The 4th Official is ...
A portfolio based site for Interactive Creative Director Ian Campbell. I recently moved to the Los Angeles area from Chicago and I've just started working at the NFL Digital Media Group (We are hiring).
that's special: new ideas for the the football / web fan
I'm buying my own football club...
With 40,000 other people. This is a fantastic football/web based idea. Use the power of the internet to give every football fan (who's online) the ability to own their own team. Go to My Football Club
Terrace Talk ...
- How to watch football this season
The BBC just published a handy 'How to watch football this season' guide for football fans in the UK. What's most apparent about this season is how the Premier League is able to structure the distribution of games amongst the (TV license based) BBC, the satellite and cable TV channels, and are able to utilize the latest web and mobile formats as a new forms of distribution. Perhaps the timing of cash rich premier leagues growth and the latest advances in digital media will make British football teams and access to their games remarkably easy, regardless of where you live and what your preferred mode of viewing is.
One of the few TV shows I miss most from living in Ireland is Match of the Day. It has a great tradition and packed together a great program before all the glitz of Sky TV money. There's now a Sunday show that will broadcast simultaneously on the web. I'm not sure I like Gary Lineker as the main host ... he comes across a bit too agreeable and possibly a bit slimy. Mark Lawrenson and Alan Hansen are not bad as his sidekicks (although there partnership in central defense for Liverpool in the 80’s was a lot more effective)
I guess a drawback of having football everywhere is that it might be making fans think twice about actually going to see the real thing in a stadium ... away games hundreds of miles away ... in December ... in the snow. Go to the BBC.
- A witty ditty for the new season
Aparently we'll be singing songs like the following from the terraces this season ...
"We're gonna deep-fry your pizzas!" - Scotland fans to their Italian counterparts.
"We've got Dave Tilbury, He'll paint your house for free, He quotes and estimates, He paints and decorates." - Windsor & Eton FC fans to painter and decorator Dave Tilbury who was making his 200th appearance for the club against Marlow.
"Niall Quinn's disco pants are the best, They go up from his a*** to his chest, They're better than Adam and the Ants, Niall Quinn's disco pants!" - Sunderland fans to chairman Niall Quinn.
- ITVN – Making TV Smarter
As I hope you've already guessed I'm a big soccer/football fan. I moved from Dublin, Ireland to Chicago several years ago, and for many years I was starved of watching any football... I was lost without my weekly fix of my beloved Man Utd (and so were they). I'll move on from that tearjerker of a story to the what's relevant about ITVN.
IP based television has the potential to change the way we view a lot of the day-to-day programming on our TV. Especially when it comes to sports. Once you signup for ITVN they send you a set-top box that you connect to your TV and your broadband connection. You can use a network cable or a wireless card to make this connection. Before you know it you'll be sitting with the ITVN remote, flicking through tons of cable channels. Of course, my favorite channel is Setanta Sports; they show the majority of the games from the English premiership. The cost is $15 a month, which is a great deal in contrast to the cost of the typical cable company install. The quality of picture is very good and you have the option to select a lower picture quality if the amount of buffering becomes too long. They also had an in-demand service that allowed you to choose from any of the days programming, that has since stopped due to some legal troubles with replaying matches.
What's exciting about all of this will be how the content creators start to utilize this method of broadcasting. For example, what's to stop Man Utd from distributing all of there own content (live games) directly to their massive fan base across the world? Go to ITVN.com.
Focus on Design: Pure Football Nostalgia!
Vintage Football Programs from Robert Opie
This is an amazing web site for anyone interested in viewing a 100 years of English football program design. The type styles, use of colors and layouts are very inspiring. Robert Opie sells these programs covers as large format paintings. The site is definitely worth a visit.