TicketCo Media Services a silver lining for Covid-19 ravaged clubs

Liam Watson
TicketCo have come up with a way to turn a negative situation into a positive with their pay-per-view Media Services.

When Covid-19 swept across the world, clubs were left wondering about ways to generate revenue with limited to no fans in attendance.

With countries such as the UK still working towards getting supporters back in stadiums, particularly for the English Premier League, TicketCo have come up with a way to turn a negative situation into a positive with their pay-per-view Media Services.

It’s been just over a year since the coronavirus pandemic made its way to nations other than China, prompting the postponement or cancellation of major events.

In that time, sport organisations and media outlets have had to adapt. We’ve seen new streaming services pop up and the need for pay-for-view type services which TicketCo can provide, to make up for lost matchday attendance.

For supporters at home, they need the best possible viewing experience. As part of their streaming service, TicketCo can offer user friendliness as of utmost importance, a smooth process for ticket purchasing by the end user, versatility to watch not just on TV, as well as high definition quality sound and video.

TicketCo can also work closely with organisations to ensure that everything goes to plan, including a secure URL to the stream that isn’t copied or shared without permission, keeping the match available for sale until it starts & during event, customer data integrating with the club’s customer relationship management (CRM) system, no up-front investment for the broadcasting part of production, the offering of club merchandise, and easy-to-use technology that gives access to graphics.

Just like the clubs and leagues, TicketCo have changed the way they provide their service. It’s now become more important than ever to have a digital element to your craft, where they saw a new opportunity pop up to assist teams that needed a pay-per-view alternative.

TicketCo Media Services has become a video-on-demand solution that aligns with their event payment platform, so the ticket office can cater for online broadcasting. It puts the supporters (end user) at the forefront to deliver them a smooth and enjoyable experience.

TicketCo ensures that fans are able to watch all content on a variety of devices to make sure they aren’t pigeonholed with how they can watch. Having that freedom to watch from a TV, phone, tablet, desktop or whatever it might be promotes good fan experience and less annoyed ones.

There have already been lower league clubs embracing this technology and shows that most clubs are capable of utilising TicketCo’s offering.

“TicketCo is a hugely versatile platform and a true disrupter,” FC Isle of Man commercial director Ty Smith said.

“The platform provides the club with cutting edge technology and capabilities that even professional clubs can only dream of.”  

National League club Altrincham FC is another side that has seen the benefits of pay-per-view streaming, being able to provide fans with access to all of their home games this season.

“Club’s that don’t explore live streaming are crazy, to put it simply,” Co- chairman Bill Waterson said.

“Our partnership with TicketCo proves that you don’t have to be a big club to provide a professional service to supporters.” 

TicketCo Media Services is building on the future of media technology through AWS, the leading cloud technology provider. It hoped that lower league clubs can take full ownership of their digital content and monetise it through a platform like TicketCo Media Services.

It can be handled from a league level instead of club level, so that teams can offer their fans a range of packages, including physical home tickets and virtual away tickets, or virtual home and away tickets for anyone wanting to view games from overseas.

Leagues can also think about branding involvement, so that this is relevant for the viewing audience. Graphics can be used in a similar manner to what we see in top leagues on commercial TV channels. It adds another layer of advertising opportunities, as TicketCo Media Services have an ‘up-sell’ functionality that promotes and sells other products to supporters while fans go and purchase their digital match tickets.

Lower league clubs tend to have a very loyal follower base, but this has the potential to grow with an effective streaming provider such as TicketCo Media Services.

By the time the 2021/22 season kicks off in lower leagues across the UK, it’s expected that there will be full online coverage and monetization of every match. TicketCo Media Services see this as a positive aftermath of Covid-19, where a widespread crisis has created an unexpected silver lining for recovering clubs.

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Referees to improve consistency with new UEFA guidelines

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Image credit: UEFA

In a meeting between Chief Refereeing Officers within UEFA and its 55 national associations, enhancing consistency and clarity underpinned the principle goals for the upcoming season.

Improving officiating

Referees – and particularly the usage of VAR – are often at the centre of post-match debates.

