Audio web

Charlton take on a non-League club for the first time in 30 years on Sunday, and the match against Northwich Victoria has thrown up a number of logistical problems, not least regarding the provision of audio commentary of the game - Addicks communications manager Matt Wright blogs on the issue...

They may not be as open about it as we are, but Charlton will be following in the footsteps of a number of major broadcasters on Sunday - albeit not in a way that we like.

The first inkling that there was a problem came last midweek, soon after the draw, when I received a call from BBC LONDON sports editor Pete Stevens.

After liaising with opponents Northwich Victoria, he had ascertained that the press facilities at the Victoria Stadium didn't include any telephone lines, let alone ISDN lines, to enable them to provide commentary of the game in Cheshire.

They would still send a reporter, but they would have to do updates over their mobile phone - and live commentary was going to prove impossible unless they installed an ISDN line especially for the one-off purpose at significant cost to the station.

'Given the match is live on terrestrial television, could we find a way around it?' the club was asked.

As the club's radio partner, BBC LONDON is contracted to cover every first-team match, home and away, throughout the season.

But with funds tight across the board, and BBC LONDON regularly offering beyond the call of duty assistance in the past, it would have been somewhat unfair of us to enforce this in the circumstances.

Of course, this left us with a problem, because BBC LONDON provides the audio commentary that is broadcast over our subscription video website, CAFC Player.

And while most fans in the UK will no doubt be following the action via ITV, it's a different story for overseas subscribers, who rely on the commentary and, given they have paid to receive the service, would be understandably miffed if it was absent.

First, we discussed the situation extensively with Northwich and the local radio stations in Cheshire without being able to find any solution.

Then we explored commentary via mobile phones, only to be told that it really wasn't worth bothering because the resulting quality would be so bad.

With providing no commentary not an option, we therefore plumped for a method used by the likes of Eurosport in the past - commentating on a live game from afar by watching the television pictures.

It's a far from perfect solution, not least because fans aren't going to hear much of the magic of the FA Cup atmosphere from Victoria Stadium from the comfort of our commentator's living room.

But we can promise an experienced commentator full of knowledge about the Addicks, in the shape of Ian Joliet. Along with Rob Shaw, Ian is a regular presence at The Valley to broadcast commentary on home games to fans of the club who are visually impaired.

Supporters can collect a special headset from Valley reception on their arrival at the ground, and the professional commentary provided by Rob and Ian assists them followingthe action.

I am constantly receiving praise for their efforts - for which they are unpaid - from visually impaired supporters, and perhaps one positive of this solution is that their commentary will be heard by a wider audience beyond The Valley. We're grateful to Ian for offering his assistance.

As I mentioned earlier, this situation is far from ideal, and we would rather have found a different - and better - solution.

But we also thought it was important to be up front with fans and subscribers - not least because it would have been fairly obvious come 1.30pm on Sunday!

So, there will be live (ish) audio commentary on CAFC Player, and the game is being televised by ITV.

Gary Haines will still be heading north to the Victoria Stadium to represent the club's communications department, and all the usual pre and post-match coverage on www.cafc.co.uk will be unchanged, plus the coverage on Charlton's Twitter service - @CAFCofficial.