主播大秀 Sport began live-streaming matches from the FA Cup qualifying rounds last year, and ahead of this Saturday’s North East derby of Dunston UTS v Gateshead, director Ken Burton explains how it's done.

The idea came from the early rounds of the Rugby League Challenge Cup, where we pioneered having a single camera on a scaffold tower streaming the whole match live. It was very well received and the football unit saw it as a great opportunity for the FA Cup and for putting more grassroots football on.

The pictures are sent back live by a two-person team with graphics and commentary added in Salford. Conor McNamara, Mark Scott, Danny Webber and Leon Osman get what it’s about and how much it means to the teams and to the viewers, and they encourage people to get in touch during their commentary.

And people do get in touch on Twitter with the hashtag #主播大秀FACup. They might be watching their home town team that they never thought would be on television, or seeing a work colleague playing on screen, or doing a shout out to their own team as they watch on a mobile device on their way to another FA Cup game later.

Even though it’s a single camera with no replays, no cutaways, and if it’s raining you can see the lens being wiped, people are staying and watching online and on the Red Button.

When Maltby Main FC played Frickley Athletic in the first qualifying round, Maltby goalkeeper James Pollard made an absolutely extraordinary double save, and thanks to working with colleagues across the 主播大秀 it was on the homepage within minutes. 

We got a letter from the club saying it was the best game in their history, even though they lost 2-1, and thanking us. It’s a lovely letter to have, and one of the things that make all the travelling up and down the country installing the cameras and standing in the rain worthwhile.

Never underestimate how much non-League grassroots football is valued both by its watchers and by its participants.

主播大秀 One’s Football Focus tells viewers when we’re going to stream games and where to watch on the website. They tend to dip in to live games, and during the last two they’ve nearly had a goal on both occasions.

Friday night local and regional sports bulletins are also now being broadcast from the football grounds we’ll be streaming from the next day, so it’s all coming together across the 主播大秀.

You can watch Dunston UTS v Gateshead live on 20 October here.

that we broadcast on 6 June was held in Yekaterinburg, the capital of the Urals and on the very edge of Europe.

It’s one of the 11 World Cup host cities, which also include Moscow, St Petersburg, and Sochi, and as it’s the easternmost of them, and a major city where 主播大秀 News Russian doesn’t often go, we thought let’s go somewhere that’s a bit more off the beaten track.

The format of the 主播大秀 News Russian debate programme is different from 主播大秀 One’s Question Time. Our programme is based on a motion, like the Oxford Union debating society, ideally with two speakers supporting the motion and two speakers opposing. We have an audience, invited through our social media channels and our website, who are free to express their views and ask questions and also to vote on the motion.

We knew there was going to be lots of coverage of the preparations for the World Cup, but decided it would be interesting to debate the tournament’s likely legacy and put it into context with other countries, such as the UK with the Olympics, and Brazil with the Olympics and also the World Cup. What sort of infrastructure did they introduce, what happened to all the venues, and have the lives of the people improved?

The initial debate venue was a very prominent one in the city, and everything was going really well. Then, fairly close to the filming date, we were told that we couldn’t film there.

We had to think on our feet and quickly find another location. It was tricky, because such broadcasts are a major operation, but we managed to reorganise it. Even with the alternative venue we had some difficulties, because the local authorities told them not to host us, but they went ahead anyway. Perhaps people were worried that we were going to bring their World Cup preparations into disrepute, or show the city in a disrespectful or unfair way.

There were people in the audience who were very enthusiastic, saying the World Cup is a wonderful opportunity, a huge boost to Russian morale, and an image-creating opportunity. On the other hand there were those who claimed it’s too expensive, that the vast amount of money spent on rebuilding stadiums for the World Cup could be used to do lots of other things across the country, like improving infrastructure.

Our panellists were very good. One of them was Maria Komandnaya, who’s well known because she co-hosted the official World Cup draw ceremony with Gary Lineker. She was very enthusiastic about the World Cup and made a good case for it. We also had a local journalist, Dmitri Kolezev, who argued that the money could have been spent better.

We asked the audience if they or anyone they knew was involved with the World Cup or projects related to it, and many of them raised their hands.

Some of those in the audience were from outside Yekaterinburg, and there was a local councillor from a town in the Urals, Natalya Krylova, who was very vocal in her criticism of the way so much money was being spent on it compared to what people in small towns need, for instance she spoke about people not having working toilets.

I think the debate showed that while a lot of people in Russia are generally supportive of the World Cup, some are frustrated, feeling that - if they don’t live in a host city - then they’re not given enough attention.

People in Russia may not get to see this kind of event often, certainly not on Russian state TV, and so it was a special occasion for us to host such a lively discussion. The 主播大秀 Russian debate programme is filmed on location all over the world and is part of the 主播大秀’s expansion plans to enlarge our global audience reach. It was set out to engage with people by providing alternative perspectives which they might not otherwise encounter.

The World Cup is here, and excitement will soon be reaching fever pitch. Thirty two nations are competing, from the hosts Russia to Saudi Arabia, Nigeria, South Korea, Iran, Peru and - who can forget that booming handclap that took the world by storm at Euro 2016 - Iceland!

