The University of West Alabama, in Livingston, AL, has spruced up its Tiger Stadium and Pruitt Hall Gymnasium with new video scoreboards that are enhancing game-day experiences and helping with athlete recruiting, according to the university. The videoboards were manufactured by Watchfire Signs.
At Tiger Stadium, home to UWA men’s football and men’s and women’s soccer teams, the university installed a full-color, 16-millimeter videoboard measuring 22 inches by 35 inches. The videoboard enables the university to feature player videos, game replays, live-action, a fan cam, score and stats, and animations to excite fans, as well as showcasing commercials from sponsors. The university also installed a Watchfire Sound 2000 system, which provides rich sound with superior clarity.
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“The stadium videoboard was installed right before the first home game in the fall, and it has added so much excitement to the fan experience,” said Kent Partridge, athletic director at UWA. “The fans love it, and the players love it.”
Partridge also uses the videoboard during recruiting visits to display prospective athletes’ photos and game videos. “The videoboard gives us a head-up on other NCAA Division II teams, and also helps captivate transfers coming from schools with excellent facilities,” said Partridge.
At Pruitt Hall Gymnasium, home to men’s and women’s basketball and volleyball teams, the university installed a 3.9-millimeter ReadyDisplay measuring 8 feet by 14.9-feet. ReadyDisplays are turnkey, easy-to-install displays designed for faster installation and less disruption. A second ReadyDisplay will be installed shortly.
The new videoboards are used to showcase player profiles and videos, live-action, and replays, along with timing, scores, and stats. During Senior Day, the university creatively used the boards to broadcast video feeds of proud parents and grandparents who couldn’t be there to honor a player in person. The boards also were used to broadcast the NCAA DII tournament men’s basketball selection show.
“The new videoboard in the gym changes the entire feeling of the venue and makes attending a game so exciting,” said Partridge.
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All of UWA’s Watchfire Signs come with Ignite Sports software that makes it easy to manage a video scoreboard. Users can quickly and easily manage scoring and timing for just about any sport. In addition, Watchfire Creative Services created team-branded scoreboard designs, player profile templates, and crowd prompts, as well as branded and sponsored graphics for first downs, touchdowns, and other game activity.
The video scoreboards were specified and installed by Mitchell Signs of Meridian, MS.
“UWA wanted to do this right, and we really trust the quality and reliability of Watchfire Signs,” said Kyle Edmonds, vice president of sales at Mitchell Signs. “In addition to quality, Watchfire’s customer service is quick and thorough. We’ve enjoyed partnering with them on this project.”
