Arsenal vs Arsenal Reserves (lost footage of early BBC televised football match; 1937): Difference between revisions

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*[[1934 Philo T. Farnsworth broadcasts (lost early television demonstrations; 1934)]]
*[[1934 Philo T. Farnsworth broadcasts (lost early television demonstrations; 1934)]]
*[[1936 Summer Olympics (lost television coverage of Berlin Games; 1936)]]
*[[1936 Summer Olympics (lost television coverage of Berlin Games; 1936)]]
*[[1937 International Imperial Trophy Race (lost footage of motor race; 1937)]]
*[[1937 Wimbledon Championships (partially found footage of tennis tournament; 1937)]]
*[[1937 Wimbledon Championships (partially found footage of tennis tournament; 1937)]]
*[[1938 Ashes Series (partially found footage of international test cricket match; 1938)]]
*[[1938 Ashes Series (partially found footage of international test cricket match; 1938)]]
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*[[1938 Pennsylvania Quakers football season (lost early televised college football games; 1938)]]
*[[1938 Pennsylvania Quakers football season (lost early televised college football games; 1938)]]
*[[1939 FA Cup Final (partially found footage of football match; 1939)]]
*[[1939 FA Cup Final (partially found footage of football match; 1939)]]
*[[1953 British Grand Prix (partially found footage of Formula One race; 1953)]]
*[[1960 Daytona Races (lost CBS and NBC televised footage of NASCAR prelude events to Daytona 500; 1960)]]
*[[The Boat Race 1938 (partially found footage of rowing race; 1938)]]
*[[The Boat Race 1938 (partially found footage of rowing race; 1938)]]
*[[Brooklyn Dodgers 2-5 6-1 Cincinnati Reds (lost footage of MLB doubleheader; 1939)]]
*[[Brooklyn Dodgers 23-14 Philadelphia Eagles (lost footage of NFL game; 1939)]]
*[[Brooklyn Dodgers 23-14 Philadelphia Eagles (lost footage of NFL game; 1939)]]
*[[Catch-As-Catch-Can Wrestling (lost early BBC televised professional wrestling matches; 1938-1939; 1946-1947)]]
*[[Catch-As-Catch-Can Wrestling (lost early BBC televised professional wrestling matches; 1938-1939; 1946-1947)]]
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*[[England 16-21 Scotland (partially found footage of rugby match; 1938)]]
*[[England 16-21 Scotland (partially found footage of rugby match; 1938)]]
*[[Fordham Rams 34-7 Waynesburg Yellow Jackets (lost footage of college football game; 1939)]]
*[[Fordham Rams 34-7 Waynesburg Yellow Jackets (lost footage of college football game; 1939)]]
*[[1953 British Grand Prix (partially found footage of Formula One race; 1953)]]


==References==
==References==

Revision as of 17:33, 17 October 2021

Arsenalvsarsenalreserves1.jpeg

The Arsenal teams posing for the television camera unit.

Status: Lost

On September 13th, 1937, Arsenal's first and reserve teams competed against each other in a friendly match. This match proved historic, because it was the first instance of a televised football match, being broadcast on BBC television.

Background

Prior to the televised match, Arsenal Football Club already made media history by being part of the first live football radio broadcast, when it faced Sheffield United in 1927. Ten years later, BBC would again select Arsenal, this time to feature in its relatively new Television Service in order to showcase the platform's ability to show live sport.[1] The reasoning behind this choice centered around Arsenal's Highbury Stadium being the closest football ground to BBC's headquarters at Alexandra Palace, with its East Stand containing a gantry already suitable for cameras.[2] The move was further logical as only a few televisions could receive the Alexandra Palace signal, spanning about ten miles away.[3]

Arsenal's first and reserve teams were selected to face each other in a friendly for the sole purpose of providing a television demonstration. According to the Manchester Guardian, three cameras were used to show the match, two being at the respective goalmouths to show play close-ups and interviews, another being in the stands to show the ground in a more comprehensive manner.[4] The broadcast of the match lasted fifteen minutes, a result of BBC Television Service's limited hour-long daily schedule. George Allison, who was both Arsenal's manager and a BBC radio commentator, would first introduce the players to the television viewers, with the rest of the broadcast dedicated to the match. The schedule labeled the segment as Football at the Arsenal.

Ultimately, the broadcast was deemed a success. The BBC would later break further ground in broadcasting live football, firstly by partially broadcasting the 1937 FA Cup Final between Sunderland and Preston North End, and later an England-Scotland international game in full on 9th April 1938. Meanwhile, Arsenal would later go on to become the 1937-38 First Division champions.[5] The result of the match was not properly archived and has been lost to time.

Availability

Like other early BBC television broadcasts, the Arsenal-Arsenal Reserves match was broadcast live and was not recorded. Therefore, footage of the match is now permanently missing. A photo of the Arsenal teams posing for a BBC mobile television unit provides the only accessible media of the match. A video featuring an introduction of the team was claimed to have been recorded prior to the broadcast. However, this was debunked by the Woolwich Arsenal blog, which noted that one of the narrators, Herbert Chapman, had already passed away three years earlier.

See Also

References