Kop on the left, then on the right: camera positions at Anfield

[Mockswing]

I can answer a couple of the OP's questions regarding changes from the 1960s/70s, related to filming into the sun. Upton Park/Boleyn Ground & Leeds Road, Huddersfield both originally had their camera gantries opposite where they later spent most of their time. Upton Park originally had its camera position in the West Stand (you can see this from footage of West Ham v. Chelsea from August 1966, the first match after the 1966 World Cup Final), but in 1968 they opened the new East Stand or Chicken Run & put the gantry in there because the sun didn't shine as directly into it as it did in the West Stand.

At Leeds Road, the camera used to be opposite the Main Stand above a big standing terrace but later switched to the Main Stand, again you can see this from footage of Huddersfield v. Arsenal from early 1971, where it's still opposite the Main Stand.

[Sporting]

Yeah high up in the roof of the old Shelf side stand. It's a bit similar - in relative lower-league terms – at our gaff, with Brisbane Road's guarantee being perched above the various offices and anciliary facilitites that make our West Stand seem so much larger than it is

What kind of guarantee do you get at Brisbane Road, then?

[E10 Rifle]

Didn’t White Hart Lane have a really vertiginous angle at one point, but then moved down significantly? I used to love that old ‘tactics cam’ type vantage point it had.

Yeah high up in the roof of the old Shelf side stand. It's a bit similar - in relative lower-league terms – at our gaff, with Brisbane Road's gantry being perched above the various offices and anciliary facilitites that make our West Stand seem so much larger than it is

[Simon G]

At Cheltenham, our camera is on the Colin Farmer stand looking across at the dugouts in front of the old Main Stand.

Only once have I known a camera be put on the Main Stand side facing the Colin Farmer and that was for our FA Cup 4th Round tie against Newcastle which was live on BBC1. All other live games have just used the camera area in the Colin Farmer.

Unfortunately I've only got the game recorded on VHS and there appears to be no links on Youtube.

[diggedy derek]

Didn’t White Hart Lane have a really vertiginous angle at one point, but then moved down significantly? I used to love that old ‘tactics cam’ type vantage point it had.

[KingsburySaint]

Love Street went from Main Stand paddock to gantry above North Bank, when said gantry was built in 1988/89 season.

It can be pinpointed to sometime between 1st Oct 88 and 26th Nov 88
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=NfIxkm62RlQ
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=X8FGKXMcEJ0

Off to see if I can find footage of the intervening Hearts or Rangers games

[Snake Plissken]

Well, for reference, Burnley switched from the Bob Lord Stand to the Longside for the 1993-94 season. Changed back while the Longside was rebuilt but went back upon completion. Camera facing the dugout, tunnel to the right.

[E10 Rifle]

This is a stupendously interesting subject. Which grounds have changed TV gantry side the most? Villa Park seems to have switched from Main Stand to Doug Ellis Stand a fair few times. In fact, if someone had time, it'd be good to go through the entire 92 and tot up how many are on the Main Stand/dugout and tunnel side, and how many are on the opposite side? I for one would be absorbed.

[ursus arctos]

VA, I think that the "reverse angle" rules reflect both motivations, as do the "Media Matter" and "Exploitation of Commercial Rights" regulations in general.

Those regulations are remarkably detailed (and longer than those regarding the conduct of the competition itself) and worth a perusal, if only to understand just how much of the televised "match day experience" is mandated by UEFA acting at the behest of its "rights holders" and other commercial "partners".

[Sporting]

[QUOTE=seand;1465238]Welcome aboard sporting, looks like you'll fit right in. The 'main' stand at Anfield was probably completed in the early 70s wasn't it, complete with virtiginous camera gantry suspended from the roof.

Just looked and wiki says:


The biggest redevelopment came in 1973, when the old Main Stand was partially demolished and extended backwards with new roof. Simultaneously the concrete pylon floodlights were demolished with new lights installed along the rooflines of the Kemlyn Road and Main Stands.


So the change in camera positions happened before the completion of this stadium redevelopment. How long did this work take? I've been looking but found no firm answers so far.

[Various Artist]

Do we know, ursus, is the implication there that the Champions League regulations require x amount of reverse angles for the satisfaction of broadcasters because it gives more replays that VAR/their pundits can 'analyse', or simply because they allow for the game essentially to be shown from two entirely different perspectives and thus allow different advertising to be shown to different markets?


