Ever dreamed about being out on the field, in the thick of the action, as the match-winning goal is scored?

Well, now you can be. At least in a digital way.

Sony has switched on FavoriteSpace, a mobile fan platform that turns club content into a social 3D experience.

The first ‘area’ inside the app is Manchester City’s Virtual Etihad Stadium, where supporters create avatars, roam the venue and watch immersive highlights that replay key moments from multiple viewpoints.

Sony pitches FavoriteSpace as a way to energise fan communities by letting people connect with teams and each other inside a persistent virtual space.

The company says more team areas and sports will be added over time.

Watching sport just got even more exciting

Manchester City is the first major sporting brand on FavoriteSpace, after running a proof-of-concept with Sony since 2021.

In the City area, fans can take part in daily challenges, social events and mini-games, and redeem digital merchandise via a virtual City Store.

The showpiece is how match moments are reconstructed.

Sony’s Hawk-Eye Innovations supplies tracking data to build 3DCG (3D computer graphics) highlights from actual games. That enables free-viewpoint replays that traditional broadcast angles can’t always deliver.

City says immersive highlights will cover men’s home matches in 2024/25 and select moments from 2023/24.

The FavoriteSpace app is live now as a free trial in Japan, the US and the UK, with paid functions due in October.

App-store listings reflect the Manchester City focus and the Hawk-Eye-powered highlight experience.

Beyond the headline features, this is Sony productising years of sports tech it already sells into leagues and broadcasters.

Sony and its customers are betting richer tracking plus explorable 3D stories and social tools will result in longer engagement, more reasons to return between fixtures and new surfaces for partners and sponsors inside a brand-safe environment.

If FavoriteSpace scales beyond a single club, it becomes a template for packaging match data as interactive media, with clubs owning a direct digital space that feels closer to a game than a website.

Hawk-Eye operates locally and its technology powers electronic reviews at the Australian Open.

However, Sony hasn’t announced any FavoriteSpace tie-ups with Australian codes as yet.