Amid all the excitement, you might spare a thought for all the football commentators and sports journalists who have to get their heads around some pretty tricky footballer names – and lots of them. But just how do 主播大秀 broadcasters know how to pronounce them?

Back at 主播大秀 HQ, there is a small team of three linguists who make up the 主播大秀 Pronunciation Unit. We are all phoneticians who speak a number of languages besides English and we provide an advisory service for 主播大秀 broadcasters - it is our job to research pronunciations and provide guidance.

All of our advice is anglicised so that it is pronounceable by broadcasters and intelligible to audiences. We use a phonetic system called to render pronunciations in writing, and in all cases, stressed syllables are shown in upper case.

In general, our policy is that where an established anglicisation exists, that is what we recommend. In cases like Paris, where the English and French forms are spelt identically, broadcasters are advised to use the established anglicised form: PARR-iss not parr-EE.

In cases where there is an established English place name, such as Moscow, pronounced MOSS-koh in British English, we advise broadcasters to adopt the English form of the name rather than the Russian form Moskva.

In the case of little-known place names, we recommend a pronunciation which is as close to native pronunciation as possible, but in keeping with the sounds of English.

One of the place names already getting a lot of attention is England’s base near St Petersburg called Repino, named after the Russian painter, Ilya Repin. The place name should be pronounced with stress on the first syllable: RAY-pin-oh (-ay as in day, note first syllable stress), although the pronunciations REP-in-oh and REP-in-uh (-e as in get, -uh as ‘o’ in cannon) are also possible anglicisations.

The Moscow stadium where the opening game takes place is Luzhniki, pronounced with stress on the final syllable: loozh-nik-EE (-zh as 's' in measure, note final syllable stress).

Nizhny Novgorod is often anglicised as NIZH-ni NOV-guh-rodd (-1st -i as in bit, -zh as ‘s’ in measure, -2nd -i as ‘y’ in happy, -o as in not, note first syllable stress) though the Russian pronunciation is closer to NEEZH-ni NOV-guh-ruht (-ee as in street, -zh as 's' in measure, -t as in top).

One of the host cities Kaliningrad is usually pronounced kuh-LEE-nin-grad (-uh as ‘a’ in sofa, -ee as in street, note second syllable stress) in English; the Russian pronunciation is closer to kal-in-een-GRAT (note final syllable stress).

What about some of the footballer names?

One of the stars of the Russia squad is goalkeeper Igor Akinfeev, pronounced: EE-gor ak-in-FYAY-yuhf (-ee as in street, -g as in get, -fy as in few, -ay as in day, -y as in yes, -uh as in oven, -f as in fit, note stress).

Another player to watch is Alan Dzagoev, pronounced al-AN dzag-OY-yuhf (-dz as in bids, -oy as in boy, -y as in yes, -f as in fit, note final syllable stress in first name – unlike the English pronunciation of ‘Alan’).

To conclude, here’s a selection of player names from other teams in Group G:

Tunisia: England’s first match will be against Tunisia so look out for French-born midfielder Saif-Eddine Khaoui, pronounced SAYF uh-DEEN KHAA-wi (-ay as in day, -uh as in oven, -kh as in Scottish loch, -aa as in father, -i as ‘y’ in happy), although the French pronunciation is closer to kaa-WEE (-k as in king).

Belgium: Kevin de Bruyne – the anglicised pronunciation of his name is duh BROY-nuh (-oy as in boy, -uh as 'e' in oven) but the player himself uses the pronunciation duh BROE-nuh (-oe as in French coeur) in Flemish and English, which may be further anglicised as duh BRUR-nuh (-ur as in fur but 'r' is not pronounced). The pronunciation duh BROW-nuh (-ow as in now) is debatably closer to the Standard Dutch rather than Flemish pronunciation.

Panama: defender Luis Ovalle, pronounced luu-EESS oh-VIGH-yay (-uu as in book, -ee as in street, -ss as in less, -oh as in high, -igh as in high, -y as in yes), and midfielder Aníbal Godoy, pronounced an-EE-bal god-OY (-o as in not, -oy as in boy, note stress in each name).

Anyway, on the way to get the toothpaste (for sensitive teeth, I'm that sort of soul), came across this extraordinary signed picture of Gareth Bale. Don't get distracted by the space suit next to it - Tim Peake has had his day in the sun - or should that be stars - the point is, there was no price on the stunning Gareth Bale picture. So I went inside and asked the shop owner, "how much?" ''Not for sale,'' he said....''not until after the final!''

Not dull, this feller. He had correctly worked out the price would rocket (sorry!) if Wales reached those heady heights or even won the whole thing.

His smile was almost as broad as that of the launderette owner who paid a visit while myself and Iwan Roberts were waiting for our respective tumble dryers to finish. As I have noted previously, I suspect his retirement plans are well in hand…

Off to a press conference soon and then to Lyon tomorrow for Wednesday's showpiece. I've given up trying to predict what will happen. You can put nothing past this amazing Wales squad, the new heroes of France. If Wales win on Wednesday, it'll be easy to go with the cliche 'over the moon'.

Maybe that shop owner was really onto something… How much was that space suit?

