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Story URL: http://management.silicon.com/itdirector/0,39024673,39159540,00.htm

Tech boosts England's bid for World Cup glory
The IT behind the scenes of the FA team HQ in Germany

By Andy McCue

Published: Thursday 15 June 2006

Technology is playing a crucial role in the England football team's World Cup campaign at The Football Association's (FA) base at Baden-Baden in Germany this month.

In an exclusive interview with silicon.com, The FA's IT support manager at Baden-Baden, Ian Dimmock, has revealed the scale of the technical infrastructure required to support the players, coaching staff, FA staff and the media for the World Cup.

This ranges from a fully equipped arcade, laptops, plasma screen TVs and games consoles to entertain the players, specialist sports software for Sven Goran-Eriksson and the coaching staff, SDSL circuits around the hotel for internet and VPN access to The FA's network and IP phones to cut the cost of international calls.

Power supply was an issue for the FA set-up, as was the physical location of the Baden-Baden hotel, which is 1,000 metres up a mountain.

While Dimmock undoubtedly has an envious job at the heart of the England team preparations, he says the days are long, often starting by 6:00 and finishing well after midnight.

He said: "It can be very hard work, not that I expect to get any sympathy."

And he's more unlikely to get any given that he also has to be kitted out with the same gear as the England team - including a made-to-measure Armani suit and sunglasses, Armani luggage and a pile of Umbro sports gear.

Click here to read the full interview with Dimmock from Baden-Baden in Germany.