New BBC Football League highlights format

JT

Football League fans across England will be given unparalleled access to their teams from early next year with a new Monday night regional magazine show called Late Kick Off.

The programme will have a different version in each of seven regions allowing the focus to remain on the clubs local to that area and offering fans more in depth coverage behind-the-scenes of the teams, players, managers and backroom stories.

The show, which starts on 18 January 2010 on BBC One at 11.15pm, will get right to the heart of local football with a mix of discussion, opinion, interviews and match analysis.

Bringing all the drama and action from each division it will be more than just a highlights programme.

It will feature all Football League clubs in England and promises to get to grips with the issues fans want to talk about as well as giving some insightful reports both on and off the pitch.

The programme will go out in the North West; North East and Cumbria; Yorkshire and Lincolnshire; West and East Midlands; the East; London and South East; and the combined South, West and South West.

Presenters of each regional show will bring their own sporting expertise to the programme and will be joined each week by different guests and pundits from the world of football.

Fans won't have to miss a thing as the programmes will also be on BBC iPlayer.

Late Kick Off complements coverage of the Football League which returned to the BBC in August for the first time since 1988 building on the success of the network highlights programme, The Football League Show, along with live coverage of two League Cup semi-finals and the League final.

Along with action from the Premier League on Match Of The Day and BBC Radio 5 Live, the BBC provides sports fans with access to all the goals and all the action, the length and breadth of the country.

David Holdsworth, Controller of English Regions, said: "Late Kick Off is good news for Football League fans who'll get to see more of their local teams on television but in a way they may not have seen before.

"They'll get to see the goal action but we'll also examine stories and issues of the day from a different perspective, providing high quality sports journalism.

"Added to that we will be going behind the scenes at the clubs giving an insight in to what really goes on, with access to players, managers and backroom staff."

JT

Link

MCS

Why, in gods name, do they have to put these shows on so late at night!! When i was a boy, all i wanted to do was watch MOTD, or any of the highlights progs that were on after my bedtime, i always had to tape it for the next day, its so fecking stupid cos kids love footie, and why should they be discrimated against!! Racist gingerist youngist BBC fucktards!!

JT

Sadly, people would rather watch things like Big Top!

Si

Scheduling sport in prime time or post-prime time slots is always unlikely. MOTD gets a fairly decent slot on a Saturday night, so we should be happy with that. If it's not a major sporting event it will never get prime time airing - and I sort of agree with that too, as much as I'd peronally like to see it there!

Football League is hardly 'major', so we're fortunate to be getting a highlights show a week, let alone two from Jan! My Big Top thread was me being pissed at the beeb; so here I must say 'well done'.

Rothko

Loads of people will watch it via the iPlayer anyway

MCS

Rothers, there was iplayer when i was a kid, and wanted to watch MOTD, at least then put it on bbc2 at an earlier time so i could of watched it!!!! I player my schmayer!!

Rothko

yeah times changed though, loads of people time shift stuff anyway, be it iPlayer, Sky Player, Sky Plus, Freeview +, V+ etc etc etc

MCS

i hate change! ;-(

johnnybev1987

well they cant do any worse then the one at mo!

although means u have to watch ur local sides, they should do that in the premiership..... unlucky united fans :-)

and we get to keep track of millwall & palace how fun

Algarveaddick

Happy to see this programme being commissioned, but I see the point MCS is making. What about opening up BBC3 or BBC4 an hour early on Tuesday so that kids without access to computers can watch a repeat of it?

Plaaayer

More Charlton coverage, good times.

More Millwall and Palace coverage, bad times.

DaveMehmet

[cite]Posted By: MCS[/cite]Why, in gods name, do they have to put these shows on so late at night!! When i was a boy, all i wanted to do was watch MOTD, or any of the highlights progs that were on after my bedtime, i always had to tape it for the next day, its so fecking stupid cos kids love footie, and why should they be discrimated against!! Racist gingerist youngist BBC fucktards!!

Bad day ollie?

johnnybev1987

[cite]Posted By: Algarveaddick[/cite]Happy to see this programme being commissioned, but I see the point MCS is making. What about opening up BBC3 or BBC4 an hour early on Tuesday so that kids without access to computers can watch a repeat of it?

hope this doesnt cause offense, but i doubt theres many children without computers nowadays. most are more likely to have a computer then bbc3 or 4

McLovin

I actually don't mind the current Saturday night show, though the "expert" pundit is often second rate and doesn't even attempt to offer the (low-level) analysis that you see on MoTD. I kind of like seeing the goals from all the teams, but the new format sounds intersting.

DaveMehmet

I always Sky+ it, as well as MOTD. I get up with the liitle 'un on Sunday mornings, watch them both and flick through all the chat. Brownie points for letting the wife have a lie in every Sunday and I get to watch both prog's without the inane comments (from her or the pundits!)