Monday 4/7/16 - two days before the semi-final v Portugal

This place - yes, and the launderette in town - has basically been home (Chez moi - as they say in France) for the last month. Dinard has been a joy, the people have embraced the Wales squad and all who follow them. Frankly, one of the many major decisions Chris Coleman and his staff have got right in this tournament was being based here on the beautiful Brittany coast. This community and its people will always have a special place in the memory of those who have been here.

I move to Lyon today and - hopefully - on to Paris on Thursday. If Wales can actually continue this fairytale journey all the way to the Euro 2016 final, then the squad will return to Dinard on Thursday - to a no doubt even more rapturous reception than they have had so far (and that's saying something). I am sure more than just myself want to return one day soon.

But for now I say "Farewell Dinard" - you and your charming people have been a delight. You have played your part in an already wonderful Welsh story. Thank you. Bon Chance!

•  to Rob’s commentary on 主播大秀 Radio Wales, followed by the regular post-match phone-in, .
• Read the diaries on the About the 主播大秀 Blog and
• Read Jon Jacob's blog about 

主播大秀 Wales Football Correspondent Rob Phillips has been following the Welsh team at Euro 2016 and, when he gets a chance, he’s been writing updates for his followers and friends on Facebook. We've put together a second set of edited highlights from Rob’s week at the Wales base in Dinard, Brittany, and on the road following the team. Will there be a part three?

Thursday 23/6/16 - two days before Northern Ireland

Well what an eventful first trip on the French railways! Arrived in Rennes to wait for train to Paris and suddenly an official looking gentleman wearing a cap - without any great fuss - started to cordon off part of the platform with rolls of tape.

Didn’t think too much of it, because the cafe continued to serve as normal and a few yards away there was a pianist in full flow. Yes, a bloke on the piano, later joined by a woman who started to sing! I have to say, this is not something I have ever seen at Ebbw Vale Parkway, or even Cardiff Central… but what a good idea.

So my colleague Dafydd Pritchard and I sat nearby and enjoyed a musical accompaniment to his chicken salad and coffee and my ham and cheese baguette (but no crisps), a glorified French version of a custard tart and coffee (grande).

That was until the girl who had served us our food appeared from the cafe and calmly suggested we might want to move, since this was a proper security alert and she wasn’t going to hang around…

Meanwhile the pianist played on! 

Sunday 27/6/16 - the day after the Northern Ireland match

Back in Dinard after yet another memorable weekend watching this unbelievable Wales football team - backed by its joyous, slightly disbelieving fans.

I’ve said it previously, there really is a homely feel about the Brittany base Wales have chosen. After yet another tumultuous few days in the French capital, it's good to be back here (yet again) before heading for Lille later this week.

We had one special moment when outside our hotel in Paris on Saturday night, a rather tired and emotional Northern Ireland fan told our motley crew Wales had to go on and win the tournament, having beaten his side.

Then he was told he was talking to former Everton and Wales captain Kevin Ratcliffe. The gentleman bowed in adoration and suddenly a chorus of “Ratcliffe's on fire!!” (adapted from Northern Ireland’s ‘Will Grigg’ version) crackled through the Paris night time air!

Just another memorable moment on this adventure as Wales have made the quarter finals of the European Championships...  Just take a while to think about that… the last eight of Euro 2016!

Wednesday 29 June - two days before the Quarter Final v Belgium

Forgive me, this is a strange feeling. I may, stress ‘may’, have left Dinard for the final time on my personal journey through Euro 2016.

I am writing this on the way to Lille with my colleagues Dafydd Pritchard and Dyfrig Gwent. Lille is, of course, where Wales meet Belgium in the quarter final, on Friday night.

A defeat and for me it’s ‘home’ the following day… the stakes are that high!

The point is, I have become quite attached to Dinard, from my favourite ice cream, the local Facebook blogger who was videoing himself while he played goalkeeper in the press football match on the beach last night (just one point on this game, the organisers ensured the English media were evenly spread among both sides - just in case those on the losing side thought the exuberant celebrations at the end were aimed at them) and, yes, even the launderette, which I visited on Monday evening, only to be disturbed by a TV film crew. It’s just a lovely place with a warm ambience.

Gareth Bale was speaking to us again today. Once more he exuded confidence and summed up the spirit within the squad. Asked about motivation to play well every game he looked at the Wales badge on his shirt and said “the Dragon” was all he needed.

Asked whether the squad got bored between games, he said ‘no’ - they were all mates and, tellingly, added: “It's like being on holiday”.

Now, I should quickly point out, this has been no holiday (honest!) but I know exactly where he’s coming from. My spirits were sent soaring. I’ve got two big suitcases in the back of the car and a few other bags, too, just in case the Belgians have a cunning plan to send us packing. But ten minutes in the same room as Gareth Bale and I am suddenly a lot more confident.

As you know the Welsh fans have excelled on the singing front, particularly with the anthem. They have chorused their way around France - making a delightful, tuneful impression.

So in our car, with Lille still a long way off, we’re breaking into: “Don't take me home!”

