We note and wholeheartedly support the statements issued by Danny Hunter as well as the Carlisle United Supporters Trust regarding the current TV deal covering the National League.
The continual inconvenience of supporters by the DAZN scheduling affects us all, no matter which club colours we wear. It defies belief that any sane and rational person selects a game for coverage, acknowledges that supporters will not be able to get home using public transport, require an overnight stop or face an arduous journey by road into the wee small hours and thinks that that’s ok.
When football supporters discuss the ingredients that make the game so magical it’s the click of the turnstiles, the meeting up with friends and, win or lose, the live matchday experience and atmosphere. Nobody has ever reminisced fondly about the time an email landed to confirm their subscription, or the magical moment when a stream has loaded.
Away from the top echelons of the sport, connection between fans and clubs is vital if they are to be sustained. That connection is all the more difficult if it’s done through a screen. The National League has an opportunity to sell itself as a league that offers a quality, accessible product that fans can connect with – one that stands out compared to the megacorps slugging it out at the top of the pyramid. Sadly, the current TV deal mimics the worst aspects of TV’s influence on the game – inconveniencing supporters – but without the financial benefits for the clubs in return.
Football during Covid taught us that attending spectators are a crucial element of the football experience. How quickly some people have forgotten. Supporters are part of the package that, ironically, the TV companies use to sell their product – a sell that would be all the more harder with empty stands as a backdrop.
As the current deal has several years to run, we strongly encourage DAZN and the National League to review how games are selected for coverage so that the interests of matchgoing supporters are prioritised far higher than they are now. A failure to do so will undoubtedly result in supporters organisations reviewing how they best protect the interests of their members, whether that is an organised and widely publicised boycott of DAZN subscriptions or boycotts of selected matches.
We are happy to join in with any constructive dialogue that the powers that be wish to open.
The Bluebirds Trust