Bolton Wanderers have appointed LIMA as their new managed IT services provider following the club’s return to the Championship.
Bolton beat Stockport County in the League One play-off final last season to return to the second tier.
Now, following a competitive tender process, Salford-headquartered IT specialist LIMA will support their technology, infrastructure and digital transformation strategy.
LIMA will look to strengthen the club’s core IT environment, improve resilience across their network infrastructure, and support the continued development of the Toughsheet Community Stadium as a 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.
On matchdays, the club’s network supports everything from payment systems, turnstiles, Wi-Fi and CCTV through to corporate hospitality and back-office operations.
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.
Andrew Bradford, information technology & 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.