•  to Rob’s commentary on 主播大秀 Radio Wales, followed by the regular post-match phone-in, .
•  the first instalment of Rob's Euro 2016 diaries on the About the 主播大秀 Blog 
• Read Jon Jacob's blog about 

This passion provokes a strange kind of bewilderment amongst my football-loving colleagues. Whenever I talk about Eurovision, they display a look on their faces as though I’ve brought my (I still have it, by the way) to work, and whipped it out during a serious meeting about metrics.

What is it that confuses them about Eurovision? What is it that makes them smile about my nerdy fascination with broadcasting history? Is it the same thing that makes me roll my eyes about the painstaking detail some of them pick over about the ‘beautiful game’? And, if I could understand the answer to those questions, might I get a taste of the thrills and spills those same colleagues express when they enter into the post-match analysis every Monday morning during the football season?

When I started asking myself those questions I began to notice something a little alarming: I was beginning to get interested in something I’d hitherto completely overlooked. So the implicit private challenge was unwittingly set: could I manage to sustain my concentration for an entire football match. And, if I could do that, might I grow to like the game?

It was worth a shot.

I acknowledge one obvious block very early on in proceedings: my partner, Simon. I propose a change to our usual weekend TV viewing habits with a tentative but hopeful, “but I want to watch the England match for research purposes.” Silence. He reluctantly agrees, trying desperately to communicate his displeasure by forcefully keying ‘115’ on the Sky Remote. We sit. We watch. We leap up and down when England scores. And we sigh when Russia equalise.*

Post-England vs. Russia I’m aware of two things: firstly, I’m not hooked, haven’t been swept away by the emotion and don’t see a need to resort to dramatic measures to ensure future enjoyment. On the plus side, it hasn’t been an agonising 90 minutes. I haven’t been distracted by my mobile phone, I haven’t wanted to participate in a discussion online at the same time and I haven’t flicked over to see what’s on another channel. My most significant learning from this first toe in the water? Getting ‘buy-in’ from my significant other watching any non-England matches is going to be a tough number – not so much low-hanging fruit, more bare branches on a petrified tree.

So, the following night I opt for an alternative option: live commentary on Five Live. It’s here in the kitchen, methodically preparing dinner in between surreptitious sips of cheap red wine, that I hear something different: the sound of people somewhere else in the world getting excited about something I cannot see. There is nothing more riveting than hearing someone else’s fun someplace else described by people I can’t see. In that respect, football on the radio is not unlike Radio 3’s Live in Concert – there is nothing I like better than ‘dropping in’ on somebody else’s party.

This is, it seems to me as I pour myself another glass of wine on my own in the kitchen, my gateway to football. The commentary seems jumbled and packed full of technical terms I don’t understand; I can’t picture the images in my head quick enough to follow the action on the pitch.

I’m struggling, but remain committed to the challenge, remembering a piece of advice a different colleague gave me when attending a Shakespeare: trust yourself, listen to the lines, but don’t get bogged down in the detail; you’ll be surprised how easily to follow what’s going on. Quickly, I get drawn in. My mood elevates, cushioned by a bed of gentle roars from an excited crowd somewhere over the water and far away. 

This is when I realise my guard might be down. I’m swept along by the excitement of a distant crowd, an unseen image, and the raw passion of broadcasters. In this way, I’m transported to another place in the same messrs Klein, Derham and Trelawny do when they describe proceedings at the 主播大秀 Proms on Radio 3. My delayed entry into watching football seems to be via broadcast, being present with thousands, possibly even millions, of other people: participating in a shared experience.

I relay all of this to my partner on a daily basis. As my confidence grows, I even suggest, “Maybe we could watch the match tonight?” This is met with the inevitable question: “What have you become?” Still conscious he’s not as willing to participate in my personal challenge with the same zeal I am, I turn to Five Live whenever I can. This is my chance to ‘dip in’ to what’s going on in much the same way my A-Level German teacher suggested dipping into German novels from time to time to boost my comprehension and translation skills.

When I go on a last-minute unexpected lone trip to Budapest, I set aside a night to find a (quiet) bar where I can watch a game. This is when I realise something quite surprising: I’m actually looking forward to the prospect. In the space of a handful of matches I’ve gone from fearing the game I was traumatised by as a kid, to now ‘rather looking forward to it’. Now I sit at a table at a bar in central sunny Budapest, watching Hungary play Iceland on the screen on my left, and observing local fans at the bar across the road look on proceedings with a mixture of horror and excitement. It is a delicious experience: a televised event making me feel part of a continent-wide moment.

I return from Budapest with renewed confidence and a spring in my step. Like all good journeys, I’ve been on a personal journey at the same time. I am now someone who ‘watches the football’. Proud of this, I seek to comment on colleagues’  Facebook feeds whenever I am engaging with the game, as if to prove to them that I am good as my word. Sometimes I post pictures of me watching a game so the proof is irrefutable. I think it’s turned into a bit of a habit now.

