MLS investing in television viewing experience

Avatar

Major League Soccer (MLS) is taking a variety of approaches to improve the television viewing experience at home, by investing in extra resources as the COVID-19 pandemic has prevented fans from attending matches.

A screen wall has been installed at the ESPN Wide World of Sports Complex – where the MLS is Back tournament is being played. The big screen runs nearly the length of the pitch and displays advertisements, stats and graphics.

ESPN is using more than double the number of cameras it normally does for the regular season of the MLS. More camera angles are now available in the coverage with drones also being used to capture footage.

Better quality cameras normally used for the MLS Cup are also in use. Microphones have also been placed around the ground and in the field, but virtual crowd noise will not be used during the tournament.

“We are really looking to take what is a negative – not having any fans – and make it a positive,” ESPN VP of production Amy Rosenfeld said.

“How we can look at really leaning into audio and all of the sounds that we wouldn’t get the benefit of hearing because of the crowd? Our approach has been taking the negative of not having fans, which is such an intrinsic part of soccer, but then creating an authentic, immersive experience for the audience as if they were there and really giving them access to dialogue that we would never get access to.”

ESPN and MLS decided against using virtual crowd noise after discussion with the Independent Supporters Council.

“One of the things that [ISC] came out and said to us is, they wanted to make sure that we didn’t create this inauthentic experience, and that we weren’t trying to replicate something that they felt was so unique to our stadium environment and the passion that they bring to our event,” MLS Senior Vice President of Media Seth Bacon said.

Social media posts from fans using the hashtags #MLSisBack and #MLS will be shown during broadcasts and on the big screen.

The MLS also ran a competition called the All In Challenge to raise money for charities such as America’s Food Fund during the pandemic. To enter the competition fans had to donate to the challenge with the winner receiving a VIP trip to the 2021 All-Star Game as well as their signature replacing the MLS Commissioner’s on match balls for the MLS is Back tournament.

With the MLS putting in their investing efforts, it will create a more immersive television viewing experience.

Previous ArticleNext Article

Victory unites with Roasting Warehouse in culture-led partnership

Avatar
Image credit: Melbourne Victory

The Melbourne-based anf family-owned business will join the Victory family, uniting two institutions which represent the city’s culture and identity.

A partnership with local roots

As the newest partner of Melbourne Victory, Roasting Warehouse joins forces with a vital part of the city’s sporting landscape.

The club’s Managing Director, Caroline Carnegie, outlined why the partnership bears so much value to both parties.

“We are excited to collaborate with Roasting Warehouse, a community-oriented destination for high-quality coffee, proud of its foundations in Melbourne,” said Carnegie via official media release.

“Football and coffee sit at the epicentre of Melbourne’s culture. The two go hand-in-hand, consistently at the centre of the conversation that stirs Melburnians, which is no different to the conversation sport and Melbourne Victory stir in the State.”

Indeed, this is a partnership which combines the identity, passions and culture of an entire city, therefore giving it the foundations required for long-term, mutual success.

Representing the best of Melbourne

Both Victory and Roasting Warehouse are hugely successful in their respective industries. They are institutions with community-oriented philosphies, who pride themselves on craft and quality.

“We’re incredibly proud to partner with Melbourne Victory, a club that represents the heart, passion, and ambition of Melbourne,” revealed Roasting Warehouse Head of Brand, Alexander Paraskevopoulos.

“As a Melbourne-founded, family-run business, supporting a team that means so much to the local community feels very natural for us.”

Furthermore, through their high-quality blends, Roasting Warehouse will look to prepare Victory’s players and staff for high performances on the pitch as the seasons nears completion.

But this is about far more than just fueling athletes.

This is a partnership which embodies and unites two of Melbourne’s greatest strengths and cultural markers – a connection forged from the city’s very own DNA.

 

For more information about Roasting Warehouse, click here.

Marie-Louise Eta makes history as new Union Berlin head coach

Avatar
Image credit: FC Union Berlin

In an historic appointment, Eta will take over as head coach of Union Berlin until the end of the season.

History in the making

Previously the first female assistant coach in Bundesliga history with Union Berlin, Eta will now take the reigns of the men’s first team on an interim basis.

Currently, the club sit in 11th place in the Bundesliga table, but with only two wins so far in 2026, relegation appears an all-too-real prospect, and one which the club is desperate to avoid.

“Given the points gap in the lower half of the table, our place in the Bundesliga is not yet secure,” said Eta via official media release.

‘I am delighted that the club has entrusted me with this challenging task. One of Union’s strengths has always been, and remains, the ability to pull together in such situations.”

Eta will begin as Union’s new head coach with immediate effect, and will be in the dugout for the club’s matchup against Wolfsburg this weekend.

 

A step into an equal future

Eta’s appointment signals a major step towards a more level playing field in the football landscape.

Furthermore, Eta joins other coaches including Sabrinna Wittmann, Hannah Dingley and Corinne Diacre who, in recent years, have blazed a trail for female coaches to step into the men’s game.

Wittmann currently manages FC Ingolstadt in Germany’s third division, and was the first female head coach in Germany’s top three divisions.

In 2023, Dingley became caretaker manager of Forest Green Rovers, and thus the first woman to lead a men’s professional team in England.

Diacre, now head coach of France’s women’s national team, managed Ligue 2’s Clerment Foot between 2014 and 2017.

 

Final thoughts

The impact therefore, is that Eta’s appointment will show future generations of aspiring female coaches that men’s football is an equally viable and possible pathway as the women’s game.

The time is now to level the playing field.

And while it may be a short-term role, its effect on attitudes towards equality and fair opportunities in the game will hopefully resonate long after the season ends.

Most Popular Topics

Editor Picks

Send this to a friend