New scoreboard/screen..

Ben said it is to be paid for over 10 years, self funded by its own revenue. I'm not sure how that money can be spent on players as the revenue doesn't exist without the new scoreboard. Nobody will pay to advertise on something that isn't there

 

I thought he meant that the outlay would be recouped within ten years but I could be wrong. Whichever way a new scoreboard isn't top of my list but by way of compensation we have to turn the existing embarrassing piece of crap off.

If th y d t at I wi l b h p y.

 

Ten years!? How much do you think the outlay is??

 

I've no idea. I got the impression that Ben was saying that the revenue brought in over ten years would pay for the cost. Like I said I could be wrong.

 

I'm sorry, but a decent scoreboard should be able to pay back in 3 years.

It just needs the right kind of sales & promotion. The technology is very cheap now.

The thing that should be thought about is the overall match day experience. That means you can get a pie or bag of crisps, a drink, etc & be treated to a reasonable level of service. Oakwell would score about **** all on trip advisor. If the club is to move beyond us addicts it has to do a LOT better. Ben has won me over in a bunch of areas, but grappling with modernising our service levels is still a pipe dream by the looks.

 

Matchday experience

 

I'm not sure how a new scoreboard will improve the match day experience. That's not to say we shouldn't get one, but I just can't work out how it will make the day better. I use the scoreboard for one thing: to check how much of the match has gone/how long is left. Our score board is crap, but it's perfectly adequate at relaying that information and I find it very useful. A new scoreboard will not do that any better. It'll be more aesthetically pleasing, or should be, the numbers will be clearer, but it won't give a more accurate representation of the time left the game has to run.

I've not read anyone mention what services a new scoreboard will offer that the present one doesn't, other than better relaying sponsors messages, which will, it is claimed, help fund the initial purchase of the scoreboard. I can't believe anyone will enjoy the day at Oakwell more by having more adverts beamed at them. Again, that's not to say we shouldn't get one. If people are to be believed, the money generated from selling advertising space on the scoreboard will be a source of income once the scoreboard has paid for itself. But even the biggest advocates of getting a new scoreboard must concede the revenue generated from this won't be huge amounts. Estimates on how long it will take to pay for the scoreboard itself range from 3 to 10 years, so we're talking about a modest return. Having your message delivered to the same 8,000 people every week, who probably won't be looking at it anyway, is not something you can charge a lot for. I would imagine the club believe they can make a much better return by investing in other areas.

The club should have two separate budgets: player recruitments, wages, etc and ground maintenance/improvement. Personally, I believe a lot more people will have a much better match day experience if the puddle EastStand Lower has to sit in is sorted out (as well as similar problems), if the seats covered in bird **** are regularly cleaned, and if there is always good food and drink available, served quickly and efficiently by friendly staff.

When all that's sorted, let's get a scoreboard, but be prepared to suffer buyer's remorse because it'll not improve your life or make you feel happier in the slightest.

 

Should just get one like Liverpool's

 

THat puddle according to the club doesnt exsist....

The puddles caused by concrete skim not being finished properly

 

How many more times

THEY HAVE NOT EVEN APPLIED FIR PLANNING PERMISSION

 

But it does improve the matchday experience because it can do dar more than the present one. A proper one can show the game live from a different angle to what you get from your seat. It can show replays so you dont have to wait till you get home to see a goal again.It can show the full lineups including subs and yelow cards so you know whos on the bench or whos been booked. It can show all the scores from other clubs too. And it can show an highlights package at half time plus show interviews before kick off.

You only have to look at how many people crowd round the tvs in the concourses to realise how many people would use it.

 

You're not talking about a scoreboard, you're talking about a video screen. You're also talking about employing a vision mixer and an editor to be able to do what you claim we can do with such a screen. Replays and highlights don't come with the hardware, you have to employ people to do them. I can tell you something right now, there's no way on earth the advertising revenue generated from displaying messages on that screen will ever pay for such a set up before it's knackered. The idea that such a system will generate money for the club on the crowds we attract is pie in the sky. Again, that's not a reason not to get one, but if that's our intentions, it'll be a service provided to improve the match day experience, at cost to the club, not a money spinner that has always been claimed.

So, what do we want, something that will pay for itself in the long run and maybe generate a little money, or a multi-media screen that you describe requiring trained personnel to run it, but will cost the club? I'm afraid you can't have both.

 

The one at Huddersfield doesn't - during the game - show any replays, highlights, or live footage. It's basically a sponsor screen. That's the one we'll end up with. Most of the screens showing all the other stuff that Supertyke refers to cost a fortune to run and are usually belonging to top Premier League outfits. Which you've already pointed out. Just sticking my beak in.

 

We are already employing a guy in the Police control box that do the scoreboard and HT/Latest results anyway. Doncaster have installed one, two guys controlling all the replays etc.
https://twitter.com/roversdazza/status/532982261583708160/photo/1
http://www.drfc-vsc.co.uk/index.php?topic=249818.0
http://www.doncasterroversfc.co.uk//news/article/stadium-due-big-screen-boost-1710287.aspx

The Hudders one must be in the minority, most I've seen at away grounds do replays etc.

 

It's *****. That's why I suspect we'll end up with similar. Both us and them are in partnership with Fantastic Media too. Some links there. Friendly this summer n all. Hope I'm wrong and we get one that at least shows replays etc. Not so fussed about stuff before the game or at half time as I'm always drinking anyway. But for the kids, it'd be good to show stuff from down the years.

 

Probably part of the sponsorship package is to have their company names up in lights on the scoreboard, although last time I looked it were quite entertaining trying to work out the sponsors with only haif of em lit up.

 

Course it will, at times it's impossible to tell which digit is supposed to be being displayed and you have to wait for a minute to go by so that you can tell once it changes.

Also, I think it will improve the experience, at Leeds they had little footballs and coloured cards to show who had scored, been carded and I think subs were on there too which I liked. They also displayed things that were happening on the pitch at half time so we could see it better (who doesn't want to see our rubbish half time entertainment close up??) I think they might have played back the goals too but I'm not fully certain.

Edit: I hadn't looked at the second page before writing this and after seeing the posts above I'm certain I didn't misremember the replays.

Also, it won't just pay for itself through advertising a better match day experience will get more people in who will have to buy tickets and possibly food (is there is any) and maybe merchandise if they get hooked. I know some people say they don't care about the experience other than what happens on the pitch but I'd quite like to not have to go in a scruffy place that looks like a building site (in the concourses) with out of date signs everywhere, a scoreboard that's half broken and refreshments that are either unavailable or just awful. I wouldn't accept it anywhere else and I certainly wouldn't go back anywhere else if it was like that. The match might be the main attraction but I wouldn't go to a scruffy cinema for example with the problems listed above.

 

I'd go to watch Barnsley even if we were forced to play games on Rotherham Road fields. Of course all the other stuff helps, and naturally I'd like much of Oakwell improving in these areas but I go for the football and social aspect with mates etc.

 

They were showing highlights and a live feed at Colchester in front of 3,000 fans. If they can do it I would hope we could.