Full Match Coverage for Fulham FC Fans

Craven Cottage has been the home of London-based Championship club, Fulham FC, for more than a century. The installation of two LED scoreboard displays at either end of the 25,700 capacity stadium also triggered the need for the club to expand its content production to keep spectators entertained before, during and post match. Fulham turned to Enabledware to design and deliver an IPTV and broadcast studio installation that would enhance match coverage and give fans vital facts and match statistics in a single glance.
“We knew that expanding the capacity for stadium-based content would require not only an intelligent software solution, that would bring live stats and scoring to life, but also a high quality broadcast system, that would allow fans to experience the match fully, no matter where they are in the stadium,” explains Jody Frost, Enabledware.
The system has evolved to become a three studio solution, built around Blackmagic Design broadcast workflows, with each delivering an individual strand of content production. The first studio looks after the scoreboard system, which is developed around Enabledware's Venue IP and Broadcast software, and takes graphics, analytics, match scores and statistics as well as live action video from the match, and delivers this into a unique mix for the big screens. The second is a full HD television studio for the club to produce its own, supplementary pitch camera coverage, along with instant replays, and the third contains a full streaming solution. “One of the main reasons for selecting Blackmagic kit for our studios is its modularity,” continues Jody. “We’ve been able to develop each element of the solution, but can always build on, or revise, depending on how our content plans develop, but not be compromised on budgets.”
“Currently, match coverage by the English Championship is via a single camera solution, so we wanted to be able to enhance this and give fans a closer view of goals, tackles and replays from different angles,” explains Jody. “So we’ve complemented this with an additional two cameras on the gantries and pitchside, which feed into our ATEM 1 M/E Production Studio 4K to produce a full program mix for all of our screens throughout the stadium, in concourse areas as well as big screen content.” The mixer’s keyers and overlays are important features for the production team, for example, allowing sponsors’ logos or frames to be overlaid on crowd shots in between the match action.
Three HyperDeck broadcast decks capture the ISO feeds and these, alongside slow motion kit, feed into a standalone ‘replay rack’, which can also be taken into the scoreboard feed. An additional analysis camera is used to track player performance. This feed is sent to the Fulham head coach’s office on the opposite side of the stadium via fiber converters for statistical analysis and review.
Jody expects that all of the studios’ content will evolve over time, especially if promotion becomes a possibility, but Fulham’s streaming service will remain a key focus. As with other Championship clubs, Fulham has the option to stream games that will not be shown by broadcasters, and distribute these to its international fan base. “This is not only a viable revenue stream for these clubs, but it’s also a really important way of helping fans further afield feel more engaged with the club community. Football fans have an expectation to view HD footage and high quality match production, all of which have to be delivered at an exceptional price point,” concludes Jody. “We’ll be expanding this in the future, building upon the program around each fixture, and Blackmagic’s production capabilities will be a critical element for our future plans.”