And welcome, Sporting. It's some feat to open your account with such a pleasingly niche – yet discussion-provoking – query that no-one seems to have hit upon before per se. As big cheese Snake says, do tell us your favourite biscuit.

[seand]

Welcome aboard sporting, looks like you'll fit right in. The 'main' stand at Anfield was probably completed in the early 70s wasn't it, complete with virtiginous camera gantry suspended from the roof.

I toured the Aviva Stadium in Dublin last year and they confirmed they have camera positions in each stand to facilitate multiple broadcasters and dual pitchside advertising strategies.

[JM Footzee]

Watford switched for a few seasons at the beginning of the decade. There's a TV gantry in the roof of the Graham Taylor stand (formerly the Stanley Rous stand), but based on a quick glance through YouTube we switched to one from the Sir Elton John stand side (then called the East/Main stand) around the 11/12 season. This was because the East/Main was shut at that time, bar the dressing rooms and press box (although even that moved eventually), and in a major state of disrepair. Presumably the club didn't want that in shot all the time. The new gantry was made from scaffolding at the front of the stand - definitely lower than the gantry on the other side.

They switched back, again based on YouTube, for the 13/14 season by which point we'd been taken over by the Pozzos and the decrepit stand had been demolished and a rebuild had started.

To be honest, I had it in my mind that we'd switched for a longer period of time. I seem to recall watching a League Cup game between Watford and Spurs in 08/09 on TV in Australia and it being from the East Stand side, but that may have just been the broadcaster hating the view (although the East Stand wouldn't have been fully shut at that point, I don't think). That does ring a bell thinking about it, although sadly I can't find highlights to confirm.

[ursus arctos]

The Champions League regulations only require the provision of "reverse angle" cameras

One camera located in the stands and up to three pitchside cameras on the
opposite side of the stadium to the main camera, for reverse-angle coverage. For
the knockout stage, space for an additional camera in the stands (two in total)
must be made available.

That said, I think that a growing number of clubs and competitions with international audiences are viewing this additional revenue stream as being worth the infrastructure investment.

[Snake Plissken]

Isn't that now a requirement of certain competitions like Champions League and European Championship qualifiers? (It is for this reason that I think the Chelsea move was made.)

[ursus arctos]

GO touches on a point that I was going to raise, which is that a number of grounds (particularly on the Continent) have cameras on both sides of the pitch, with the electronic advertising hoardings being programmed to display adverts targeted at specific audiences.

[elguapo4]

One of interest is the official film of the 1970 world cup in that the coverage for the final is on the other side,gives a different perspective to Carlos Alberto's goal

[beak]

In my mind's eye, my old seat at St. James' Park was behind the left-hand goal, as viewed on television. This is completely backwards, and I know it to be so, but I still can't change the way my brain works.

[Gangster Octopus]

Isn't that for advertising purposes?

[blameless]

Not an English ground (quite the opposite in fact), but I noticed at Hampden last year Sky and ITV had their main camera position on opposing sides of the ground.

The official SFA highlights - using the Sky pics / commentary - is clearly shot from the main (south) stand as you can see the north stand opposite: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KZWIrOZi_Ok&t=331s

The official FA highlights - taken from the ITV transmission - has the main stand in shot for most of it, so must therefore have been filmed from within the north stand: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uCv7CT4D_S0&t=41s

[Simon G]

Upton Park (or the Boleyn Ground if you prefer) changed in about 2001 when the West Stand was opened, then I think it changed back a few years later, though I can't be sure when it was.

[Guy Profumo]

Thanks. I was thinking too that I can't think of any other stadium of any importance in England where the TV view suddenly switched to the other side of the pitch. Old Trafford has always had the Stretford End to the left, Everton's Gladwys Street has to my knowledge always been to the right, and so on.

Otherway round before they rebuilt the main stand, at Goodison, wasn't it?

(World Cup, for example?)

[longeared]

Bramall Lane had a different camera position for a period in the mid 90s to hide the fact that there was a hole where the John Street stand used to be and United couldn't decide what was going to replace it.

Villa Park swapped over for a while circa 2000 while the Trinity Road (?) stand was being rebuilt and the Holte End suddenly went to the right.

[Snake Plissken]

Welcome, Sporting. Let us know about your favourite biscuit.

I can't answer the initial question, but I'm sure that Chelsea switched their camera side as recently as two seasons ago. Dugouts are now at the bottom of the screen, rather than the top.

[Kevin S]

Just heard Wolstenholme refer to the 'keeper's hat as a jockey cap rather than a baseball cap too.