I wanted to take this opportunity to personally thank everyone involved in making yesterday’s game against Torquay United go ahead in the face of such adversity, despite the eventual narrow defeat I hope you join me in feeling proud of the performance from our team against such high quality opposition.
It was a shame that the match was forced to be behind closed doors at such short notice, but after much hard work we made arrangements to be able to stream the match for both sets of supporters using an experienced and reputable streaming company. True to form for 2020, despite all the careful preparations and testing we were hit with a technical glitch just before kick-off which meant a delay to the start of the livestream. With the video company and our media team working frantically to resolve the issue the streaming was moved to YouTube, and that seemed to work fine – in order to ensure that supporters were able to watch the game the decision was taken to leave the stream on YouTube as well to avoid further disruption.
As it happened, that was not the end of the gremlins! For 15-20 minutes we were faced with condensation on the camera, resolved by a quick camera swap; then with 10 to 15 minutes to go we had a complete power outage for a minute or so over on The Popular Stand side of the ground…where we were filming from! Fortunately none of the action was missed at this point as there was a break in play to deal with an injury. All in all it was a frenzied end to what had been a frenzied week.
I would like to thank the media team for their quick response and rapid decision-making that enabled both sets of fans to still view the game. However, I am aware that the switch to YouTube did mean that there will have been a small number of viewers watching the game that had not paid for the subscription. On a normal matchday I know none of us like it if anyone sneaks in for free, or opts to watch the game over the fence or from a neighbouring field, but in this instance it was an unfortunate side effect of trying to get the game shown to those who had paid.
Obviously there is very little we can do about those that got to watch the game for free (although we would happily accept any donations if you wanted to ease the guilt!), but if that did include you, maybe you might like to make a donation to our charity partner, Bucks Mind, particularly important as we move into increasingly tough times for people anxious about their mental well-being. Donations can be made here: https://www.justgiving.com/bucksmind
Moments before kick-off everything for the live stream was tested and working fine, apologies again to those that experienced the issues in the opening minutes, I hope it did not affect your enjoyment of what was an excellent game of football, and one in which we can be proud of the performance of our team against an excellent and very respectful Torquay United side.
We now enter a new period of uncertainty with no idea when we will next play football or next generate any income, but we will do everything we can to survive, and appreciate your support in that. All that said, if anyone has any concerns or issues, please do not hesitate to contact me directly at chairman@cheshamunited.co.uk, I will be available throughout the lockdown, working to keep our fantastic club going.
Please note, if you are requesting a refund due to the streaming issues, please contact stream@cheshamunited.co.uk by midday Monday in order to ensure that your refund can be processed and figures are declared accurately in the match day financial split with Torquay.
Stay safe,
Peter Brown, Chairman
