A brand new Digital Lions tour app will allow fans to ‘become a lion’ ahead of the side’s 2021 tour of South Africa.
The tech is a a first within the sport, with the new ‘Digital Lions’ feature allowing fans to create their own personalised, fully animated Digital Lion Avatar, 3D animations of themselves wearing the full British and Irish Lions 2021 Tour kit, that can be shared on social and used to interact with other avatars.
All the animations are based on the movements of real Lions Legends Sam Warburton, Paul O’Connell, Sir Ian McGeechan and Jeremy Guscott, who pulled on motion capture suits earlier in the month to run through a series of tackling, passing and kicking drills, which fans’ Digital Lions will be also able to replicate.
The app, which has been created in collaboration with Vodafone, will also provide the latest news, fixtures, ticket offers, merchandise and interactive fan experiences.
Max Taylor, Commercial Director, Vodafone UK said: “We want to give fans the most
immersive Lions experience possible. Our new app will be the ultimate in digital self-
expression. A fan’s ‘Digital Lion’ will become their companion throughout the build up to the tour and the Tour itself and will get them closer to the action and other fans than ever
before.
Ben Calveley, Managing Director, British & Irish Lions said, “As the countdown to next
year’s Tour continues, we are excited to be launching the official Lions app in conjunction
with our partners Vodafone.
“This highly innovative app, which features cutting-edge fan engagement functionality such as the ‘Digital Lion’ and ‘XV Selector’, will further complement our digital channels, allowing fans to interact with the Lions in new and exciting ways.”
