Harrogate Town preparing to make home debut in front of live television cameras

TV cameras will broadcast live coverage from a Harrogate Town home fixture for the first time ever on Saturday afternoon.
Harrogate Town will walk out in front of live television cameras this Saturday. Picture: Matt KirkhamHarrogate Town will walk out in front of live television cameras this Saturday. Picture: Matt Kirkham
Harrogate Town will walk out in front of live television cameras this Saturday. Picture: Matt Kirkham

BT Sport has chosen the National League clash between Simon Weaver’s team and Hartlepool United to beam into homes across the country.

Town have featured live on television once already this season, away at AFC Fylde back in August, but this weekend’s fixture will be the CNG Stadium’s screen debut.

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“This is really exciting for the club,” secretary Ben Sadler said.

“What an opportunity it will be for the players and everyone else involved to showcase how far we have come and what a fantastic set-up we have here.

“To be playing in front of a six-figure live TV audience is going to be brilliant.”

Sadler has been hard at work this week, making the necessary preparations for the arrival of camera crews and production teams.

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“We met with BT Sport last week and they’ve been in touch on a daily basis since then,” he added.

“This is a major operation, so for me it’s just been a case of making sure that we can facilitate everything that they need.

“The fact that we have to fit three big wagons inside the ground as well as catering for breakfast for their crew of 65 on Saturday morning shows the size of the operation.

“There’s been a lot of extra work involved, but this is a nice headache to have.

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“I’m hopeful that both the positivity surrounding the live TV broadcast and our progress in the FA Trophy will help ensure that we have a really strong second half of the season.”

Town manager Simon Weaver echoed Sadler’s sentiments about Saturday’s fixture being an opportunity for his players to showcase their talents.

“There’s a lot of excitement surrounding the Hartlepool fixture and you would hope that the lads will use this game as a chance to show a wider audience just how good they are and what we are about,” he said.

"We played live on TV at Fylde and performed very well, so there's no reason why the presence of the cameras should prove a distraction.

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“It should be a great occasion and I’m sure that the fans are really up for it as well.

“This is a proud moment for all concerned.”

Kick-off at the CNG Stadium on Saturday is at 12.35pm.

The game will be shown on BT Sport 1 and 4KUHD.