Reply from Club regarding new TV gantry/eyesore/obstacle

[Joe McDonald]

Shame on the club?

BS! 

The club tried to come up with a raft of other options, that were all rejected by the Premier League, and their wish to sell their 'product' around the world.  Like it or not, the game is global, with more international fans watching around the globe than actually attend games.  This is where the money is made.  This is where the money comes from to pay our players wages etc.  As much as it pains me to say it, we can't have it all ways.  We can't take all the riches the Premier League offers and yet still remain as if we are a lower league club.

Yes, shame on the club! It was the club who made the decision to email season ticket holders 2 days beforehand to tell them that they may now have a restricted view seat, instead of advising them before they bought the tickets. Both the PL and the club are very much in the wrong here.

It's clearly an issue that has been forced onto the club.

The club should now be seeking compensation from the Premier League, for those season ticket holders affected by the camera gantry

[Holders]

Perhaps the club truly had no choice, perhaps in a larger or newer stand the gantry could have been hung from the roof, out of sightlines. But, assuming it was already there or they knew where it was going, not to tell people until two days beforehand was cowardly and, possibly worse still, not to tell people before they bought their season tickets defies words.

[nose]

I am sure the PL did not say insert the gantry in such a way as to spoil the game for so many hundreds of people and any reasonable discussion this would have been sorted. We shouldn't have had to wait for the first game to have the opportunity to view the monstrosity!

[The Doctor]

You can pontificate all you want about who's to blame.  The fact remains that between them FFC and the PL are the only organisations capable of resolving the issue

[Jack Fulham]

We should try and block the camera view in protest. That camera provides about 10-20 seconds of coverage match. Pathetic.

[MJG]

We should try and block the camera view in protest. That camera provides about 10-20 seconds of coverage match. Pathetic.

I was thinking balloons and get the guys in front of the post to raise them up as game kicks off.

[LBNo11]

We should try and block the camera view in protest. That camera provides about 10-20 seconds of coverage match. Pathetic.

...direct action, balloons, placards any legal way to disrupt this operation!
miniature remote control cameras like they use in cricket are all that is needed, ye gods satellites in space can see our cars and houses then surely the technology already exists?

The club happily took the money from the season ticket holders BEFORE they advised - two days prior to the home game, that this was happening.

Yes it is a global market
Yes it is big business
Yes the huge amounts of money goes to paying the over-inflated wages  - around 73% of it.

So let's cut out the middle man - i.e. the attending fans, just have cameras and piped crowd sounds and the likes of sky and BT will get all the money via subscriptions and further dictate with the complicit premier league to destroy the sport further to suit their own needs and favoured teams.

If you are happy for this I hope your armchairs are comfortable, I want no part in this vision, I was already undecided on renewing my ST for various reasons in favour of going back to attending grass roots football, spending £12 on a terrace and watching the sport I love being played the proper way without agents and TV companies dictating how teams should do things for the sake of their shareholders.

Apathy rules...

[MJG]

We should try and block the camera view in protest. That camera provides about 10-20 seconds of coverage match. Pathetic.

...direct action, balloons, placards any legal way to disrupt this operation!
miniature remote control cameras like they use in cricket are all that is needed, ye gods satellites in space can see our cars and houses then surely the technology already exists?

The club happily took the money from the season ticket holders BEFORE they advised - two days prior to the home game, that this was happening.

Yes it is a global market
Yes it is big business
Yes the huge amounts of money goes to paying the over-inflated wages  - around 73% of it.

So let's cut out the middle man - i.e. the attending fans, just have cameras and piped crowd sounds and the likes of sky and BT will get all the money via subscriptions and further dictate with the complicit premier league to destroy the sport further to suit their own needs and favoured teams.

If you are happy for this I hope your armchairs are comfortable, I want no part in this vision, I was already undecided on renewing my ST for various reasons in favour of going back to attending grass roots football, spending £12 on a terrace and watching the sport I love being played the proper way without agents and TV companies dictating how teams should do things for the sake of their shareholders.

Apathy rules...

I found this, it could do the job i think. Jesus even my £150 camera could do the job
http://www.libraprobroadcast.co.uk/proddetail.asp?prod=Panasonic-AK-HC1500G

[The Equalizer]

We should try and block the camera view in protest. That camera provides about 10-20 seconds of coverage match. Pathetic.

...direct action, balloons, placards any legal way to disrupt this operation!
miniature remote control cameras like they use in cricket are all that is needed, ye gods satellites in space can see our cars and houses then surely the technology already exists?

The club happily took the money from the season ticket holders BEFORE they advised - two days prior to the home game, that this was happening.

Yes it is a global market
Yes it is big business
Yes the huge amounts of money goes to paying the over-inflated wages  - around 73% of it.

So let's cut out the middle man - i.e. the attending fans, just have cameras and piped crowd sounds and the likes of sky and BT will get all the money via subscriptions and further dictate with the complicit premier league to destroy the sport further to suit their own needs and favoured teams.

