Riedel Communications is partnering with broadcast solutions and service provider EMG to provide communications between Belgium’s Jupiler Pro League referees, their assistants on the pitch, and the video assistant referees working remotely at the VAR Replay Centre at Proximus Basecamp.
Riedel’s Bolero wireless intercom and Artist digital matrix intercom systems are being employed to connect the VAR Replay Centre, located 25 km south of Brussels in the small town of Tubize, with all Jupiler Pro League stadiums across Belgium.
Signals moving between different stadiums and the VAR Replay Centre travel over the Proximus MPLS network.
Riedel supplied all the stadium kits, each equipped with Bolero-S stand-alone wireless intercom systems including antennas, beltpacks, and run headsets for referees working on the pitch. At the VAR Replay Centre, five VAR desks/stations, plus one spare and a supervisor desk are equipped with Riedel’s Artist 1024 intercom system with 1216 intercom panels that support overlapping matches (in parallel) per match day, said Riedel. The system can be expanded with flight packs to support up to nine concurrent matches.
“With an intercom solution that enables crisp, clear conversations between referees on the pitch and our VAR Replay Centre in Tubize, we can be sure we’re getting outstanding quality in the communication process,” said Stephanie Forde, operations director, professional refereeing department, at the Royal Belgian Football Association.
“Despite the distance between each stadium and the VAR Replay Centre, the sound is exceptional. Both the Bolero and Artist systems are easy to use, so our teams have no trouble making the right connection, even in the midst of an intense match. With Riedel’s professional support, integration and configuration of the system was straightforward.”
