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Why the iFollow row is important

Last Saturday during the international break League One and League Two fans were able to watch their matches live through iFollow. Normally the live screening of matches kicking off on a Saturday afternoon is permitted, although sites overseas may offer this service illegally.

The concern is that if this became a regular practice away fans might be deterred from travelling as would some home fans who have a long journey (two and a half hours each way for me).

It has also been claimed that the EFL misled fans about their intentions. Andy Holt, the chairman of Accrington Stanley, has claimed that the decision to allow the 3pm streaming was never made clear at the annual meeting of clubs in June.

Darragh MacAnthony, the outspoken chairman of Peterborough United, took a different view: 'I'm OK with it to be honest. I think it is the way of the modern world whereby all and every sports match and event will be available online.'

Streaming could potentially occur again on October 13th, November 17th and March 28th 2019.

It is understood that the EFL will review the number of fans watching streamed games and monitor any impact on attendance. This is not straightforward, as many variables affect attendances in Leagues One and Two, e.g., the weather, and not all attendance figures may be accurate (or at least are affected by the number of complementary tickets issued).

Fans have objected that without them the game is nothing. However, a club like Bournemouth gains less than five per cent of its revenue from matchday. The fans are needed for atmosphere when games are being sold overseas, as is the case with Premier League. However, watching the summary reports on Quest you see rows of empty seats (you certainly do at Charlton).

If the EFL think they can gain revenue from streaming, they will push for it.

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