Football

Antrim GAA out of the traps with first 'live' stream game

Páirc TV have hooked up with Antrim GAA as the county's 'live' streaming gets under way this weekend
Páirc TV have hooked up with Antrim GAA as the county's 'live' streaming gets under way this weekend Páirc TV have hooked up with Antrim GAA as the county's 'live' streaming gets under way this weekend

ANTRIM GAA will be quickest out of the traps in 2021 with the first ‘live’ streamed club match in the country scheduled for this Saturday between Loughgiel Shamrocks and Dunloy (6pm).

The Saffrons have hooked up with Cork-based company Páirc TV (pairctv.com) and are expected to stream one league game per week before ramping up their coverage for the club championships, which get under way in August.

Páirc TV were in partnership with Down GAA last year and have worked with other counties over the past number of years.

Jerome Quinn will still be providing the video and commentary work while Páirc TV will organise the customer service end of things.

It’s expected the county board will set a £5 per game fee for league games as it tries to settle on a fair pricing structure while at the same time offering a highly professional service to Gaels, particularly in light of no fans being allowed to attend matches due to the ongoing pandemic.

Antrim dipped their toe in ‘streaming’ waters last year via Facebook and are intent on offering a slicker service in 2021.

Antrim treasurer Donal Murphy welcomed the news and believes the county is “putting its best foot forward”.

“It’s in our interest to stream as many games as we can,” said Murphy. “We want to make sure the pricing is right for people. It would probably start at £5 which would be in line with what other counties are charging.”

With revenue streams drying up due to the impact of COVID, county boards have had to find other, more resourceful ways of making ends meet.

“We have a very strong product as our club championships are one of the most competitive in the country,” said Murphy.

“There are literally half a dozen teams that could win our championships. We obviously dipped our toe into ‘live’ streaming last year and we want to improve on it again this year.”

For further information check @AontroimGAA or Antrim GAA website