My new status as viewer is confirmed during the Slovakia vs England match, a combination of TV viewing (on ITV) and listening on Five Live. Needing to watch live (and not via live-pause on my PVR has become important all of a sudden), not missing a moment when I go to the bathroom similarly so.  Me and the partner (by this point he’s insisted he’ll only watch England games) now find ourselves commenting on strategy, uttering terminology like ‘passing’ and ‘possession’, and commenting on tackles. My tried and tested description seems to be, “it’s all a bit messy, isn’t it?” This also boosts my confidence, demonstrated in the way I relay our rookie assessments to my colleagues the morning after. Do those views have any validity? Do they trigger any further clarification amongst those more in the know? It seems that they do. Football doesn’t seem all that difficult to understand.  I’m met with wide eyes and one or two dropped jaws.

I’m not a convert. I’m not a fan. A lot of the time I’m watching and listening and sort of understanding what’s going on but not really being sure whether I really do understand it. Last night’s England match – listened to at first on Five Live sees me race to break the early score to the partner who in turn leaps to switch over to 主播大秀 One. Disappointment follows 37 seconds later.**

But it gives me an ‘in’ with my colleagues. I can empathise with them as they shuffle into the office this morning. Even dipping my toe in the water makes me feel part of the pack. Actually playing a game of football may well be a long way off, but I may well be en route to a new viewing obsession. That journey has started because of Five Live. As to whether I shall be continuing that journey alone or in the company of my partner, I've yet to negotiate. I'll get back to you.

* I can’t remember any other occasion when I’ve needed to use the word ‘equalise’ in anything I’ve written before. In the spirit of full transparency, I’m am excited by this.

** I’m amazed I can even recall the time Iceland equalised.

Saturday 18/6/16

Just watched Wales players training and happy to report Joe Ledley was looking fine. As you can see, the training was also watched by the pupils of Cwmtawe Community School, Pontardawe. One of their pupils was responsible for the best comment of the morning: ''Ledley! Your beard is amazing!'' Could not argue with that. But more amazing is surely the standard of school trips these days. Go to France and watch Wales train - how good is that?? Beats Longleat by a street!

Monday 20/6/16 - the day of the Russia match in Toulouse

(1) Had a quick stroll in the bit of Toulouse I find myself - saw this feller. Chap in a pram making baby noises… makes a living I suppose!!! PS - also saw many Welsh fans looking happy, but slightly nervous, about the game later.

(2) Don't know about you, but I am nervous and there's still 90 minutes to kick off.

Tuesday 21/6/16 - the day after Russia match

Thanks to my dad being a football supporter, I have watched Wales both as a fan - and professionally - for a lifetime. Reporting it has been nearly 30 years. And I can honestly say I have never experienced a game like that… I'm not name dropping but John Hartson and Kevin Ratcliffe were so emotional either side of me in the commentary box, it was difficult not to get carried away. When you have 110 caps worth of football talent stood up clapping their successors, it makes an impression and adds to the memory.

And there are other winners, too - notably the launderette in Dinard which will again do a roaring trade when I get back to Brittany.

Weds 22/6/16 - 2 days after Russia match, 3 days until knockout game vs. ???

So here it is!! The most famous "Welsh" launderette in the world!

Tomorrow I am leaving Dinard as part of an advanced party heading off to Paris, where Wales play an historic knockout game on Saturday against… Well, that's the point. As my shirts and smalls rotate at 40 degrees in machine number 5 鈥�#‎creasedbutclean鈥� - we just don't know who Wales will be playing…鈥��

Bottom line is - the Wales players probably won't care who they play. And neither will the Welsh fans who have been walking ambassadors for our great country and will love to bring their melodic presence to the French capital. Anyway, by the end of today, we should know.

In other words… it'll all come out in the wash!!

Rob Phillips is Football Correspondent for 主播大秀 Wales.

They and dozens more hardy reporters will wonder if their game, their result will be the story of the round. For 主播大秀 Hereford and Worcester’s Dan Johnson it actually happened. . The with his commentary led Match of the Day that night. “It was without doubt the sporting highlight of my 43-year-old life so far” he remembers. “Having grown up watching Worcester City, to be able to broadcast their biggest win for over 50 years was as sublime as it was surreal. When it did, "Pandemonium at the Ricoh!" tumbled from my gaping mouth and the enormity of my beloved team's achievement began to dawn. To feel such pride, to be there to see this homeless band of brothers revelling in this, their moment in the sun, that day seemed impossible to beat”.  

The dream is not yet over for Dan, though. “We travel to Sheffield United to see if lightning can strike twice, safe in the knowledge that now nothing is impossible” Dan’s words and all those fans listening, hoping and wondering back home, sum up for me the special importance 主播大秀 Local Radio has for our communities. Special Cup, special coverage.

Charles Runcie is Head of Sport for 主播大秀 English Regions

• Keep up to date with FA Cup matches on the .
• .
• *Alan Devonshire was in the West Ham United team that won the FA Cup in 1980. A Second Division side at the time, Devonshire started the move that led to the winning goals scored by Trevor Brooking.

Charles Runcie, Head of Sport for English Regions, goes behind the scenes with the sports teams of 主播大秀 Local Radio, to explain more about the 2,500 plus football commentaries they bring to their listeners each season.

With TV and radio sports channels, texting and social media, is there still a place for local radio football commentary?  This season 主播大秀 Local Radio will be the only regional radio stations in major cities, including Liverpool and Birmingham, providing commentary on the latest matches that matter in their area each week. This development has brought into sharp focus the coverage our 主播大秀 Local Radio stations provide for fans of around 90 clubs each week and emphasises why the 主播大秀 must remain committed to promoting regional football at all levels of the game.

