Commentary Guidelines
1. Introduction
Commentating live on a sports match is very exciting and challenging activity. Even providing a commentary overlay on a pre-recorded game is quite demanding. Good commentary adds to the viewing experience and is both informative and positive. To help potential commentators make the most of their time with the microphone, we have produced the following Guidelines.
We have also laid out some basic rules that must be followed for all contributions. These rules form part of the terms and conditions of the site and must be obeyed by everyone who visits the site. Please read the rules now.
(All commentary and other content uploaded to School Sports Action TV must follow and comply with rules designed to protect the right of children and young people to participate in sport and online activities in a safe, supportive and enjoyable environment. See our Online Safety Guidelines.)
2. Aims, Goals, Technique
The key aim of your commentary is to let your audience know and understand what they are watching. To achieve this you must put the match, action clip, or match highlights, into context. You should explain who the teams are, what colours they are playing in, and the direction in which they are playing. This all helps viewers follow the game.
There is no need to talk constantly, and the commentary should be no faster than normal conversational speed – a little slower is actually better. School Sports Action TV is watched by people around the world and their first language may well be different from yours. For this reason, try to avoid idioms as they may not be understood by many viewers. This also applies to humour and word play. Sarcasm is rarely helpful and should not be used.
The match should be covered using positive descriptions. For example, do not say “the player missed an easy tackle on the winger”, but “the winger sprinted past the fullback”.
The goal is to be yourself while bearing all of the above in mind. Your natural enthusiasm and knowledge of what you’re commentating on will help you capture your audience’s attention and appreciation.
Praise and sympathy may be dispensed liberally but equally. If commenting on an entire game, teams should be congratulated at the end of a game for either winning or trying their best. The final score should be given to finish the commentary.
3. Rights and Responsibilities
School Sports Action TV is dedicated to the proposition that persons of all ages have the right to enjoy the benefits of the Internet without fear of deception or harassment or abuse of any kind. Furthermore, we actively support the right of all young people, whatever their age, culture, ability, gender, language, racial origin, religious belief or sexual identity, to protection from abuse. To this end School Sports Action TV follows the National School Sport Strategy Protocol for Safeguarding Children. All School Sports Action TV content is reviewed and moderated with this in mind. Content which is not supportive of these rights, responsibilities and protocols will be removed.
4. Commentary Rules
Wherever possible, commentators should refer to teams by team name and not location specific names.
Refer to players only by first name and team position. Avoid revealing other personally identifiable information (for example, instead of "Mike Wainwright, the fly half, keeps in shape by running with his labrador Goofy along Four Pounds Avenue every morning" you would say "Mike, the fly half, keeps in shape by running with his dog every day").
Commentators should not use foul or offensive language or racist or abusive language of any kind. Do not comment on or portray any player in a way that may humiliate or embarrass them.
5. Interview Rules
For individual interviews, persons under the age of 16 must have a parent, guardian, or member of their school or club present during the interview. Young people aged between 16 and 18 must be given the option of having a parent, guardian, or member of their school or club present during the interview.
If the interviewer is taller than the child being interviewed, the interviewer should consider conducting the interview at the child’s eye height.
Interview questions should encourage the interviewee to express his or her thoughts and opinions in an open and relaxed manner. Under no circumstances should questions humiliate, embarrass, or in any way make the person being interviewed feel intimidated or uncomfortable.
Further advice and helpful discussions can be found in the online School Sports Action TV Media Centre Forums.
6. Copyright and Permissions
Commentary submitted to School Sports Action TV must comply with the School Sports Action TV Site Terms and Conditions including Copyright and Permissions.