If you are happy for this I hope your armchairs are comfortable, I want no part in this vision, I was already undecided on renewing my ST for various reasons in favour of going back to attending grass roots football, spending £12 on a terrace and watching the sport I love being played the proper way without agents and TV companies dictating how teams should do things for the sake of their shareholders.

Apathy rules...

I found this, it could do the job i think. Jesus even my £150 camera could do the job
http://www.libraprobroadcast.co.uk/proddetail.asp?prod=Panasonic-AK-HC1500G

Nice effort, but I think the purpose of this gantry is 3D filming.

[Logicalman]

I suspect this was a condition NBC attached to their massive bid to the league.

I think you'll find it had little to do with NBC who, like many other foreign TV broadcasters, purchased the rights to broadcast, but more to do with the Prem League itself.

Interesting article here. Angry Fulham Fans Have View of Pitch Blocked By TV Camera

Fulham's Craven Cottage is a small stadium by Premier League standards and it's getting on in years too, but most fans get a good view of the game there. That wasn't the case on Saturday for the home opener against Arsenal as a new TV camera was placed in the main Johnny Haynes Stand and a lot of season-ticket holders had their view blocked by it even though they paid about £750 for a ticket.

The camera was placed in front of the press box and it's a new one which was installed due to the new requirements of the league's television deal. Some supporters said they received an email the night before the match to let them know the view could be obstructed. This of course, didn't make them very happy.

A long-time season ticket holder named Andrew Stanley told the local press, "It's totally intrusive, not just for people behind the gantry, but for people around it. Some people won't be able to see the goals. The point is to watch the game and it is going to take the centre of the pitch out. It needs to be in a better position. I understand that will be difficult, but it's not acceptable."

Another supporter, Barry Hurley, said the club told him the camera was set up there so it could get shots of people in the dugout, which he doesn't feel is very important. He said the club offered to move him to the front of the stand for the match against Arsenal, but declined because it was pouring rain.

The clubs and Premier League get together to determine where the cameras should be placed, but it's tough at a ground like Fulham's. A spokesman from the league said there are new rules this season concerning the number of cameras used and their positions and he's hoping Fulham can find a solution.

The club stated, "To adhere to the broadcast regulations imposed by the Premier League we had to find a credible solution for a camera position that was a requirement. We understand it may have caused some issues for supporters and we will look to deal with those individuals to find a solution."

Hopefully this can be done before the next home match.




ALSO

Fulham fans unhappy with view

Frustrated Fulham supporters expressed their anger at the first home game of the season after a new television camera position restricted views in the main Johnny Haynes Stand.

The camera, required as part of the bumper new television deal, was installed in front of the press box and season ticket holders who pay in the region of £750 ($1,293) for their seats.

Fans received an email on the eve of the first home Premier League game of the season, against Arsenal, informing that some seats would have a restricted view, but the reality was described as unacceptable by supporters.

Andrew Stanley, a season ticket holder for 35 years and a Fulham fan for 50 years, said: "It's totally intrusive, not just for people behind the gantry, but for people around it. Some people won't be able to see the goals.

"The point is to watch the game and it is going to take the centre of the pitch out.

"It needs to be in a better position. I understand that will be difficult, but it's not acceptable."

Barry Hurley, a Fulham fan for 54 years, added: "We sit here with all of our friends.

"I was told the reason was something to do with television and they needed to take pictures of those in the dugout, which doesn't seem to me to be of great importance."

Hurley was offered a move to the front of the stand, which, considering the torrential rain in London, did not appeal.

Camera positions are determined by the Premier League in collaboration with the clubs, but Craven Cottage, as an old stadium, presented particular challenges.

A Premier League spokesman told Press Association Sport: "We introduced new rules regarding the number and position of cameras.

"There are clearly always going to be issues at a ground like Craven Cottage; a fantastic old ground.

"It has limitations that the new owner (Shahid Khan) is trying to address."

A Fulham spokesperson told Press Association Sport: "To adhere to the broadcast regulations imposed by the Premier League we had to find a credible solution for a camera position that was a requirement.

"We understand it may have caused some issues for supporters and we will look to deal with those individuals to find a solution."

BT Sport broadcast the match. It released a statement which read: "BT doesn't decide where cameras are placed at Premier League football grounds, but we always try to minimise the impact of them for fans at the match.

"We're sorry if any fans at Craven Cottage are upset by the camera position, but hope that thousands of Fulham and Arsenal supporters, who couldn't make it to the match, enjoyed the game on BT Sport."

[MJG]

We should try and block the camera view in protest. That camera provides about 10-20 seconds of coverage match. Pathetic.

...direct action, balloons, placards any legal way to disrupt this operation!
miniature remote control cameras like they use in cricket are all that is needed, ye gods satellites in space can see our cars and houses then surely the technology already exists?

The club happily took the money from the season ticket holders BEFORE they advised - two days prior to the home game, that this was happening.

