Watchfire Signs was selected by the Carroll County, Ga., School System to provide digital video scoreboards for the district’s five high school stadiums.
The 17x30-foot digital scoreboards replaced traditional fixed-digit scoreboards at Bowdon High School, Central High School, Mount Zion High School, Temple High School, and Villa Rica High School.
According to Carroll County School System superintendent Scott Cowart, the digital scoreboards provide the schools a better way to connect with the crowd and to share information about the premier opportunities available to students and their families in a very engaging platform.
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“The use of technology and branding are integral to sharing our message with our schools and communities,” said Cowart. “We have received a lot of positive feedback from our schools and our community regarding the boards, and the wonderful atmosphere that is created for our athletic events.”
The new scoreboards elevate the fan experience for football, soccer, band, and cheerleading programs, and other events held at the stadiums. The content showcased on the videoboards includes hype videos featuring student-athletes, a pre-recorded welcome message from the superintendent, and fan participation contests, such as the helmet shuffle and other promotions.
The videoboards also are used to run advertisements, providing valuable exposure for community partners and sponsors.
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Students can get involved in live streaming athletic programs and have the opportunity to work with school staff members to learn how to create, design, and program messages for the scoreboards.
“While school staff members are the primary facilitators of content on the boards, the scoreboards give students the opportunity to learn skills in design and branding that give useful experience for the future,” said Cowart.
The scoreboards were designed and installed by SignWorks Pro of Carrollton, GA, and were acquired through Equalis Group, a cooperative purchasing organization that allows schools and municipalities to source products and services easily, economically, and in compliance with legally-required competition for public contracts.
“This was a really big project that was on a strict timeline because of the start of football season last year,” said Adam Billingsly, with SignWorks Pro, who also installed a Watchfire videoboard at the University of West Georgia. “With Watchfire as a partner, we knew we’d get terrific customer support.”
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Cowart suggests that other districts considering upgrading to digital videoboards identify who will be operating them, developing sponsorship programs, and keeping the fan experience at a high level each year.
“Video scoreboards have incredible capabilities; it’s important to leverage their maximum potential,” he said.
