FA Cup giant killers Luton Town and other local heroes of the Football Conference will get their chance to shine live in 30 games on BT Sport.
The new sports package – set to launch on August 1 – will host 25 Conference Premier league games from club grounds, plus both legs of play-off semi-finals and the Promotion Final at Wembley.
Last year’s FA Cup giant-killers, Luton Town will compete with Grimsby Town’s Mariners, Barnet, Forest Green Rovers, Wrexham, and Kidderminster Harriers to rise to Football League Two.
Read Recombu Digital’s guide to BT SportSimon Green, head of BT Sport, said: “We are delighted that we’ve been able to invest in the non-League game and play our part in helping community clubs to flourish.
“We are not just interested in the glamour of the Premier League; we’d like to bring the excitement and grit of the Conference Premier to a new audience, as well as its existing strong fan base.
“There are some terrific clubs in the Conference Premier and some fantastic stories and characters, which we aim to develop in our coverage.”
Alongside the teams hoping for elevation will be teams hoping to stay in the Conference as they return from lower tiers, including Chester FC and FC Halifax Town.
Brian Lee, chairman of The Football Conference, said: “We welcome the opportunity to be joining the revolutionary BT Sport, which we are sure will be a game changer for ourselves and BT Sport.
“We feel that the prospect of showcasing our wonderful brand of live football to a potentially mind-blowing number of viewers can only enhance our product.”
The two-year deal sits alongside 38 live Barclays Premier League games, live FA Cup, Europa League and Scottish Premier League matches, as well as top tier live football from Germany, Italy, France, Brazil, Australia and the USA, plus action from the FA Women’s Super League.
Image: nicksarebi/Flickr
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