To live-stream or not to live-stream, that is the question.

While on my way to get a cappuccino this morning, I ran into a friend who used to be a very promising young player until serious injury ended his career.

Being a fellow Liverpool fan, we discussed the forthcoming European Champions League Final between Liverpool and Tottenham Hotspur.

After a while, the conversation turned to the local game and I asked him if he’d been to see any games recently.

He said he hadn’t, but had often been on the verge of going, especially to the double-header at North Hobart Oval on Anzac Day, and to the Lakoseljac Cup match between Hobart Zebras and Devonport City at KGV Park.

What had stopped him from attending, I asked.

He said he’d recently discovered that all NPL games were live-streamed and so, on both occasions, he stayed home and watched them on his computer.

I’ve discovered a small number of others who are doing just that  -  watching on live-stream rather than attending games in person.  I have no idea at all what the stats are in terms of people preferring to watch on live-stream rather than attend in person.  All I know is that some do, and they have a variety of reasons for doing so.

But, my conversation this morning raises the vexed question of life streaming.

It’s a topic that has often been informally discussed by local fans and which has been raised by Matthew Rhodes on his Facebook site.  There are people for and people against.

I’m on the record for praising the practice and for complimenting the people who are involved in live-streaming  -  the camera operators, the technicians, the editors and the commentators.

They produce first-class coverage of the games, and I have watched some games being played in the North of Tasmania.

I generally go to all games in the South and so don’t rely on live-stream, unless there is a time clash, when I will sometimes watch a replay when I arrive home of the game I couldn’t watch.

It’s certainly a boon when you’re ill.  You can watch a game from your sickbed.

It’s also handy if you have work commitments and can’t get to a game.

I marvel at how far we’ve progressed in terms of technology.  When I was a kid growing up, and later, when I was a player and a coach, the idea of watching an entire game on a computer or TV screen was unthinkable.  It was Dick Tracy stuff.

I believe we have now reached the stage where the subject of live-streaming needs to be discussed by all parties, including clubs and Football Tasmania.  The pros and cons and suggestions need to be aired.  We don’t want to kill what is a marvellous initiative and which certainly promotes our local game here, interstate, and even overseas.

That’s all I am saying in this article.  I am sitting on the fence, but I’d love to hear the arguments for and against live-streaming, and suggestions for a policy surrounding it.

What do clubs think?  Are they losing revenue because people are not attending?  Are those people who don’t attend games not attending because they are watching the live-streams?  Do clubs even care about attendances?  Is the revenue from the gate an important source of income for them?

There, I’ve opened the can.  Let’s see what stakeholders think.  Let’s see what Football Tasmania thinks and does.  I don’t want to knock live-streaming on the head as I can see its value and I have the highest regard for those producing this service.  I admire their work and their initiative.  And, I sometimes watch it.  I’d probably be peeved if I didn’t have the option.

Let the debate begin.