From Manchester City - all glitz, galacticos and Champions League glamour - to homely Harrogate Town in National League North, sports coverage is woven into the fabric of our 38 stations. The behemoths of the Premier League may command most attention, and we do commentary on 17 of those 20 teams, but it's further down the footballing food chain where 主播大秀 Local Radio comes into its own. While their results get mentions on national 5 Live Sport or Final Score, we’re able to expand and concentrate on our local sides, with informed passion being the normal house style.

Some go to huge lengths to satisfy their demanding fans.  Such are the county rivalries that Radio Devon splits in three on Saturdays, for separate commentaries on Exeter City, Plymouth Argyle and Torquay United.  Meanwhile Radio Shropshire’s Nick Southall and James Bond (yes, it really is his name) went to Hungary to cover The New Saints in … a Champions League qualifier.  Although TNS are Welsh Premier League champions they’re actually based at Oswestry, so off went Nick and James on the team bus. They shared the commentary with Radio Wales, a dramatic game which went to extra time before TNS went out, and I’m told returned home neither shaken nor stirred.

Radio Guernsey also clock up plenty of air miles following their team in the Isthmian League Division 1 South. Flight times to the UK are as much a part of their sports teams’ preparation as the team line-ups.

It’s not just the tens of thousands of miles covered or resources devoted to those 2,500 or so commentaries.  Even getting on air can be an adventure. 主播大秀 Hereford + Worcester’s coverage of the FA Cup’s longest-ever penalty shoot-out, when Scunthorpe United eventually beat Worcester City 14-13 in a 2nd round replay, was all the more remarkable as the station’s broadcast lines failed that night. The match was done via sports editor Trevor Owens’ iPad, with him sitting between the commentators holding the microphone between them while monitoring the strength of the signal. Radio on a wing and a prayer, and without doubt the longest night of Trevor’s life.

 

The relationship extends off the field too. 主播大秀 Coventry + Warwickshire marked 10 years since Coventry City left their 106-year-old former ground with stories, conversations, experts and memories with fans in a week of broadcasting called . They also . 

Jamie Hoyland, former Burnley midfielder and ex-Preston coach, is a popular, funny Radio Lancashire match summariser. He says what he sees with enormous passion and knowledge of local football, and even wins over fans from clubs he never played for. On Olympic Way at Wembley prior to May’s League One play-off final between Preston and Swindon, the 100th game he’d watched that season, he encouraged supporters of both sides to take part in #Hoyland100 on social media.  Fans came up to take selfies, with a huge amount of positive reaction following. One group of fans even recognised him, and invited him to a forthcoming wedding.

Sport never stops for busy Radio Manchester, with both codes of rugby, boxing and cricket having to jostle with coverage of their seven clubs.  Presenter Jimmy Wagg has seen it all.  Starting on sport in 1989 he’s been to Wembley 18 times, 6 trips to Cardiff, and in 1995 won a Sony Radio Award for a live programme done a couple of hours after the death of the legendary Sir Matt Busby.  On Saturday 5 September Jimmy presents his 1000th sports show – and he’s never missed one.  As he told me, “Working in Manchester, the epicentre of English football, has given me the chance to pursue my passion for football and pretend it's a real job.  Any wonder my friends call me lucky?”

Covering our local football teams is part of the DNA of any 主播大秀 Local Radio station, and something we’re expected by listeners to do and do properly. Our local radio coverage is a unique part of the sporting landscape which provides a much needed lifeline to die-hard fans following the Premiership to the National Leagues up and down the country.

Charles Runcie is Head of Sport, 主播大秀 English Regions

• Read also

The FA Cup returned to 主播大秀 TV this season and as well as the live games, 主播大秀 Sport has been working with a host of other programmes to bring FA Cup related content to audiences. One unique project - The Songs of Praise FA Cup Fans Choir competition - is a great example of these partnerships. Read Lindsey Hammond’s blog below about how the unlikely pairing came about.

As a researcher for 主播大秀 Songs of Praise and a massive Hull City fan I never thought I’d see the day when I could combine the two. I’ve worked on some fantastic live events with the 主播大秀 including The Great North Passion and D-Day but is perhaps my favourite project to date.

At first glance there’s no obvious link between Songs of Praise and the FA Cup but when I heard that the 主播大秀 had won the broadcast rights again I began to consider how we could engage with it. I went to my first ever FA Cup Final last May and reflecting on that experience I remember the emotions that Leona Lewis, singing Abide With Me, provoked – and there it was, that was my connection!

I knew Abide With Me had been part of the FA Cup Final tradition since 1927 but before this project I had never looked into its history and why it was sung. After a bit of research I found that it was King George V’s favourite hymn and the FA Chairman had arranged for it to be a part of the football match, probably to get into the King’s good books. Looking back on archive footage of the hymn being sung in the old Wembley stadium is fantastic - it really creates a sense of the crowd unified by one song. I instantly saw an opportunity in this. Songs of Praise and 主播大秀 Religion has a long history of choral singing and creating choirs for different occasions so all of a sudden the FA Cup Final, Abide With Me and Songs of Praise seemed like an ideal fit.

