The Never Ending Story

COLERAINE supporters will be forgiven for watching match highlights from the entirety of the 2019-20 season during the coronavirus outbreak…

With the Bannsiders not in action for the foreseeable future, fans have been flocking to the club’s YouTube channel to watch the big wins against Linfield, Ballymena United, and of course, the League Cup triumph against Crusaders back in February.

With football currently on hold, colerainefc.com caught up with James Wilkinson from Pinball Media who has travelled across the country filming the ups and downs so far this campaign.

Q1. How did you get involved with Coleraine FC? Have you always had an interest in football?

I’ve always had a strong passion for football, there is no better feeling than being in and amongst the crowd cheering your team on home or away. I am a huge Northern Ireland fan and go to every game I can, I also support Liverpool but trips to Anfield are rare.

I have never had the biggest interest in the local game, but I have always loosely followed the league going to the odd Coleraine game here and there. Then I was contacted by Johnny McNabb from the club’s media team.

He offered me the opportunity to combine my two passions into one: football and film. Of course I jumped at the opportunity and now there is no place I’d rather be on a Saturday than following the Bannsiders home and away.

Q2. What type of content do you publish for Coleraine? Can it be difficult?

I do all sorts of content for the club. It really depends on what events are taking place in the upcoming weeks. Every weekend I film the entirety of the match. Then from that I cut a highlights package that is put out to the fans. I also film weekly post-match reaction pieces. These are very straightforward. All I have to do is set up the camera and record the local press interviewing Oran Kearney and one or two of the players. Then once I am home I edit them into separate reaction videos and publish them on the club’s YouTube channel.

On occasion I also film the squad training to give the fans little behind the scenes sneak peeks, and for big games I produce some build-up content.

I don’t find the work that difficult but there are definitely challenges along the way. I think it helps me that I am passionate about the content I am producing, because without the love for the job I don’t think the content would be nearly as good.

The time constraints can be the most difficult, especially for midweek games. I like all the content to be out the next day, and travelling back from some of the further away trips on weeknights can make this difficult. But as I mentioned before it’s the love for it that gets me through.

Q3. What has the reaction been like to the videos?

Personally I think the reaction has been great. When I first came on board my inboxes were flooded with positive messages from fans. The fans are probably the main reason I love the job so much.

As a fan myself, not just of Coleraine but of football in general, I love media content. Seeing players behind the scenes, keeping up with the latest news and being able to watch back my favourite moments, it’s all a part of the fan experience. This was an experience Coleraine fans were lacking.

Being a football fan makes the job easier, because I make content that I myself would enjoy watching. I have followed Coleraine for a while but was never that involved with the club, had there been content like this when I was growing up it would have definitely brought me closer to the club and maybe even would’ve encouraged me to be a regular at the Showgrounds.

I didn’t realise the fans enjoyed the content as much as they did, until I missed my first game. It was Warrenpoint away in November and I couldn’t attend. Even though the Bannsiders lost that day, I had a bucket load of messages asking me where the highlights were. This is when I realised that the fans truly cared for the content. The club has a real family feel to it, and the video’s only bring the family closer together.

Q4. You picked a fantastic season to join the club as a volunteer – the League Cup success a highlight?

Honestly cannot believe what I’m seeing. The team has been phenomenal down to every man this season and I couldn’t be more grateful for all of the hard work being done by everyone at the club to help bring success.

From the minute I joined I had a special feeling about the season. I was constantly saying that I “couldn’t wait to film a final” but I was always told not to get my hopes up. Of course when we got there I made sure to let all the media boys know that I was right and I called it, but after that it was straight to work.

I honestly don’t know how the players coped because I was stressed to the hilt that day and I wasn’t even playing.

Everyone was brilliant both on and off the pitch, creating a day to remember for everyone involved. Thanks to those working alongside me that day, it is a memory that can be looked back on anytime and by anyone. It is hands down one of the best nights of my life.

Q5. It’s just a shame there was a break in the football season as the Bannsiders had plenty to play for?

It’s a real shame how things have played out. The team in the title race and in an Irish Cup semi final with one trophy already under our belt, the treble wasn’t outside the realms of possibility.

We just have to hope that once this is all over the season can be played to completion, and hopefully with Coleraine at the top of it all. At the end of the day though football is just a game, and as much as we all miss it there are bigger things at stake.

I am just thankful that football is the only thing I have to complain about in the current situation, and hopefully it stays that way.

Q6. Is it true you are making a documentary for the club? What is it based on?

Yes! I have been working on a documentary about the club throughout the entire season. The documentary follows the club throughout the 19/20 campaign as well as giving a brief intro on the club’s history.

The film includes exclusive interviews with Oran Kearney, Jamie Glackin, Aaron Traynor, Stephen O’Donnell and Lyndon Kane, as they tell the story of the season through their eyes.

There is a draft edit of the programme already completed, but with more of the season still to be played, the COVID-19 situation has put production on hold.

I think fans will love the finished product, and I just hope they get to see it soon.

Q7. What are your personal plans for next year?

Sadly, if everything goes to plan this season will be my last season with the club.

I am heading to London where I will be studying Broadcast Engineering, but I hope to continue working in the football industry for as long as possible.

I just hope the whole Coronavirus situation is sorted by then so that my time at the club doesn’t have to end in this way.

I love Coleraine, the club has done so much for me in the short time that I have been here. When people say it is a family club, they mean it, and it was a family that I was welcomed into with open arms.