Press Release #22/Feb. 8, 2021
With high school contact sports restarting today, fans of Dearborn’s three traditional high schools should know that this year they can watch games from home live or on-demand for a small fee.
Dearborn, Edsel Ford and Fordson high schools have all joined the National Federation of State High School Associations (NFHS) streaming network. Through the service, subscribers can watch games live or on-demand at https://www.nfhsnetwork.com/.
Subscriptions are priced at $10.99 per month or $69.99 per year. The fee covers any game shown on the NFHS Network including home games and those at other participating schools as well as on-demand events dating back one year. High schools receive a portion of the subscription revenue, which they will use to help offset the cost of the cameras and other equipment.
Each high school also has its own YouTube channel showing home games live. On YouTube, Dearborn High School fans can search for “Dearborn Athletics”, EFHS is at “Edsel Ford Athletics”, and Fordson at “Fordson Athletics”. DHS is also streaming bowling and boys swimming on its YouTube channel.
With current COVID conditions, high schools are being asked to limit attendance to two guests per athlete. The subscription service provides a way for families, students, and others to watch their favorite high school teams from home and saves travel time to away games.
Winter gym sports, including boys and girls basketball, wrestling, and competitive cheerleading will all be streamed. Other sports held in the school’s gym or on the outdoor turf field will also be part of the service, such as soccer, football and field hockey. Regular season and MHSAA tournament games are included in the subscription. Coaches and athletes can also access the videos later to review play. The service does not include sports held outside the gym or turf fields.
Dearborn High was the first to pilot the streaming of athletic events when its automated HUDL Focus camera went live in the gym last winter. The equipment was purchased with assistance from the DHS Athletic Booster Club. DHS and Edsel Ford High School were using cameras and YouTube to broadcast some live games even before the subscription service started.
All three high schools had hoped to have their NFHS channels running for fall sports. However, high demand caused the installation and set up of the cameras and streaming services to take longer than hoped, and the systems were not ready until fall sports were winding down. Then the state delayed the start of winter gym sports by two months. The cameras can be programmed to activate at game time and do not need a person to operate them.
“The support we receive from our community at all three high schools when it comes to athletics is second to none,” said Jeff Conway, Dearborn High Athletic Director. “While we love having spectators cheering live at events, we know that cannot happen as usual this winter. That makes us even more excited to be able to offer this option to our families and students so they can still enjoy watching our athletic teams compete, even if it’s while they are safe at home.”