My initial idea was to make a film about the history of hymns at the FA Cup; I never dreamed that we would actually be able to sing at the Final. I shared the idea with Mike Smith, our Executive Producer (and a massive Leeds United fan) and he saw the potential. It quickly became a really collaborative effort with 主播大秀 Sport and the FA, it just grew and grew as the idea for a choir competition took shape.

We’re a small team and it’s fair to say we have been up to our necks in the project. We had to pull everything together really quickly to launch in January, just before the fourth round in the FA Cup. When we started to see the first entries coming in it suddenly seemed very real and I thought ‘wow, this is actually going to work’. People instantly seemed to understand what it was we wanted to do and it just showed me how the FA Cup is in every football fan’s heart.

The mechanics of it all were relatively simple. We asked people to send in their stories which reflect the personal memories and passion of the cup from every level of the game. Maybe witnessing giant killings, perhaps the first time their non- league team made the third round or the first time you were in the final with tales of great players, key moments, unforgettable goals and family anecdotes.

We had to narrow down over 1,300 entries to just five from each of the 64 clubs. This was a challenging task as people had spent a great deal of time sharing their incredible stories with us so we had to make sure each one was given the care and consideration it deserved. Once we had picked the top contenders it was then up to our judges to select their favourite story from each club. Calling the winners to let them know was such a great experience - there were tears, screaming, all sorts of emotions and it was such a unique and amazing thing to be able to do.

Singing experience or skill was never a factor in the process at all. The FA Cup is for everyone and a lot of people have a deep connection with it so we really didn’t want to exclude anyone. Also singing at football matches is common place and being pitch perfect has never been a factor. When the crowd at Anfield sing You’ll Never Walk Alone it’s about more than being in tune, the moment is more emotional and raw than that.

It was vital to us that the fans were at the heart of what we were doing we wanted to give them a lasting memory and the chance of a lifetime. They will sing alongside The Band of The Brigade of Gurkhas and will be joined by special guest, tenor Alfie Boe, best known for playing Jean Valjean in the musical Les Miserables. Boe said of being chosen to sing at Wembley Stadium “I can't wait to perform at the FA Cup Final. I'm proud to be a part of such a historic final, at such a historic venue...I know the atmosphere will be electric and I know that the excitement of the game transfers to each household and venue around the world.”

We’re hoping the fans, almost 90,000 of them, at the match will get behind our choir and join in too. Football matches can be very separated and tribal occasions but singing Abide With Me creates unity, everyone comes together and it’s a very powerful experience.

One thing we discovered during this process was just how much this means to the people involved. We’ve had such an overwhelmingly positive response it’s been humbling to see how grateful people are and how proud they are to represent their team. But it’s also about more than just the football, a lot of the entries focused on family memories, either going to matches with their grandfather or their mum – it truly was emotional stuff.

From the North of Scotland to the very tip of Cornwall, the 64 members of our choir are from all over the UK. It’s a diverse group of men and women aged from 21 to 100. So when they all stand out on that pitch before the match begins I think we’ll be a true representation of a football crowd.

With the Songs of Praise FA Cup Fans Choir the 主播大秀 has brought people together in a way no other organisation can. We’re allowing football fans to watch and participate in the FA Cup Final, who else can say that? The FA has been fantastic in terms of setting up the choir competition logistics and giving permission to put 64 people onto the pitch at Wembley. It’s been a massive collaboration project both inside and outside of the 主播大秀 and it’s enabled us to interact with people we may not otherwise reach.

Lindsey Hammond is a researcher on 主播大秀 Songs of Praise.

As a club, Sheffield Wednesday are no minnows. Their players are full time professionals, but the gulf in class compared to the billionaires of Manchester City was illustrated just a few months ago when Sheffield Wednesday lost 7-0 to City in the League Cup.

My first photograph was taken while the visitors were still in the lead. I like how the stands look huge, an indicator of the might they were up against. And yet, the winning goal for Manchester City did not come until the very last minute of the game.

My commentary on Monday night featured a far greater gulf in talent. Three Divisions and over 70 league places separated AFC Wimbledon and Liverpool. Also thrown in the mix was the FA Cup history between the sides. The Old Wimbledon famously beat Liverpool in the 1988 final. 

My third photograph shows our presenter Mark Pougatch on the pitch before kick-off, interviewing Wimbledon’s two main heroes of 1988: Dave Beasant, who saved the penalty that day, and winning goalscorer Lawrie Sanchez.

I’m often asked about the colour reduction style I use in these photos. I’m not a proper photographer, I don’t use a proper camera. These images were all taken on my phone.

The trouble with photos taken on phones is that you don’t have the ability to zoom-in like the professional snappers. In order to attract the eye to the part of the photo I’m focusing on, I leave that area in colour, and washout everything else in black and white.

Commentating on a game of football is the fun part of this job. The “work” part is the preparation and homework you must do in advance.