As the introduction of new technology into match officiating increases year-on-year, referees are in the spotlight more than ever before. The expectation was that more technology would decrease errors and controversy, but the opposite has proven to be the case.

Which is why the agreement and alignment between European nations marks a key step in the future of match officiating; the meeting between UEFA, its national associations and a representative of the International Football Association Board (IFAB) displays intention and commitment to ensuring future in-game decisions are clear, not controversial.

Meeting chair and UEFA Director for Refereeing, Roberto Rosetti, outlined why the agreement will have a vital impact on the future of European football, both domestically and internationally.

“The fact that all 55 national associations and UEFA have agreed on guidelines towards a more consistent approach to the application of the Laws of the Game marks a significant milestone,” Rosetti said.

“It will help improve the understanding of refereeing decisions among players, clubs and supporters and all stakeholders in the game.”

“For the popularity of football it is essential to remove all doubt from the game and ensure that the laws are applied with clarity.”

 

Limiting technology use

A widespread criticism of match officiating in recent years is the regularity with which VAR intervenes and interrupts match tempo.

The issue, however, is not that VAR can review decisions – in fact, this summer’s FIFA World Cup displayed an effective use of VAR during a case of mistaken identity, in which a player received a yellow card offence for a foul committed by an opposition player. In this regard, VAR was a vital part of ensuring a simulation offence did not go unpunished.

Frustration, however, grows when the use of VAR goes beyond checking “clear and obvious” errors. Lengthy replays, a multitude of angle-checking clips and the disruption of game flow all contribute to feelings of frustration among fans.

But recent amdendments aim to limit this in the upcoming season. VAR is an essential part of fair officiating, but responsibility must lie with the referee.

The new rules introduced by the IFAB are available here, with further initiatives to follow from UEFA in the coming weeks.

Football West runs Indigenous pilot program during NAIDOC Week’s 50th anniversary

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Image Credit: Football West

Football West ran a pilot program for Indigenous children at the Sam Kerr Football Centre during NAIDOC Week’s 50th anniversary. Former Socceroo David Williams delivered the session.

This year’s national NAIDOC theme, “50 Years of Deadly,” marks five decades since the movement began. It honours the Elders, artists and communities who built it.

“Having these young indigenous kids here at the Sam Kerr Football Centre was great to see,” Williams said. “The feeling they got running around the same pitch the Socceroos and Matildas have trained on was special for them and me.”

A player turned administrator

Williams retired from professional football in November 2025 after a career-ending ACL injury. As a teenager he trained with Club Brugge and Liverpool, and coach Miron Bleiberg once described him as the “best Australian prospect since Harry Kewell.”

He went on to become the first Indigenous player to represent Melbourne City, scored in the UEFA Cup against Eintracht Frankfurt, and won the Indian Super League with ATK.

Since retiring, Williams has moved into administration at Football West. He also sits on the Indigenous Football Australia Council, which oversees the grassroots initiative John Moriarty Football.

A name with its own history

Football Australia named Williams head coach of the Charles Perkins XI last year, the governing body’s national Indigenous youth team. Football Australia renamed the side in 2025 in honour of Dr Charles Perkins AO, following endorsement from the Perkins family and the National Indigenous Advisory Group.

Perkins, an Arrernte and Kalkadoon man, played for Adelaide Croatia and Pan Hellenic in the 1950s. He went on to become the first Aboriginal Australian to graduate from university and a leader of the 1965 Freedom Rides.

Football Australia has described the renamed team as reflecting a commitment to embedding cultural identity and leadership within its high-performance pathway for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander youth.

What happens next

“After living out my dream as a professional player, to now being able to offer experiences like this and hopefully inspire the next generation of young Indigenous footballers is very rewarding,” Williams said. “There is also a lot of talent that we can tap into.”

He said running the session during NAIDOC Week let Football West mark two things at once. “Creating a fun session for these kids during NAIDOC Week meant we could celebrate culture and sport in one go,” he said.

Williams wants the session to become a regular fixture rather than a single event. “Going forward, I would love to put on more of these programs throughout the year and get more indigenous youngsters playing football,” he said.

Football West has not yet confirmed funding or a schedule for further sessions.

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