Anyone attending a big football match or just watching it on the TV will be able to see just how much use is made of digital signs and screens. This may be seen in the scoreboard, the advertising boards by the pitch, the signs around the ground and – in most Premier League grounds – a replay screen.

Some may think this is just what one sees at state-of-the art grounds with huge crowds, millionaire players and billionaire owners, but in fact there is still a place for such technology right down the football pyramid.

For example, League One side Wycombe Wanderers is offering firms an opportunity to use its LED advertising boards at its Adam’s Park ground, which were installed in the summer on three sides of the venue.

“This is an innovative and cost-effective way of displaying your company’s logo and/or core messages, without the production costs of buying a physical board,“ the club noted, with the added bonus that the artwork can be updated whenever needed. 

Adams Park may be a far cry from the huge stadiums of the Premier League, but it demonstrates that – albeit on a smaller scale and perhaps using more localised firms – the use of such signage is a viable tool at different levels.

It also shows that the mutual benefits of advertising can be there for both host clubs and the firms looking to market their products and services at every level.

Perhaps this consideration will see such facilities installed in due course at Gigg Lane, the historic home of Bury FC. The club collapsed financially and was expelled from the Football League in 2019, but has just been bought by a fan-led consortium and will resume playing – albeit at non-league level – next year.

Right now, the venue is overgrown and empty, but as the club is revived, it may be the place is redeveloped with LED advertising facilities and other features that help it to maximise its revenues and prevent it ever sliding into such a dire financial state again.