Notts TV will be broadcasting all of Beeston Hockey Club men’s and ladies’ England Hockey Premier Division home fixtures for the 2020/21 season.
The games will be aired live on the club’s Bee TV service online and will then appear in full on Notts TV on Wednesday evenings.
Both the sides play in their respective Premier Divisions – the top flight of the sport of the England.
Several international and Olympic players are based at the club, which plays its home games at Nottingham Hockey Centre, part of Highfields Park, on University Boulevard.
The partnership is a first for domestic hockey in England, following approval from England Hockey. It is hoped the new league calendar will begin later this summer.
Following success with live streaming matches on social media, Beeston Hockey Club introduced online coverage via Bee TV in 2018 and broadcast all men’s and ladies’ Premier Division fixtures across social media and the Bee TV app for Apple TV.
Euro Hockey League and London Olympic Games commentator, Nick Irvine, was a regular in the commentary box for the 2018/19 season along with Andy Day. Andy went on to become the regular commentator for both men’s and ladies’ games in the 2019/20 season and has since gained a reputation for commentating on FIH Pro League hockey matches on BT Sport. Andy is joined in the commentary box by former men’s 1st team coach, Steve Musson, who adds insightful, technical knowledge and a rich understanding of the history of the national league.
David Griffiths, Beeston’s Deputy Chairman, said: “For us, this is a moment of vindication, that our hard work to introduce regular live coverage of Premier Division hockey, has clearly paid off. It’s exactly what players of such a high standard deserve and we’ll continue to work hard to make our coverage as exciting as possible.”
Owen Shipton, Notts TV’s Head of Output, said: “Beeston Hockey Club deserves great credit for the role it plays in the development of the sport locally and nationally. This partnership means our viewers will get to see coverage of top-flight action and Olympic-level athletes for free, and reflects our ambition to bring the best of Notts sport to as bigger an audience as possible.”
Notts TV launched on 27 May 2014 and broadcasts on Freeview channel 7 and Virgin 159.
Notts TV is an independent local channel, not part of any larger national broadcast grouping, and is run by a consortium led by Nottingham Trent University and Confetti Media Group.
