D.C. UNITED

Shockoe: Modernizing the Match Day Experience for MLS Royalty

Shockoe de-risked the transition to a mobile-first fan journey for one of soccer’s most decorated clubs, building a unified Match Day Companion app for D.C. United that modernizes ticketing, stadium entry, and real-time fan engagement.

About D.C. United

One of the founding clubs of Major League Soccer (MLS), D.C. United is a four-time MLS Cup champion with a deeply loyal and multi-generational fanbase.

Industry: Sports & Stadium Hospitality Challenge: Replacing a legacy, disjointed fan experience with a modern, integrated “Match Day Companion” that handles ticketing, stadium entry, and real-time engagement. Timeline: 6 Months Platform: Native iOS, Android

01

APPROACH

The Risk of Disconnected Fans For a club with the history of D.C. United, the match day experience is sacred. However, their digital touchpoints were fragmented, creating friction exactly when fans should be focused on the game.

STEP 1

Ticketing Friction:

Legacy systems made stadium entry slow and frustrating.

STEP 2

Fragmented Engagement:

No central place for fans to access real-time stats, rewards, or stadium information.

STEP 3

Missed Revenue:

A lack of integrated mobile ordering and promotions meant lost opportunities for food, beverage, and merchandise sales.

02

IMPACT

A Unified Match Day Platform Shockoe built a unified fan platform designed to de-risk the stadium experience by making every interaction seamless and high-performance.

The Secure Digital Wallet

We integrated ticketing and stadium entry into a secure, offline-capable digital wallet. This ensured that even with 20,000 fans hitting the stadium Wi-Fi simultaneously, entry remained fast and reliable. The platform also supports alternative access methods for fans without smartphones, including printed QR codes and will-call options, ensuring inclusive stadium entry.

Real-Time Fan Engagement

We built a live-match center that delivers scores, lineups, and stats with minimal latency, keeping fans connected to the pitch through their device.

Stadium Hospitality Integration

We laid the groundwork for a unified stadium experience, connecting digital promotions and rewards to the physical match day journey, increasing fan loyalty and on-property interactions.

03

EXPERIENCE

A Seamless Stadium Experience The platform successfully modernized the club’s digital presence, ensuring the fan journey matches the quality of the play on the field.
“D.C. United needs to be on the cutting edge. Shockoe delivered an experience that wasn’t just ‘cool technology’—it was a reliable, data-driving asset that our fans and sponsors loved.”

— [Name], [Title], D.C. United (Placeholder)
Heritage brand digital platform illustration

Want to learn about how the assessment is scored?

At Shockoe, we help heritage and iconic brand leaders create seamless omnichannel journeys by integrating digital and physical retail experiences. This guide explores how to leverage AI, AR, and customer-centric strategies to deliver consistent engagement across all touchpoints, with insights from our successful omnichannel projects and industry best practices.