High school sports in the Greenwood Leflore Consolidated School District are coming to a small screen near you, with a fee-based subscription.
The Greenwood Leflore Consolidated School Board on Friday approved a proposal by Clinton Gatewood, chief of athletics for the district, to implement a school broadcast system that would allow for home streaming of sports played in gyms and stadiums at all district high schools.
Gatewood said he was apprised of the opportunity for sports streaming at the most recent meeting of the Mississippi Athletic Association over the summer and thought it would be a good opportunity for the district.
The streaming service, provided by the National Federation of State High School Associations (NFHS), will be available through the district website, Gatewood said.
NFHS will provide the equipment, which includes cameras for the gyms and stadiums, computers, scoring devices, peer-to-peer devices — which allow devices with Wi-Fi to connect to each other — and installation and mounting accessories.
The equipment is free. The district will be responsible for general upkeep, although NFHS will send a worker out to assess the equipment annually, Gatewood said.
Gatewood predicted that streaming costs for fans won’t be more than it would cost to attend a game in person. Subscriptions to NFHS are $12 per month or $80 per year and would need to be purchased privately by individuals rather than supplied by the schools.
The school district could make money off this endeavor as well. Depending on how the district chooses to distribute streaming rights, the district could make up to 20% of subscription revenue.
Gatewood expects the district to be finished negotiating with NFHS and be able to begin work this coming week on installation of the streaming equipment.
“We want to give our fans another opportunity to watch the game,” he said.
High school football in the district kicks off Aug. 26 with Amanda Elzy hosting Leflore County High, and Greenwood High hosts Holmes County Central Aug. 27.
- Contact Katherine Parker at 662-581-7239 or kparker@gwcommonwealth.com.
