes the latest British technology company to work with the club.
Orange County SC has integrated what3words to give its customers the ability to find precise what3words addresses for event entrances, facilities and amenities. what3words addresses for key locations will be included on the website, in the club’s app and on booking confirmations, enabling attendees to navigate events more accurately, without the frustration of getting lost.
“Our fans at the heart of everything we do and we want to make the gameday experience as easy as possible for them,” said Dan Rutstein, head of innovation and international partnerships.
“We’re delighted to be working with what3words, a game changing company we’ve long admired. There’s always a lot happening in the stadium so it’s great to help fans where we can – it will help them work out where to park, but then also to find the bars, food venues and activities within the stadium.”
“No-one likes running around the outside of a stadium trying to find the correct entrance in time for kick off.” said Chris Sheldrick, co founder and CEO of what3words. “It’s brilliant to see the Orange County Soccer team embracing innovative technology like ours to help improve match day experiences for ticket holders. We wish the team the best of luck for the upcoming season!”
About what3words
Find your what3words address here.
Co-founded in London in 2013 by Chris Sheldrick, what3words is the simplest way to talk about location. The system covers the entire world, never needs updating, and works offline. A what3words address is a human-friendly way to share very precise locations with other people, or to input them into platforms and machines such as ride-hailing apps or e-commerce checkouts. It is optimized for voice input and contains built-in error prevention to immediately identify and correct input mistakes.
The free what3words app, available for iOS and Android, and the online map enable people to find, share and navigate to what3words addresses in over 50 languages to date. A what3words address in one language can be switched instantly into any other supported language, and even looked up in one language and shared in another. Qualifying NGOs and Emergency Services can use the location technology for free. Millions of what3words addresses are in use around the world, with thousands of businesses using them to save money, be more efficient and provide a better customer experience. what3words sells its API to businesses so they can integrate what3words functionality into their own maps, apps and website with just a few lines of code. For example, partners include Mercedes-Benz, Ford, Domino’s Pizza, Lonely Planet, Airbnb and Cabify.
what3words has a team of over 120 people, across offices in the UK, USA, Germany and Mongolia. The company has raised over £100 million in capital from investors such as Intel, Aramex, Deutsche Bahn, Subaru and Sony Investment Fund.
ABOUT ORANGE COUNTY SOCCER CLUB:
Orange County Soccer Club (OCSC) is Orange County’s only professional soccer team and a founding club of the United Soccer League (USL). The USL is comprised of 27 teams across the United States and is the fastest growing Division II professional soccer league in the world. The team plays its home games at the immaculate 5,500-seat Orange County Great Park Championship Soccer Stadium located in Irvine, CA, a new facility surrounded by world class amenities and 24 soccer fields. OCSC won its first USL Championship in November by defeating the Tampa Bay Rowdies by a score of 3-1 at the 2021 USL Cup. OCSC is dedicated to being the leader in professional player development in the United States, providing the most talented young players in Southern California and across the United States a pathway to professional soccer and to the top leagues around the world. OCSC’s strategic partner is historic European power Rangers Football Club of Glasgow of the Scottish Premier League. In November 2021, OCSC’s 17-year-old center back, Kobi Henry, became the first active USL player to be called up to the full US Men’s National Team for a friendly game against Bosnia and Herzegovina. Additionally, in 2019 OCSC signed the youngest male in United States soccer history to a professional contract, Francis Jacobs, at the age of 14; Jacobs played in the 2020 Alkass Cup with Rangers in Qatar and will be returning to train with Rangers in the near future. OCSC also executed the first ever player move from the USL to the German Bundesliga by sending Bryang Kayo to VFL Wolfsburg in early 2020, followed by the transfer of OC native Aaron Cervantes to Rangers FC in late 2020. OCSC also received the largest transfer fee in league history within the USL for a 2021 intraleague transaction. Club owner and Chief Investment Officer of LARO Properties, James Keston, purchased the club in 2017, re-branded the team as Orange County SC and continues to lead the OCSC management team as Chief Executive Officer. OCSC, alongside its sister organization the 501c3 Orange County Soccer Club Community Foundation, are committed to creating a world-class soccer organization that focuses on the fans, players and youth clubs of Orange County.
For more information about Orange County Soccer Club, and to experience professional soccer in the OC, visit: http://www.orangecountysoccer.com. For more information about the United Soccer League, visit: http://www.uslsoccer.com.