OPTUS SPORT LAUNCHES NEW PLATFORM TO HELP FANS DISCOVER THEIR EPL HERITAGE

Optus has launched a new digital platform where Australian sports fans can discover their English Premier League (EPL) heritage and identify the team they were born to support.

In collaboration with Ancestry Australia, Optus has created Fancestry, an interactive site that analyses users’ surnames against 20 billion records to identify which team their ancestors are likely to have supported.

Optus’ Head of Television and Content, Corin Dimopoulos, said, “Optus Fancestry allows people to learn more about their heritage and gives a new generation of Premier League fans the opportunity to discover their EPL roots.

“Curious fans can also use it to get their hands on the information they need to understand their new club’s history and players, and stay up-to-date on the matches.”

Ancestry Marketing Director, Nigel Seeto said “Ancestry helps people gain a new level of understanding about their lives and the story that led to them. Optus Fancestry brings this to life in a fun and relevant way for a new generation of Premier League fans, ensuring they can discover more about their sporting heritage.”

Former Australian Soccer Player and Optus Sport Premier League Expert, Mark Schwarzer, said, “Having played in the Premier League, I’ve witnessed what it’s like to be surrounded by such passionate fans and it’s an incredible experience. Most Premier League fans have loyally supported their team for generations and this passion shines through to the players. I love that Optus Fancestry is giving Australians the opportunity to discover their team based on their family heritage. They can revive old family traditions and identify the teams they were born to support.”

While Fancestry gives the most accurate results to Australians whose ancestors can be traced back to the UK, it has been designed to find a team for everyone. If Fancestry can’t find any British ancestors living in the UK at the turn of the 19th century, it will determine the user’s family name, country of origin and use UK migration data to pinpoint a team their fellow countryman would have supported.

Users who discover their team via Fancestry are eligible for a 14-day trial of the live and exclusive Premier League coverage on Optus Sport. Users are also provided with the times and dates their new team will be playing so they can stay up to date on matches through Optus Sport.

Fancestry can be accessed on any device, whether users are at home or on-the-go.

To find your team with Fancestry head to www.facestry.optus.com.au

Optus Sport is the only place you can watch every match of the English Premier League live at home, in selected venues or on-the-go, data free. To find out more about the Optus Sport live streaming of the English Premier League visit: https://sport.optus.com.au/