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Soccer Club Delivering Fan Merchandise by Drone

Residents of two Michelstadt districts can order SV Darmstadt 98 products online and these are then flown by Wingcopter drones to fixed points just outside the villages and transported to the customer's front door By Joe Macey / 21 Dec 2023

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SV Darmstadt 98 is the first soccer club to deliver fan merchanside by drone
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Fan merchandise from local Bundesliga club SV Darmstadt 98 is now being flown to its supporters. 

The Bundesliga club is believed to be the first soccer club in the world to deliver items from its own store to its fans by delivery drone. This is made possible through a collaboration with the Hessian delivery drone pioneer Wingcopter as part of the “LieferMichel” pilot project.

Residents of two Michelstadt districts can order a selection of Darmstadt 98 products such as jerseys, scarves, and Christmas accessories via the LieferMichel website. Within the selected delivery window, these are then flown by Wingcopter delivery drones to fixed landing points just outside of the villages, from where they are transported the last few meters to the customer’s front door by electric cargo bike – conveniently, quickly and emission-free. 

“We have established in our mission statement that we want to combine tradition with innovation and modernity. The cooperation with Wingcopter is a perfect example of this: We want to be pioneers of innovation and constantly develop new ways to bring our fans closer to the club – or vice versa in this case,” said Martin Kowalewski, Managing Director of SV Darmstadt 1898.

LieferMichel is a pilot project of the Frankfurt University of Applied Sciences and Wingcopter, funded by the German Federal Ministry of Digital and Transport (BMDV) as part of the “Innovative Air Mobility” funding directive. Since October residents of the two participating districts of Michelstadt can order everyday goods from the local REWE Center and have them delivered by Wingcopter. Other partners in the project are Vodafone and cargo bike manufacturer Riese & Müller.

“We are proud to have gained an exciting partner for the LieferMichel project in SV Darmstadt 98, who are working with us on innovative ways to reach people in rural regions. We look forward to soaring to new heights together in the coming weeks,” added Ansgar Kadura, Co-Founder and Chief Services Officer of Wingcopter.

Posted by Joe Macey Joseph Macey is a Content Specialist at Unmanned Systems Technology. Since joining in 2022, he has focused on emerging technologies in unmanned systems, with particular expertise in Counter-UAS, communication systems, and camera technologies. A graduate of Falmouth University in Journalism, Joseph began his career in 2019 as a local reporter. His journalism experience not only sharpens his reporting but also enhances his ability to conduct in-depth interviews, enabling him to deliver authoritative insights on the latest industry trends. Connect
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