As Alabama High School Athletic Association (AHSAA) member schools open 2020 fall sports this week, 124 sporting events are set to be live-streamed over the NFHS Network from Thursday through Monday.
A total of 73 high school football games and 51 volleyball matches are currently scheduled for broadcast on the NFHS Network – approximately 53% of all total games set to be played during this time period.
Featured games include the AHSAA Kickoff Classic games at Montgomery’s Cramton Bowl Thursday and Friday night. Pike Road (11-1) meets Catholic (12-1) in Thursday’s game at 7:00 p.m. CT, and Prattville (9-3) faces Wetumpka (6-6) on Friday at the same time. WOTM is producing the games and will also broadcast them on their cable TV affiliates across the state.
The number of games being live-streamed on the NFHS Network in the coming days is up considerably from last school year’s participation.
This could be attributable to the COVID-19 pandemic’s affects on the season, as schools have generally had to limit seating capacity in their stadiums and other athletic venues. Many AHSAA member schools were presented with the “once-in-a-lifetime” opportunity from the NFHS Network this summer to acquire automated broadcast equipment free of charge, enabling more of the schools to live-stream their games this season.
In total, a Thursday release from the AHSAA advised that more than 240 high schools in the state have already joined the NFHS Network for the 2020-21 school year, which is a year-over-year increase of 25%. The association expects even more growth in the coming weeks.
“The NFHS Network provides a valuable service at a reasonable price,” stated Steve Savarese, AHSAA executive director. “It’s a win-win-win, because it provides a way for fans unable to attend in-person to watch from home, it provides another potential revenue stream for schools’ athletic programs, and it’s a powerful teaching tool in our schools. It checks all the boxes.”
Proceeds from the NFHS Network flow back to Yellowhammer State schools, through a portion of the subscription price and through schools keeping all dollars generated by local advertising sold on the broadcasts.
“I know being part of the NFHS Network has been beneficial to us,” commented Saraland football coach and athletic director Jeff Kelly. “It’s provided us with another revenue stream, but it’s been even bigger in our community. People who are out of town or might have family members serving in the military overseas can watch our games and be part of our program.
“High school sports are all about the community, and the Network keeps everyone connected, whether they can be in the stadium on Friday night or not,” he concluded.
View a schedule with all of this week’s live-streamed games here.
Sean Ross is the editor of Yellowhammer News. You can follow him on Twitter @sean_yhn
