Everton to live stream game as part of charity campaign to help city's homeless
Everton FC have revealed they will operate a paid-for live stream of an upcoming home fixture as part of the club’s efforts to strengthen its relationship with the local community by raising money for the city’s homeless.
The game will be broadcast from Everton's Goodison Park
The ‘Home is Where the Heart is’ campaign will broadcast the Premier League club's Under-23s game against Southampton which kicks off at 7pm on Monday (20 February).
The live stream is being offered through the club’s own TV platform EvertonTV and will cost £3.99. The stunt is part of a wider fundraising campaign to raise £230,000 to provide a supporting living initiative for young people between the ages of 16-23.
It has been made possible thanks to the donation of services from existing club partners Stream AMG and ADI. Stream AMG have been the club’s streaming provider for several years and will be providing the live feed to the club for free.
Preston-based ADI have been Everton's production partner for over a decade and have donated the use of the Fan Zone screen and matchday production for the fixture.
Everton’s head of engagement, Scott McLeod, said the campaign was an example of “the club, the charity, the players and the fans coming together to make a real tangible difference within the local community”.
He added: “The support of our official partners to help facilitate the live stream should not be underestimated – it means as much money as possible is going to go to the campaign. That is something I know David and the players are delighted about.”
Live streaming deals across football have been emerging with increasing frequency and are appearing across an array of platforms. Recently Facebook struck a deal with broadcaster Univision to livestream matches from Mexico’s top football division Liga MX. The deal could be hugely significant as it may yield valuable data into how far the audience online could stretch.