Outernet London will host Goal Rush, an interactive football game designed for its large-scale immersive screens, adding a participatory sport format to one of the capital’s most high-profile digital experience venues.
Sponsored by Skechers, the activation will take place inside the Now Building on Charing Cross Road, next to Tottenham Court Road Station. The format uses Outernet’s 8K LED screens to create a live football arena, allowing visitors to take part in competitive gameplay through their mobile phones.
For brand experience agencies, media owners, attraction operators and venue partners, Goal Rush demonstrates how large-format digital infrastructure can support active participation rather than passive viewing. It also shows how major sporting moments can be translated into place-based experiences that combine entertainment, sponsorship and public engagement.
Phone-Based Gameplay For High-Footfall Environments
Goal Rush uses a custom app and QR-based access system. Participants scan a code displayed on Outernet’s screens, then use their phones as motion-based controllers to shoot, tackle and compete in real time against other players.
This mechanic is significant for operators because it reduces the need for dedicated handheld hardware, staffing-heavy onboarding or complex equipment management. The audience already carries the main interface, making the format suitable for a busy central London environment with constant pedestrian flow.
The use of motion controls also creates an intuitive entry point. The experience can accommodate different levels of sporting interest and gaming familiarity, which is valuable for public venues seeking accessible interactive content.
For sponsors, the format offers brand visibility across both physical and digital touchpoints. The large canvas provides scale, while the mobile interaction adds personal participation and measurable engagement opportunities. This combination is increasingly important for brands looking to move beyond display media into active, social and shareable experiences.
Sponsorship Linked To Sporting Culture
The launch has been positioned around a summer sporting calendar led by the FIFA World Cup. By linking the activation to football’s wider cultural profile, Outernet and Skechers are tapping into a period when the sport is already commanding public attention.
Outernet’s partnerships team has framed the experience as a new way for football fans and gamers to compete together within a 360-degree digital setting. Skechers UK and Ireland has also presented the partnership as a community-facing initiative, using the activation to connect with audiences through sport, play and shared participation.
From a B2B standpoint, the project illustrates the value of aligning branded experiences with live cultural moments. The strongest sponsorship activations often respond to existing audience energy, rather than asking audiences to adopt an entirely new context. Goal Rush uses football as a familiar theme, then applies technology and scale to create a venue-specific proposition.
A Useful Model For Visitor Experience Operators
For the visitor experience sector, Goal Rush offers a practical example of how immersive venues can programme interactive content that is time-sensitive, sponsor-supported and operationally accessible.
The Now Building’s digital architecture allows Outernet to turn a public-facing screen environment into a game space. This has relevance for attractions, retail destinations, transport-adjacent venues, fan zones and entertainment districts exploring new uses for large-format display systems.
The activation also points to a wider trend in experience design: audiences are increasingly invited to act within the content, rather than simply watch it. For operators, that shift has implications for dwell time, repeat participation, data capture, partnership value and the commercial use of shared spaces.
Goal Rush positions Outernet as both a cultural venue and an interactive media platform. For brands and experience producers, it underlines the potential of combining sport, mobile technology and large-scale digital environments to create memorable public activations with clear commercial relevance.
