A Stevenage entrepreneur has entered the world of the Galacticos having sealed a deal for his new sports activation technology to be used by Real Madrid.
Tim Worboys has turned his childhood hobby of playing ‘wally’ into WallJAM, an innovative rebound wall that gives children and adults the chance to test their skills on a host of interactive games and sports.
Following design support from the Manufacturing Growth Programme (MGP), the former chartered surveyor’s invention will star in a 5-year global tour that will take the world famous team’s brand to 15 cities across the world in a stunning pavilion that has been designed to replicate a mini Bernabeau Stadium.
‘The World of Football Skills Arena’, which is currently at the Melbourne Museum Plaza, has chosen WallJAM to give fans a truly interactive physical experience and the opportunity to pit their skills directly against football heroes like Gareth Bale, Luka Modric and Isco.
Participants will be able to play in a bank of one of five zones and the fully immersive experience will allow them to set their own personal best score, compete against other players and see how they compare against the first team stars.
“It has been a long six years developing the idea into the fantastic product that it is now and this latest deal with Real Madrid really announces us on the global stage,” explained Tim.
“They are arguably the greatest brand in world football and have more than 600 million fans worldwide so for them to invest in our technology tells me we are doing something right. It comes on the back of a really busy period, with WallJAM also used at Wimbledon as a way of encouraging spectator engagement.”
He continued: “The business model has lots of different elements. You can buy one of the walls, you can lease one and we are now starting to look at franchise agreements so we can develop lots of local WallJAM centres.
“Turnover could treble over the next twelve months to over £500,000 and there’s lot of exciting opportunities to introduce new sports and games.”
The Manufacturing Growth Programme has played a key role in the company’s recent success, supporting Tim and his team on selecting the right materials for the wall panels, which need to be lightweight, robust and able to accommodate the sensors.
Working with retail print production specialist Jupiter VC, MGP were also able to design a modular fixed panel system that can be affixed to its existing structure using a frame and clasp system.
This ensures LED strip lights are fixed appropriately boosting ‘look and feel’ and, importantly, WallJAM can be transported to different venues a lot easier.
Amanda Freeland, Manufacturing Growth Manager, commented: “Tim has come up with a concept that has got the world talking and combines gamification with staying active – a winning combination.
“As a small business it needed some expert advice on materials and structure and we were able to understand the challenges and bring in one of our experts to come up with a solution that makes WallJAM easier to transport. It doesn’t sound much, but that breakthrough is huge!”
Tim concluded: “When you are trying to get new technology to market quickly there are a lot of things to consider and one of the main issues was around the construction of the wall panels.
“MGP came in and talked to us about our business and where we wanted to grow and immediately put us in touch with Jupiter VC, who have been brilliant. The grant isn’t massive, but it is easy to apply for and has made a significant difference to our ability to transport and sell WallJAM.”
For further information, please visit www.walljam.com
Copyright © Economic Growth Solutions, 12th September 2018.