Enhancing the Game-Day Experience with Seamless, Secure Connectivity

Zyxel_May · July 24

Stade de Genève Foundation

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"The ticketing network and access system equipment had to be replaced in preparation for the 2025 Women's European Championship to meet the new UEFA standards. The network is now more reliable, secure, and equipped with backup measures to ensure continuity in case of device failure. Additionally, improved monitoring allows network issues to be detected and resolved much more efficiently."
Xavier Ris, Technical Director
Stade de Genève Foundation

Overview

Stade de Genève, a leading sports venue in Geneva, Switzerland, is home to Servette FC and hosts major international events, including matches in the UEFA Women's Euro 2025. The stadium underwent a significant network infrastructure upgrade to meet UEFA's requirements for the tournament and enhance the spectator experience. The project aimed to provide reliable, high-speed connectivity for large crowds.

The foundation collaborated with Ticketmaster, SKIDATA, Zyxel Networks, and its technical team, Diffinco SA-specialists in IT services, cloud solutions, and cybersecurity. The new network supports ticketing systems, VIP services, and ensures smooth operations at the stadium. The solution includes XGS1930-28 switches, WAX630S WiFi 6 access points, ATP500 firewalls, and the Nebula cloud management platform, ensuring the stadium's network is scalable, secure, and efficient for current and future needs. Thanks to this upgrade, the stadium is equipped to offer secure and seamless connectivity to thousands of spectators.

Challenges

Stade de Genève, a nearly 30,000-seat venue, will host five matches during the 2025 Women's European Football Championship, including a quarter-final and semi-final, supporting nearly 150,000 spectators while meeting UEFA's stringent requirements. As the year-round home of Servette FC, the stadium has seen increasing attendance since the club's 2019 return to the elite league, driving a significant rise in network demands. This growth made a redesign of the ticketing and access system essential to provide seamless connectivity and ensure security. The primary challenge was upgrading the network to manage the large influx of spectators, support 44 SKIDATA turnstiles for future expansion, and enhance VIP connectivity to deliver a premium experience-all while maintaining robust network reliability and security.

Solutions

The robust network architecture includes twelve XGS1930-28 switches, plus a backup unit for redundancy. This new system configuration connects forty-four existing SKIDATA turnstiles and allows for future expansion of access control devices. To ensure full redundancy, an additional switch has been installed at the output, keeping the network running even if a device fails, thanks to the RSTP protocol. Highly available firewalls further secure the entire system.

To enhance wireless connectivity in VIP areas, WAX630S access points were deployed, delivering higher speeds and improved device management. Mobile terminals used for scanning tickets benefit directly from this upgrade.

The entire infrastructure is monitored via Zyxel's Nebula cloud management platform, enabling real-time tracking and automatic anomaly alerts. With Nebula, stadium IT administrators can oversee and manage the network remotely, reducing downtime and proactively fixing issues.

Results

The Stade de Genève now features a robust, futureproof network infrastructure that meets UEFA's high standards. The upgraded system has significantly enhanced network capacity and performance, ensuring stable connections for ticketing systems, VIP services, and operational teams. It strengthens security, supports growing network demands, and ensures smooth operations for both major international events and regular league matches. Spectators enjoy seamless access to services, while stadium management can focus on delivering successful events with confidence in the network's stability and scalability. With this upgraded infrastructure, the venue is fully prepared to host major events like the UEFA Women's Euro 2025, minimizing the risk of network disruptions.

Reliable connectivity for smooth event operations
Better spectator experience with uninterrupted, secure network access
Scalable infrastructure ready for future tech upgrades

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