Barclays launches Premier League football app in time for new season

Augmented reality, live text and stats, and social features all included for iPhone and Android users.

English Premier League sponsor Barclays has launched a Barclays Football iPhone and Android app in time for the new season, which kicks off next weekend.

The free app went live on Apple's App Store and Google's Android Market yesterday (11 August). Its features include live text on match days, as well as stats for matches, teams and players, fixture lists, league tables and results.

However, the app also has several social features, including the ability to chat to Facebook friends from within the app itself, and see what football chat is trending on Twitter.

Barclays also has augmented reality features in the app, with users able to peek at AR views of every Premier League club's stadium, and the surrounding amenities. That includes Barclays cash machines, naturally, as well as train stations and shops.

The app also has a competition section to win tickets to matches, and a pair of virtual referee cards (red and yellow) which expand full-screen, presumably to be waved at players, friends and random strangers.