Yes it is a global market
Yes it is big business
Yes the huge amounts of money goes to paying the over-inflated wages  - around 73% of it.

So let's cut out the middle man - i.e. the attending fans, just have cameras and piped crowd sounds and the likes of sky and BT will get all the money via subscriptions and further dictate with the complicit premier league to destroy the sport further to suit their own needs and favoured teams.

If you are happy for this I hope your armchairs are comfortable, I want no part in this vision, I was already undecided on renewing my ST for various reasons in favour of going back to attending grass roots football, spending £12 on a terrace and watching the sport I love being played the proper way without agents and TV companies dictating how teams should do things for the sake of their shareholders.

Apathy rules...

I found this, it could do the job i think. Jesus even my £150 camera could do the job
http://www.libraprobroadcast.co.uk/proddetail.asp?prod=Panasonic-AK-HC1500G

Nice effort, but I think the purpose of this gantry is 3D filming.

The camera is just a reaction cam, it does not move from looking at the two benches. That's the purpose of it in the regulations. a camera with a clear line of sight at the benches.

[The Equalizer]

"We're sorry if any fans at Craven Cottage are upset by the camera position, but hope that thousands of Fulham and Arsenal supporters, who couldn't make it to the match, enjoyed the game on BT Sport."

This just infuriates me.  They've taken something which has clearly upset a lot of supporters and turned it into good advertising for BT Sports!

:dft007: :dft007: :dft007:

[Fulham1959]

A reaction cam  -  give me strength !

When do the up-the-players'-noses cams come in ?

Whoever the spokesmen/ powers-that-be/ decision makers are, and from whatever body, let them sit in any of the dozens/hundreds of seats affected and then make their assessments.  The answer, no doubt, will be, "Let them eat cake".

All for a fixed camera on the dugout area ?????  That cameraman must have had a thrilling time against Arsenal.

The football world's gone mad.  :down_under:

[epsomraver]

Oh come we loved to see the close ups of Old red Nose masticating under a glowing bugle that Rudolph would  be proud of  :026:

[Vinnieffc]

Again the fans taken for granted. On the occasions I make it to the Cottage nowadays I usually sit in the Hammy End, however for one occasion I'd happily buy a ticket in the JH just to rip the bleeder out, quickly followed by the Jackson statue and happily see them both float up the river  :026:

[Steven Ageroad]

Surely , as a minimum, the club should immediately offer alternative seats with unrestricted views to those affected. Have they not done this?

People have sat in the same seats for years and years in some of the most expensive seats in the house.  It,  to a greater or lesser extent  has ruined the view for about three hundred season ticket holders. In the back of  F block  and G , some of those fan have sat there for years and years they have paid a premium price,  because they want to watch the game from the half way line ................... moving is not an option. I would not like to suggest to them that they should move, frankly it is outrageous.
This is 2013 why do they need  a man to sit in a cherry picker looking at a static camera  ????
I would be very surprised if the people,badly effected,  would  accept financial compensation ...................... I could be wrong.

Totally agree. I have sat in F block, right on the half way line, for many years in fact seasons when you could sit there with your legs over the backs and your feet on the seat in front because the crowd was so sparse. I do not want to move just for a manned camerato be pointing at the dug out for 90 minutes(The cameraman looked totally bored the whole time) just in case they catch a manager having a rant at a referees decision. On MOTD they showed a total of 4 seconds of the dugout.
All the good seats in the ground are now taken, what could they offer me to compare to what a I have already got.
I would consider a seat next to Mr Khan but he's not on the half way line he's slightly to the left!

[Shredhead]

Again the fans taken for granted. On the occasions I make it to the Cottage nowadays I usually sit in the Hammy End, however for one occasion I'd happily buy a ticket in the JH just to rip the bleeder out, quickly followed by the Jackson statue and happily see them both float up the river  :026:

Assuming the tide is coming in.

[Burt]

Perhaps they should have moved the dugouts to be convenient for where the existing cameras are...

[HatterDon]

Here in the benighted former colonies, we have using remotely controlled cameras about the size of a decent hotdog at televised sporting events for ... well at least one decade if not two. If the camera exists purely to get "reaction" shots -- and there is no accompanying audio -- then it can be hung just below the ceiling with no possible weather damage or obstruction. This is so dammed simple to do unobtrusively, Sarah Palin could have figured it out in less than a month.

You guys are being well and truly hosed. I wonder how many other clubs are similarly rogered.

[The Doctor]

Pretty much the point I've made to FFC and the PL in emails, Don.  The stupid thing is that we already use remotely operated cameras at football.  In fact, it's mandatory to have them behind the goals - and that is also a PL ruling.

On the other clubs point, there was a good article in the Telegraph the other day: http://www.telegraph.co.uk/sport/football/competitions/premier-league/10266971/Premier-League-fans-have-been-put-out-of-the-picture-by-3D-cameras.html