Bolton Wanderers Football Club has appointed LIMA as its new managed IT services provider, following a competitive tender process to support the next phase of the club’s technology, infrastructure and digital transformation strategy.
The Salford-headquartered IT specialist will work with Bolton Wanderers to strengthen the club’s core IT environment, improve resilience across its network infrastructure, and support the continued development of the Toughsheet Community Stadium as a leading venue for sport, hospitality, conferencing and events.
Alongside its football operations – including ticketing, hospitality, kiosks, retail and fan engagement – the Toughsheet Community Stadium is home to Bolton Stadium Hotel and hosts conferences, concerts, private events and community activity throughout the year.
With such a broad and complex operation, reliable technology is business critical. On matchdays, the club’s network supports everything from payment systems, turnstiles, Wi-Fi and CCTV through to corporate hospitality and back-office operations.
Following an assessment of a number of IT providers, LIMA was selected on the strength of its proposal, its understanding of the club’s operational requirements, and the quality of its end-to-end engagement throughout the tender process.
As part of the partnership, LIMA will provide its ProActive Managed Service across Bolton Wanderers’ network infrastructure, alongside Microsoft 365 support, Backup as a Service and end-user support through On Demand Service Desk.
The appointment also supports the club’s longer-term technology roadmap, including enhanced cyber security, improved operational resilience, and a continued move towards cloud-based and SaaS platforms. These improvements are intended to simplify internal ways of working while supporting more seamless digital experiences for supporters, staff, guests and partners.
Andrew Bradford, IT & systems manager at Bolton Wanderers Football Club, said: “IT is not always the most visible part of running a football club, but it underpins almost every part of the operation.
“As a club, we are continuing to modernise our systems and improve resilience across the wider stadium environment. Following a thorough tender process, LIMA stood out not only for the strength of their proposal, but for the quality of their engagement and their understanding of what we are trying to achieve.
“We are pleased to have LIMA on board and look forward to working with them as we continue to develop a more resilient, joined-up and forward-looking technology environment across both Bolton Wanderers and Bolton Stadium Hotel.”
Danny Masters, CEO at LIMA, added: “A football club is a much more complex operation than many people realise, and Bolton Wanderers is a fantastic example of that. The club relies on its technology, so resilience and reliability are absolutely critical.
“We are excited to work with Bolton Wanderers and proud to have been selected following such a robust tender process. The relationship has already started strongly, and we are looking forward to supporting the club’s ambitions both on and off the pitch.”
The agreement will also see LIMA working with Bolton Wanderers across sponsorship and corporate hospitality opportunities.
