Fantom – World’s first smartwatch for football fans arrives this autumn

By Aristo Dotse

Football fans all over the world can look forward to strap on their first club-specific smartwatch this autumn, according to Turnpike Group, an exciting Swedish startup business founded with the purpose of intensifying the experience of being a fan.

The fan-centric smartwatch, which will be available online at getfantom.com or through the club’s retail network, is ready to be launched this autumn. Fans eager to get first in-line can sign-up at the getfantom.com/#signup.

Developed in close collaboration with fans and clubs, the smartwatch, called the Fantom, promises to fuel the passion of millions of fans with features made just for the football fan. The Fantom, according to the creators, is “dramatically different from what you come to expect from a market dominated by”do it all devices” or step-counters.”

“Instead, the Fantom focuses on meeting the needs of passionate fans through a perfect mix of inside club information, instant match stats, and clever tools like sensing the presence of other fans or countdown to kick-off. The Fantom also comes prepared with arena specific features like season tickets and contactless payments through the integrated NFC chip.”

According to Carl Norberg, founder and inventor of the Fantom, “the purpose of the Fantom is not to count calories, but to fuel fans with insights and commitment”. It is an instant tribe telegraph on your skin, making you feel connected to everything happening around the club. It’s fantech at its very best.”

Norberg added: “to be able to deliver all these club specific features, every version of the Fantom has to be a co-ordinated effort between Fantom, the club and its fans. Clubs get excited about the Fantom because it enables them to reach their most loyal fans in a completely personalized way. And that without cannibalizing existing sales, relationships or channels.”

Designed inside out

The Fantom, which is a three-year effort by the Stockholm-based creators, has been uniquely designed based on different factors, making it uniquely different from an ordinary smartwatch. Björn Ögren, the Fantom’s chief designer and co-founder explains: “this is not some marketing ploy. The inside facing display creates more room for your club colours on the upside. It also makes it possible to read the display in more “fan-friendly” angles, like when you punch your fists in the air after a goal, when you bury your face in despair, or while downing a beverage at the pub.”

For passionate sport fans the Fantom poses to be the sharpest tool in the box to cut to what’s essential. Plus, no other smartwatch or app enables you to tell the world who you are as a fan.“Phones are all about accessing the world. Watches on the other hand, have one important job apart from telling the time, and that is to tell the world who you really are”, Norberg emphasises. “In that regard, the message you send out wearing your clubs Fantom is just as strong as actively choosing a Rolex or a Swatch”.