Hamilton to Get Most High-Tech High School Scoreboards in the State

It won't be long before sports fans will feel more like they're sitting in Camp Randall rather than Hamilton's Grove Field, and that could be thanks to an updated scoreboard.

The is now steps closer to purchasing two state-of-the-art scoreboards for the football field and indoor basketball court, a project that will cost roughly $85,000, the Sussex Sun reports. Back in February, to the project, and while the booster club says its only collected half of the required funds, the target installation date is sometime this fall. 

"It did take some convincing. They weren't sold right away."

Tom Blackwell, the booster club's vice president, says the new scoreboard is something many high schools in the south already have, but this will be the first of its kind in Wisconsin.

"You can pull graphic images up there and faces; it's the same quality you see at Camp Randall and the Kohl Center," Blackwell told the Sussex Sun. "It won't have quite the same video capability because that's where it gets real expensive. We'll have some playback up to two minutes, but it's not going to be a video board. We won't have the camera crews, the sound systems and all that stuff. But it'll be good quality, and you'll be able to tell if your son or daughter is on the scoreboard."

The new scoreboard will feature:

• A 6x11 ft. display
• The ability to show athlete photos
• The capacity to show graphics, like "Touchdown!"
• Up to two minutes of video playback
• Advertising options for local businesses

Blackwell hopes to have 80 percent of the $85,000 pricetag covered by area donations, like the one gave, by the time it's installed in fall. However, before then, the booster club wants to identify multiple major advertisers by May.

Those advertisers are described as businesses willing to donate between $1,000-$10,000, and their support will come with advertising benefits. For example, groups that donate $10,000 will get a 10-second, silent commercial that runs during games and a permanent sign below the scoreboard. 

Blackwell said the advertisements would be used during 120 events each year, but getting the "OK" from administrators to run ads at the high school took some time.

"It did take some convincing," Blackwell said. "They weren't sold right away. The school is sticking their neck out, but they're a little bit more at ease because of everything you can do with the digital equipment, both for revenue and enhancing the experience for the student athletes."