The News Herald (Willoughby, OH)
Berkshire announces live-streaming
Fans of Berkshire athletics — as well as those whose teams are playing the Badgers — soon won’t have to leave the comfy confines of their home to watch their teams play.
The Berkshire athletic department and athletic boosters have announced a partnership with NFHS Network to live-stream all fall and winter home athletic events.
Boys and girls soccer, football, volleyball, boys and girls basketball and wrestling will all be available online through the NFHS Network.
“This is something we’ve never been able to offer our fans,” Berkshire athletic director Brian Hiscox said. “When I was in college, I would have loved to have been able to watch games from back home. We’re excited to bring this to our students, fans and community.”
Hiscox said the school district, thanks to funding from the athletic boosters, has already ordered the equipment to live-stream the games. The camera will be mounted at the location of the home game, whether it be the football/soccer fields or gymnasium, and connected to a computer that — through internet service — will allow fans to tune in to watch the games.
Subscribers can sign up for a monthly fee or a yearly fee. A portion of the money stays with the Berkshire school district, with a portion going to NFHS.
“We kind of stumbled into the whole thing,” Hiscox said. “We were looking at filming services for our sporting events. When we played Chagrin Falls in junior high games last fall, we got an email from Chagrin saying our games would be on the NFHS system. We’re not the first, but I guess timing is everything.”
Especially with the current situation regarding the novel coronavirus, which has put into question how many — if any — fans will be allowed to attend scholastic events this coming school year.
“I think it’s a step in the right direction,” said Brad Wadsworth, president of the Berkshire athletic boosters. “Worse-case scenario, if spectators can’t be at sporting events, families can watch their athletes with this service. But also, say if grandma and grandpa are in Florida and want to watch their grandchildren play their games, they’ll be able to.”
Wadsworth said the Berkshire athletic boosters have worked hard over the years to raise money for the betterment of the kids in the district. That hard work is what produced the funds to acquire the NFHS system.
“We worked hard over the years to build up our financials,” he said. “Luckily, we have enough padding — even with our fundraising cancelled this spring — to be able to do this for our students and families. We will always do what we can for our community.”
Hiscox doesn’t expect the streaming service to make a crucial dent in the gate receipts at Berkshire games, especially since the service is only given at games hosted by Berkshire.
He pointed out the service won’t just cover sporting events, but also graduation ceremonies, pep rallies, national signing day events and other similar school activities.
“I still think people who want to come see high school sports are going to come see high school sports,” Hiscox said. “I do think with the coming seasons, you might see reduced attendance — whether it’s voluntary or mandated — at events. So if you don’t feel comfortable coming, you will have this as an option.”