Here are my notes from the AFC Wimbledon v Liverpool game:

This system is heavily influenced by the football stickers I used to collect in my youth. I use stickers because we don’t get confirmed team line-ups until one hour before kick-off. Instead of having to write out the teams in their formations, I can simply stick the players’ details down on my sheet in the positions that they will play. If a substitute comes on during play I simply stick him over the player he has replaced.

My new years’ resolution to ease off eating pies at football games lasted all of four days. I succumbed during half time in the Manchester City v Sheffield Wednesday game.

Conor McNamara is a commentator for 主播大秀 Radio 5 live

• Listen to Conor commentating the FA Cup third round replay between West Ham v Everton on Tuesday 13th January, , starting at 19.45 kick-off
• Find out more about the FA Cup action with .
• Discover more about sports journalism on the . 
• Follow Conor McNamara on .

was five seasons old when I joined the team. When I left it had just reached 40. Come August the 22nd it will celebrate its 50th birthday. That a highlights programme has survived in an age when immediate gratification is expected, when live football can be watched somewhere on television just about every day of the season and newspapers carry full page advertisements disputing whether Sky or the new-born BT offer the best selection of Premier League immediacy is, to use a favourite expression of David Coleman鈥檚, 鈥渜uite remarkable.鈥�

It has not always been an easy journey. Having produced the regular call of 鈥渢ime gentleman please鈥� as an audience of 10million plus headed home to watch the programme, MOTD was unceremoniously put out to grass on Sunday afternoons at the start of the Eighties. Later, the Football League contract was twice lost to ITV and for a while the suffix 鈥榯he road to Wembley鈥� was added to the title. There were doubts about the value of highlights, and live FA Cup matches were tried on Friday evenings and Sunday afternoons. But throughout, the MOTD ethic has stayed strong and that without question is a major reason for the programme鈥檚 success. The quality of those who work behind the scenes, editors, producers and assistant producers, has remained consistent and true. The viewers, with their love of football, recognise that. Familiarity has bred contentment.

By the time I arrived MOTD, born of the determination of the Head of Sport, Bryan Cowgill, had moved on from the pioneering days. But the programme was still evolving. Instead of just the one match, there was to be a second as the regions opted out on a set cue to show teams in their area. This was my chance. But the opt-out idea was not a success. The 鈥榤ad movies鈥� we began to call it in the north-west, as technical problems and limited facilities made life quite hairy.

Film was still sometimes used in the regions, but not with the main match for which video tape was well established, though the editing bore little relation to the modern electronic sophistication. Some 鈥榙odgy edits鈥� made 鈥榯he real鈥�, usually preceded by a phone call to the gallery in the hope of distracting the producer and editor. There was a moment when Brian Kidd passed to himself and a match when the replays of three goals were inserted in the wrong order. Such mistakes were a rarity but the miscreant would be taken to task the following Monday, and that applied every bit as much to mistakes by commentators.

It was a few years down the road when I made my worst mistake. I credited Gerry Gow with a goal for Bristol City which was scored by Geoff Merrick. It was not a close call, just an aberration. After the match I had to stand in the middle of the Ashton Gate pitch, microphone in hand, as the sound supervisor tried to insert my correction. Precisely on cue Merrick walked round the ground and shouted 鈥淚 wouldn鈥檛 mind, but I don鈥檛 score many of them鈥�: as John Motson might say: 鈥�10 goals in 367 appearances over 15 years, if you don鈥檛 mind me saying so.鈥�

If I had made that error in my first commentary for Match of the Day I might have been forgiven. On second thoughts, probably not; but I would have had an excuse. I began the day in Leeds fully prepared, if rather nervous, to cover Leeds against Spurs, but before the breakfast toast had been consumed everything changed. Ken Wolstenholme (pictured above), the original presenter, who with beautiful simplicity provided the definitive commentary line at the greatest moment for English football, was ill. David Coleman awoke with laryngitis. As a result I was taken by car back to London, to Selhurst Park, to cover newly promoted Crystal Palace against Manchester United. With the guidance of Alec Weeks and his Outside Broadcast team I named the right goal scorers in a 2-2 draw and then went back to Lime Grove Studios to assist Frank Bough with the presentation. Quite a start for the 鈥榥ew boy!鈥�

Now the 鈥榦ld boy鈥� looks back from a distance of 10 years since he did his last commentary, after so many matches that I am reluctant to pick from an unknown total.聽

Commentary has changed much since the days of Ken Wolstenholme, each generation, perhaps,聽 has the style of its age, but dare I suggest the expression 鈥榮ilence is golden鈥� has on occasions, been rather lost. Of course it can be argued that there is more to talk about with the output of 15 plus cameras and replays from all angles. The producers of the early Seventies had only four cameras and Motty and I聽 summarised a goal or significant moment in our mind鈥檚 eye, the slow motion being added when the match was over. We survived and over the years, despite efforts by some in the written press to have us at each other鈥檚 throat, enjoyed a friendly rivalry. It could be that our different styles assisted our longevity.

Over the years the presenter鈥檚 chair has been filled by characters, each endowing the programme with something a little different, and, since Jimmy Hill (pictured above) began it, pundits have played an increasingly important part. It has been, and will continue to be, a team to be proud of. 聽

Barry Davies is a 主播大秀 sports commentator聽