This is the fifth article in our Roadmap to Success: SportsEngine Play series. Explore the full series and learn more about what SportsEngine Play can offer you here.
It’s finally game day. Teams have been preparing, parents have been getting excited, and you are ready to stream your first games with SportsEngine Play. We’ll share some important things to remember as you begin streaming games. Remember, it's not about being perfect; it’s about trying something new and bringing an awesome new offering to your athletes and their families.
Hear from Frisco Independent School District (ISD) Broadcast Director Steven Doherty on how he started his video production with a few people and an idea and built it into an operation of more than 100 students and staff.
Steven also shares some key learnings from when he first started out:
Celebrate Game Day by Sharing Links and Resources
To help celebrate when your teams are playing, share important links and resources on your website and social channels to ensure parents have everything they need. Whether they are attending the game in person and need a reminder of uniform color or location or if they can't make it and want to view it from your live stream.
Learn more by diving into our toolkit here
Make a Game Day Checklist
Use this cheatsheet and send it out to anyone streaming the game today to ensure they feel prepared and confident. The checklist includes things like what equipment you should bring with you, what to keep in mind while you are streaming, and, of course, don’t forget to hit record!
Have fun during the game while you are live streaming; note this isn’t a world-class production on your first go. Make room for error because you’ll have plenty of chances to perfect your process. Celebrate the successes and laugh at the mishaps, but most importantly, don’t get discouraged. You are taking the steps to provide your members with an added experience and benefit to being part of your organization.
The Game Ended. Now What?
Ensure you have a plan for what happens after a game. Like before the game, we’d recommend posting the live stream link so families can watch the replay when they have time. They can also clip and share highlights if they have SportsEngine Play’s Premier or All-Access subscriptions.
Learn more about our subscriptions here
We recommend at least a weekly check-in with all of your content creators from across your organization to see how the latest stream went and what can be improved and to create a culture of sharing and learning with one another. This can be as simple as an email chain or as sophisticated as a weekly virtual meeting.
Stay Consistent Throughout the Season
It’s easy to do one game, but it’s a commitment to continuing to live-stream games. Keep at it and share resources links and promote your live stream to gain adoption with your members.
Check out our toolkit to get easy-to-use templates, graphics, and a QR code generator for on-the-go access to all your live streams. Learn more
About Marie Fitzgerald
Marie Fitzgerald is a Director, Product Marketing & Content Strategy at NBC Sports Next. She currently works to ensure the customer's voice is ever present in the way we build, communicate, and improve the SportsEngine platform. She is also the co-host of the For the Love of Sport podcast, celebrating the stories and people who make youth sports happen.
Marie grew up playing soccer and basketball, and you can find a Bucky Badger bobblehead, a Chicago Cubs W flag, and a Man City scarf proudly displayed on or around her home desk in Whitefish, Montana. Marie was recently named to the Augsburg Women's Athletics All-Decade Team for the 2010s.
Connect with Marie Fitzgerald