Bouncing Around Wembley: DAZN on its Editorial Thrust for the National League Promotion Final at Wembley

Bouncing around Wembley: DAZN on its editorial thrust for the National League Promotion Final at Wembley By Heather McLean

Tuesday, June 10, 2025 - 10:25

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At the National League Promotion final, DAZN's presentation team work pitchside [L to R] Ade Oladipo, Dean Brennan and Aaron McLean

The National League Promotion Final took place at Wembley Stadium on 1 June. The game saw Oldham Athletic beat Southend United 3-2 to secure promotion back to the English Football League. Host broadcaster DAZN was at the stadium to bring coverage to viewers around the world.

In November 2024, DAZN integrated the UK's fifth tier of English football, the National League, into its platform with its own channel, National League TV.

With DAZN as the international home for the National League following its acquisition of the rights in August 2024, as well as the National League North and South divisions, it is now the host broadcaster for around 500 matches per season, as well as the exclusive rights holder.

DAZN's Dave Wade, VP of production and editorial and Rhys Griffiths, DAZN's National League lead producer, have guided the National League through more than 500 games over the course of this season, from enhanced broadcasts to single-camera games. So it's been busy! says Griffiths.

We bring everything onto the platform, Griffiths continues. That was part of the deal. We have a partner for the single camera productions, but I produce the world feed running order and effectively they follow the world running order a company called 247.tv do all the single camera games but ultimately if there's an issue or a problem, I'm the person they call from the DAZN point of view.

The single-camera games are fully produced with replays, graphics, commentary and highlights at halftime. The single-camera matches go out to all DAZN territories.

Bouncing around Wembley

For the final, DAZN produced one fully produced feed, sending the content out to all its global territories as a DAZN exclusive. The match was a recordbreaker with 52,115 in Wembley stadium, making it the highest attended National League playoff in history, achieved in spite of ticketing constraints enforced due to transport disruption into Wembley on the day.

DAZN made the editorial decision to use its strong commentary, reporting, presenting and punditry team around the stadium to give viewers at home an immersive experience for the final.

Read more Intense journey: Bringing the production of the National League Promotion final to viewers with DAZN

Comments Griffiths: We came on air at two o'clock for a three o'clock kickoff. We had Ade Oladipo presenting, we had a punditry lineup of Aaron McLean, who's been our regular pundit throughout the season, Dean Brennan, who is Barnet's manager, then we had Paul Dickov, who's managed Oldham; he was with Natalie Pike [reporter] at one end of the grounds.

And then we had Fuad Abdul-Aziz, who is Mr Viper Sport [reporter], who's been with us on our social team for our whole season, with Phil Brown [pundit] at the Southend end. And then the commentary team was Chris Sharples and Chris Hargreaves.

The idea for the show was to come on air and bounce around Wembley and make it feel as big as it could be, so we had steadicam pitchside presence, but we also did presentation from the middle of the pitch. Both managers joined us, Mickey Mellon, the Oldham manager, joined us pitchside, and then Kevin Maher [Southend United manager] actually joined us in the middle of the Wembley pitch, which was really nice. And then we had the two top scorers for the clubs, so Natalie [Pike] and Paul [Dickov] did Mike Fondop at the Oldham behind the Oldham goal in vision. Then we did Gus Scott-Morriss at the other end with Fuad Abdul-Aziz and Phil Brown. It was full pres, warmups, openners, features, interviews; everything you'd expect from a big game.

It was all fireworks and excitement at the packed Wembley Stadium for the 2025 National League Promotion final

Thrust of the editorial

That was the real thrust of the editorial, continues Griffiths. Then basically we used those spots behind the goals for half time as well. So Paul (Dickov] and Phil [Brown] gave their thoughts at half time with Ade [Oladipo, presenter], and Dean Brennan and Aaron [McLean] in the main segment of the show, and then for the end we slightly changed it up; Aaron went to the commentary, so it was one plus two, and then Phil Brown and Paul Dickov joined Dean Brennan and Ade for all the post-match scenes, and Natalie was our super flash reporter.

It was all about giving the fans at home as good an experience as possible, says Griffiths: That was the whole thing; to try and cover every angle, give them. It was just to give all the fans their own voice. Phil Brown was the last Southend manager to win promotion for the club. Paul Dickoff has played for the club and he's managed the club and he's still very good friends with Mickey Mellon as well. So it's a real nice link to the club.

Adds Wade: It was that Rhys' vision was to host this very much as a 360 experience. So we were outside, we were pitchside, we were up on the gantry with the commentators, but we were also behind the goals with the last manager to win a final at Wembley, Phil Brown for Southend, and Paul Dickov, the Oldham legend, which really I think enhanced the coverage, the immersion and the connection with the fans, the experience, and just the occasion of the day.

Wade concludes: I come from a production background and the vision that Rhys had, for me to see that just coming out of the screen as he imagined it, so successfully and so vibrantly and so engagingly, it is a testament to his hard work, the team's hard work and just the whole group of people that come together

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