In 2021, we ran a competition on social media for a grassroots club to win a matchday filming experience, with Sporting Carpathians from Leagrave in Luton being one of our two winners. With Joymo, the livestreaming video platform for every level of the sporting pyramid, and FilmMyMatch, the professional filming, editing and analysis experts, joining forces in a long-term partnership, they were perfectly placed to deliver this fantastic prize.
Days like this are fantastic for grassroots clubs that rarely have the opportunity or resource to watch themselves in action, or share their efforts with friends and family, without them braving the cold of the touchline. Michael Cardoso, Team Manager and designated matchday commentator, spoke to us about the day.
“The players were looking forward to the game and the experience. It had been postponed a few times due to restrictions, so there was a lot of excitement. One or two players may have visited the hairdressers ahead of the match. The decision on making me commentator was taken by the manager. He wanted someone who could keep up with the game, know the players’ names and wouldn’t be missed on the sideline!
“With FilmMyMatch on the ground, doing what they do best, the game was livestreamed by Joymo and we were incredibly excited to run live grassroots football on our website for the very first time. And the on-field entertainment didn’t disappoint with Sporting Carpathians bagging five goals. Sadly, their opposition Wootton Cross scored six!
“General feedback was really positive. It was tarred a bit by the result being a negative one, albeit a close one. What was interesting was how many players (including those who weren’t in the squad on matchday) watched the game back and shared their analysis of their performance as well as the team’s performance with management. It was great seeing the players embrace it, not just as a fun matchday experience, but also as a tool for their continued development.
“The whole thing was very professional. It gives you a tiny insight into what professional players experience. From being able to replay and scrutinise your performance to feeling like all eyes are on you. The match stats, graphics, basically the whole package is awesome. For an amateur team, we absolutely loved it … just not the result!
“We had people tuning in locally and abroad. There was a clear uptick in our social media engagement. It was surreal getting real-time encouragement from family and friends who weren’t at the game. (Including unsolicited coaching advice!)
“Thanks so much to The Grassroots Post, Joymo and FilmMyMatch for organising this. We’ll be keeping an eye out for future competitions!”