Sponsor Revenue + Classroom Opportunities = A Whole New Game Day

Green Valley High School’s 23-by-41-foot outdoor video display brings an aspect to the school’s athletics that no area school has, and they are taking notice. The whopping 943-square-foot display is about the same size as three bowling lanes side-by-side.

“Games have taken on a whole different life with the new scorer’s table and especially the video display,” said Green Valley High School Principal Kent Roberts. “The graphics are top notch and really add a level of entertainment that you couldn’t get any other way. Many schools have asked how we did it and marvel at the level of sophistication that we are able to achieve in terms of the in-game production values. We are able to offer a much different, and I would say better, game day experience than any of the schools in our area. “

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Green Valley administration left no opportunity overlooked while deciding on the features of their new display.

“Green Valley High School and the GVHS Alumni Foundation had a big vision when upgrading their football display.,” said Brandy Chenoweth, Daktronics Nevada sales representative. “The Gator pride is evident in Henderson and GVHS wanted their stadium to serve as a community centerpiece, while also giving the school increased opportunities to highlight the accolades of their student body.”

Green Valley High School’s new products enable new opportunities to highlight areas not previously shared on game day. Beyond your typical game animations, schools have the bandwidth for more advertising space and promotions for school events. Everything is showcased in a way that draws the crowds attention.

“Though the impact to football is evident, the addition of their Daktronics LED display offers opportunities for the flag football and track teams to customize the field to their particular sport needs in a way they weren’t able to before,” said Chenoweth.

The video display is customizable to create a digital scoreboard for any sport, which makes it easy to host any sporting event.

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“The football scoreboard display allows us to highlight many programs on campus that would not normally get noticed. Our scorer’s table in the gym has amplified our school spirit and crowd interaction with player headshots, dynamic crowd hype videos and program promotions. Just within this last football season, we were able to show football player headshots, cheer photos, dance team headshots, marching band photos and color guard photos.”

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New Possibilities for Sponsors

The ability to change the image on the screen creates the option for a customizable lineup of sponsors, including how much time each ad runs for, sponsorships of kickoffs or time outs, and the ability to show more businesses’ ads. This benefits the sponsors with more effective advertising and benefits the school with more revenue.

“Our sponsors get more attention now due to their graphics being on display while gameplay footage is shown,” Ortiz said. “We are able to tell them their ads will be noticed far more than in the printed program or banner hanging on a fence in the parking lot.”

Roberts and Ortiz both said the school is still working on finding the right price point for ad spots. Ortiz said when coaches see how much can be generated by the display and a price is set for advertising, it will become a main source for a steady revenue stream for years to come.

“We have had quite a few phone calls about advertising on the board and remain optimistic that it will be a significant source of fundraising for our programs,” Roberts said.

More Entertainment, Please

After just two games, Green Valley’s fans became accustomed to watching live video of the game on the big screen during football games.

“We show a wide shot of the game on the screen as the game is being played, with instant replay of course, and on our third game with the board we had a manpower snafu, which meant we wouldn’t offer this option during the game,” Roberts said. “Many people came up to me during the game and asked, ‘No instant replay tonight?’ They had already come to expect a very high level of entertainment from the board during our games.”

Student Education and Careers

Students in the school’s video production and photography classes are producing content and managing display controls—skills they can use in future careers.

“Currently, our students are beginning to learn the ins and outs of the system and have taken more control of cameras, replays, scoreboard controls and content development. Our photography classes schedule and conduct player headshots during photo shoots in their studio. Those students also work to remove the green screen background to create better-looking headshots,” Ortiz said.

Students have a rotating presence for production, giving them the chance to operate different aspects of the game’s broadcast.

“The video production students have been working in our press box during games to practice game-day production for our varsity sporting events,” continued Ortiz. “The kids took turns working the replay, scoreboard, camera and serving as game day director, and are creating rules for the hierarchy within the press box. On their third game of running the scoreboard, a couple of the students came to me to share with me their vision for the game day experience.”

Roberts said the students are taking the lead with plans to improve production as the class develops.

“They want more cameras to shoot more angles and to cover more area of the game. They also talked to me about using the board during track season and shooting races as they happen, especially at the finish line. The students are also excited about getting to develop their own graphics and incorporate them into the show.”

Preparing for the Big Reveal

Ortiz and Roberts said their satisfaction with Daktronics began before they had even installed the school’s displays.

“Before construction began on the scoreboard, I was given information on the programs, software and hardware, which gave me time to pre-plan and research what we were getting,” Ortiz said. “When I had questions, I was given to the right person each time and I never felt like my questions were a bother.”

They both expressed their gratefulness for their Daktronics sales representatives, who Roberts said helped them see their display’s potential and helped them understand how to manage the equipment after installation had finished.

“With the improved game-day atmosphere and hands-on learning opportunities for their students, Green Valley High School has set a new bar for not only the state of Nevada, but also the entire west coast,” touts Daktronics Nevada Rep, Brandy Chenoweth.

Outside of game-day entertainment, a video display brings additional revenue for the school and opportunities for students in the classroom. Learn more about each of these at http://www.daktronics.com/whyvideo.