National League Wrexham want to be able to stream their matches. But their request has been turned down.
When Covid stopped supporters going to games clubs were able to stream matches. Hereford, for example, were praised for the quality of their streaming.
But as soon as supporters were allowed back into games streaming stopped.
Last week Wrexham asked permission to stream their match against Gateshead. But the answer was no.
Later they issued a statement.
The matter of streaming of National League games for all clubs has been on the agenda for an extended period, with Wrexham AFC first raising this in April 2021.
The ability to stream games would financially benefit all clubs and significantly enhance the profile of the League by providing the League’s Executives the platform to market the competition, generating increased central revenue.
At the start of this season, with the pending launch of ‘Welcome to Wrexham’, the Club stepped up the pressure on the National League to secure the support of BT, to allow all clubs to stream games both domestically and internationally, considering the provisions of UEFA Article 48.
Having not made any significant progress, on the August 23, 2022, the Club asked that the Board of the National League approve an approach to BT, to secure consent for Wrexham to stream the now sold-out game against Gateshead.
Unbelievably, the request hasn’t even been considered by the Board of the National League yet, never mind a decision made.
The Club feels let down and can only assure fans, both new and old that we have done everything we could to provide the opportunity to watch the game live, both in the UK and overseas.
On Tuesday, there will be at least 39 games available for a UK audience to watch across various platforms and probably more to the international market, so why there is a reluctance from the National League to allow game to be broadcast is difficult to understand.
We will continue to push, to ensure that all clubs can stream games, not just Wrexham AFC.