Mark Harris: A field of streams! ClubberTV live-streaming debuts at steps three & four

By Mark Harris – Northern Premier League chairman

Last Saturday, for the first time at Steps 3-4, four fixtures in the Isthmian, Southern and Northern Premier Leagues were live streamed.

It’s early days, with some positive feedback from the clubs that took part, and some negativity amongst clubs and fans not yet persuaded by the idea or its execution.

Over the coming weeks, clubs will weigh up the benefits and determine the success or failure of this project.

In the meantime, how did we get here, is this a battle between traditional values and innovation, or something more fundamental?

Why stream?

Football is changing. Despite rising attendances, NLS clubs (especially those chasing the dream) have to find extra revenue streams to fund escalating costs, on and off the field.

On average, the revenue clubs bank from midweek games is a third less than for Saturday games. Fewer fans travel, which means less secondary spend. What’s the solution?

The National League has been live streaming matches since December 2022. This season, DAZN will stream 600 games across Steps 1-2.

At Steps 3-4, a dozen clubs are already live streaming. Farnham Town’s official streaming channel is reported to have 14,000+ subscribers.

Last April, thanks to Harborough Town’s partnership with a Spanish YouTube channel, 100 Spanish fans attended their game against St Ives Town in person.

The accompanying international virtual audience created extra sponsorship potential.

The Women’s Super League (WSL) moved the streaming of its non-televised games to YouTube at the start of the 2024–25 season.

Big increases in viewership and digital engagement highlight the scale of audience growth when matches go to open platforms, demonstrating the potential reach for well-packaged streamed games.

Under our partnership with ClubberTV, clubs receive a shared, guaranteed match fee for midweek fixtures and international break Saturdays, which rises if both clubs agree to move a Saturday 3pm kick-off to years, and we need to prepare for that moment.

What price tradition?

Modern life is all about customer choice, so why should football be any different.

Streaming allows fans who can’t make home games due to work, ill-health, or location, to watch their teams.

The Harborough example highlights the commercial opportunities, especially international.

Covid ushered in the age of digitalisation, enabling online ticketing to match programmes. That genie is out of the bottle and the cork thrown away.

Many (including me) often bemoan progress, but to see the Trident Leagues’ partnership with ClubberTV as the precursor to mandating Saturday kick-offs be moved against clubs’ will is totally, and absolutely WRONG.

Although we’d like to see clubs take up the opportunity, doing so is entirely optional.

Clubs will not be forced to move kick-off times or dates. It is up to them, and both clubs must be in agreement.

Neither was the Leagues’ decision to live stream an arbitrary one. Before launching live streaming, we carried out three consultation surveys in which we stressed this and have done so in all written communication issued to clubs.

So, when can you stream?

UEFA Article 48 governs live streaming. This allows matches to be streamed outside of “blocked hours,” i.e. on Saturdays between 2.45pm and 5.15pm.

This season, there are also two more Saturdays – November 15 and March 28 – which are international breaks, when clubs can live stream at 3pm, so kick-offs do not have to be moved.

Article 48 was not intended to protect smaller clubs’ match attendances. In reality, it exists to protect the Premier League’s commercial interests.

Article 48 may be scrapped in the next few either Friday evening or Saturdays at 12.30pm or 5.30pm.

There are no production costs for clubs to meet, other than providing a commentator.

Does streaming affect attendances?

There is no evidence that streaming directly caused any decrease in attendance in 2024-25.

The question is whether any fan would deliberately stay away from the live game to watch it online.

I would argue not; the match experience in Non-League is unique.

In the case of our project, any reduction in secondary spend is offset by the match fee; especially midweek.

How often do visiting clubs’ fans attending a midweek game spend £750 or more in your clubhouse?

Feedback

The feedback from clubs to last weekend’s streamed matches has been good.

One featured club commented: “We decided to trial streaming as an additional revenue stream.

There are a couple of fixtures where local EFL and Premier League clubs are at home on the Saturday, so moving to the Friday evening may be beneficial to us from an attendance point of view.”

Another said: “The coverage was excellent. On the final whistle we all sat talking to talk about how this could work for us as a club moving forward.”

Tradition versus innovation

The debate is whether Saturday football should always start at 3pm.

It’s a fair point in that football’s rich history demands respect be paid to tradition.

However, even Non-League football has to compete against other spectator sports and other entertainment formats if it is to thrive.

For a club whose priority is local gate and atmosphere, Friday nights can be a game changer when facing local opposition.

For a digitally savvy club that recognises the value of online engagement, streaming adds another string to the commercial bow.

Are Step 3-4 clubs ready?

Time will tell. My hope is that Step 3, and those Step 4 clubs with suitable stadium facilities will give streaming a try.

Ultimately, we are doing something completely new because, as Henry Ford once said, “If you do what you’ve always done, you’ll get what you always got”.