The time has come for Glenavon to unveil their biggest sign-ing of the summer!
Recently the club installed a new 5m x 2m digital LED screen at Mourneview Park, the first of it’s kind anywhere in Ireland.
Capable of displaying high definition graphics and video, it will be a focal point inside the ground.
Aside from keeping supporters up-to-date with the latest goings on around the club, it will also offer a unique opportunity for businesses to advertise to thousands of fans every season.
That will provide a much-needed revenue stream at a time when many clubs are struggling with the financial impact of COVID-19
And, of course, it will keep a time check and the score!
The idea for the screen came about after supporters were asked on social media for their opinions about what improvements they would like to see inside the stadium.
After the idea of a scoreboard was successfully floated, the club had to find a way of paying for the screen.
“Luckily enough, Linda Blakely stepped forward,” explained Jonathon Bunting, who was involved in the screen’s installation.
“Linda is a local girl now living in London and who wanted to do something to help her hometown club. We were grateful that she wanted to fund the project.”
Linda owns CARE Ltd, a children’s care home company offering respite for children with learning disabilities and full-time care for children with emotional and behavioural difficulties.
She says that she believes in “remembering where you come from and giving something back.”
Explaining why she wanted to help Glenavon she continued, “I thought it was a way for the club to create a stream of ongoing revenue.
“When the season gets up and running and we get back to some sense of normality I can’t wait to get home and cheer on the Lurgan Blues!”
The screen will be operated from inside the Academy room on matchdays with a team of volunteers operating it each time it is in use.
“We have the possibility of showing live video on the screen, photos that have just been taken can go onto it almost immediately too so there is a lot of potential for what we can do with it,” said Al McCann, who has been working closely with screen suppliers FSL in order to make the screen operational.
“It will certainly add something new to the matchday experience at Mourneview Park!”
Supporters will be able to see it working in the flesh for the first time in a friendly game on Saturday, September 26.
Any businesses who are interested in advertising on the screen can do so by contacting the club.
To find out more, watch this video on our YouTube channel.
New signing Michael O’Connor pictured beside the new screen. Picture: Maynard Collins.
