Rochester, Minn. – The Northwoods League has announced that the Fond du Lac Dock Spiders have received the 2024 Northwoods League Video Production Team of the Year Award. Northwoods League teams offer, what many consider to be, one of the best sports broadcasting developmental opportunities available. Each team hires video production crew members who have aspirations in sports broadcasting, many of whom are seeking their degrees from excellent college broadcasting and media programs in pursuit of a successful career in the broadcasting industry. “I want to congratulate the Fond du Lac Dock Spiders organization on receiving this award and thank them for all the hard work they put in to win this award,” said Glen Showalter, President of the Great Plains Division. “To excel in all facets of video production it takes time and effort during the winter and spring months to properly prepare, and daily efforts and leadership during the season. It’s competitive and it’s an achievement to shine above the other twenty-four video production teams in the Northwoods League. Great work.” Excelling in Northwoods League team broadcasting operations and performing at a level which results in winning one of the annual webcasting awards, typically requires a team to be proactive throughout the year, from the start of the hiring process late in the year through the training months and weeks prior to the season start. It requires great teamwork, collaboration, creativity and engagement throughout the season to continuously improve broadcasting operations as well as to correct deficiencies and issues quickly. “We are extremely pleased to be honored with this award,” said Dock Spiders Box Office Manager/Video Production Supervisor Drew Cowden. “This recognition is not only a testament to the hard work and dedication of our video production team but also the culmination of a year-long goal to achieve this outcome. Our team set out to win this award and took our production to the next level in all aspects of our broadcast. We are excited for the opportunity to build upon this success in the coming seasons.” The Northwoods League experienced a significant increase to viewership throughout the 2024 season. The League continued to partner with ESPN+, streaming over 170 games on the platform this season. The Northwoods League also developed its inaugural 24-hour ‘FAST’ channel called the Northwoods League Network, which broadcasted live games, replay games, as well as producing shows that centered on the League and its players. The League saw over 2 million unique viewers tune in for its live games during the season and totaled over 5 million unique viewers to its live games, replay games, as well as shows that were created for the 2024 season.
