Quaker TV require match commentators to join the existing team in their new venture

Job Purpose

Darlington Football Club is looking to embark upon an ambitious plan to film and broadcast its home games live over the internet for the coming 2020/21 National League North season. In order to do this the football club is looking to expand its media team with a number of volunteer match day roles, including additional commentators.

Duties and Responsibilities

The club requires individuals who can help play a part in creating a compelling match day experience for supporters watching over the internet. This includes commentary on the game (either as a lead commentator or summariser) to describe accurately the action on the pitch in a balanced and unbiased way. The ideal candidate would have some experience of commentating on football or similar sports. However the club feel an articulate individual who is passionate about football would be equally suited to the role. The role would also be well suited to a student on a media / broadcast production degree looking to gain hands on experience. As well as the commentary duties, the individual would need to be comfortable working with the provided equipment, including audio mixing and maintaining the connections to the broadcast provider. All training will be provided and there will be strong support with all aspects.

Required Skills

• Able to work as part of a small volunteer team
• Excellent time keeping and organisational skills
• Communicate and feedback to camera operators
• Describe the action on the pitch accurately and react to any talking points
• Provide balanced and unbiased commentary
• Ability to talk about the upcoming future, opponents etc in the build up to the game
• Ability to summarise the key events of the game at full time
• Able to learn basic audio mixing and audio production

Additional Details

This is a volunteer role. The club play games on Saturday afternoons and some Tuesday evenings. The role would be for home and away games.   The club envisage around 5 hours per game. The club are ideally looking to appointment multiple people to allow for some flexibility and cover.

What We Can Offer

Given the current climate live streaming is likely to be a big part of football over the coming season and beyond. The role represents an exciting opportunity to individuals who want to gain first hand experience in a growing field. The successful individuals would have the opportunity to try different roles within the match day media streaming team, allowing them to gain experience in different areas. The role would also be hugely beneficial to someone looking to work in the sporting industry. Strong support and training will be provided and the role offers a practical way to develop a professional portfolio of evidence for future career development.

Further Details and How to Apply

To express an interest or to arrange an informal chat please drop an email to media@darlingtonfc.org.

About Darlington Football Club

Darlington FC is a club with its roots at the heart of its local community. The role that Darlington FC plays in the lives of many different groups of people across the town, and beyond, cannot be underestimated. Since 2012 the club has been run almost exclusively by a dedicated groups of volunteers – all of them are as important as each other in the function of the club.

The club’s media team is responsible for one of the most active and subscribed non-league YouTube channels. It has produced content on a regular basis for nearly 10 years including the filming and production of highlights for virtually all first team fixtures. The club also has its own match day commentary service which is regularly listened to by around 500 fans per game from across the globe.

On the pitch the club spent many years in the football league. In 2012 the club was demoted several divisions, however since then the club has fought back and is now playing in the National League North – two promotions from a return to the Football League. During the recent 2019/20 season the club embarked upon a successful FA Cup campaign where it reached the first round proper for the first time under fan ownership.

The fans have raised over £1.5 million for the club in eight years.