Launching a completely new professional sports team can be costly – but it is also an opportunity to ensure that the team is equipped with the very latest technology in all spheres.

The Gold Coast Suns, a new professional Australian Rules football team, has taken this approach and chosen to use TETRA radios for all aspects of its operations.

Recently the team embarked on its inaugural season in the Australian Football League (AFL), marking a major investment in the coastal region south of Brisbane, on Australia’s east coast. AUS$144 million has been invested in the team’s stadium, which has a capacity of 25?000 and will provide employment for up to 900 people.

Robust radio

In setting up the team and its stadium, the Suns opted for TETRA technology, primarily because of the secure communications that it guaranteed.

Having selected Damm TETRA infrastructure, the team decided that its key criteria in selecting terminals would be robustness and audio quality. This was because of the potential for radios to be dropped or knocked and because of crowd noise during matches.

Sepura terminals came out ahead on both counts and an order for 140 radios followed. They will be used for a wide variety of purposes, from crowd control and maintenance at the stadium to passing messages between coaching staff during games.

Helping out

Mark Wood, managing director of GMG, Sepura’s local channel partner, commented: “The team has always been willing to try new ideas and the selection of Sepura terminals for their communications was another example of the team choosing the best available products for their needs.”

Doug Bowden, of Sepura in Australia, added: “This contract is particularly pleasing, as the establishment of a new team is a special event and we are really thrilled to be helping out.”