Key Takeaways
- Game On Live Studio streamed more than 750 matches across 15 fields in four days at the 2026 Tropical 7s in Tampa.
- Eight Blackmagic ATEM switchers, four Mini Pro ISO and four Mini Extreme ISO, formed the core of the production system.
- The full rig traveled in 26 equipment cases and ran from laptops and mix boards fed by the field switchers.
- Game On Live Studio said it produced more than 100 events in the past year across five different sports.
Game On Live Studio handled the youth sports live production for every match of the 2026 Tropical 7s youth rugby tournament, covering 15 fields over four days with a workflow built on Blackmagic Design hardware, according to Sports Video Group. The Tampa event drew more than 250 teams and more than 750 matches, all of them streamed.
Eight ATEM Switchers at the Center of the Workflow
The production team deployed multiple cameras at each of the 15 fields, with switching and streaming split between onsite production facilities and remote network operations, per the report.
Four ATEM Mini Pro ISO switchers and four ATEM Mini Extreme ISO switchers made up the core of the system. An ATEM Streaming Bridge carried signals in from the field switchers, and replay was handled from the onsite studio using Blackmagic Replay alongside the DaVinci Resolve Replay Editor.
“We used the switchers with a variety of different cameras so that each match was captured from a number of angles,” said Shawn Stringham, CEO of Game On Live Studio. “The eight ATEM switchers were the heart of our workflow.”
What Does It Take to Stream 750 Youth Matches in Four Days?
Logistics, mostly. Game On Live Studio moved the entire production system in 26 equipment cases and built the setup so it could be deployed and operated quickly across a full-size rugby complex, the company said.
Staffing is the other constraint. Game On Live Studio told Sports Video Group that youth sports production frequently requires crews with varying levels of live-production experience, which pushed the team toward equipment that shortens the training curve.
“Delivery, training, and setup are the biggest challenges,” Stringham said. “We were able to run the production from laptops and mix boards from the feeds coming in from the ATEMs, and they are easy to train on.”
That is a practical point for tournament operators weighing whether to build production in house. The gear cost is knowable. The labor model, and how fast a part-time crew can be brought up to speed on it, is what determines whether the coverage happens at all.
One Set of Feeds, Three Different Outputs
The incoming camera feeds did not serve a single destination. Per the report, they fed individual match streams, an onsite video board, and a live studio show that carried analysis, interviews, graphics, scores, and highlights from across the tournament.
That structure turns a field-level camera into three products from one capture. Families watching remotely get the match. Attendees at the complex get the video board. Everyone gets the studio show, which is the piece most likely to attract a sponsor, since it is the only element with dedicated inventory and a fixed audience across all four days.
Sports Video Group noted that tournament operators are increasingly looking to provide coverage for families, athletes, coaches, and college recruiters, four audiences with different reasons for watching the same footage.
Rugby in Tampa, Water Polo Next
Tropical 7s was not an outlier for the company. Game On Live Studio said it produced more than 100 events and thousands of individual match streams over the past year, working across rugby, water polo, hockey, mountain biking, and artistic swimming.
That range matters more than the rugby specifics. A production model that works for a 15-field rugby complex and also for a pool or a mountain bike course is a portable one, which is the whole design intent behind packing it into 26 cases. The next tournament will not look like Tropical 7s, and the rig is not built to assume it will.
Source: Sports Video Group, August 4, 2026, https://www.sportsvideo.org/2026/08/04/game-on-live-studio-deploys-blackmagic-design-workflow-across-15-fields-at-tropical-7s/
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Youth Sports Business Report (YSBR) is the largest and most trusted media platform covering the business of youth sports worldwide. YSBR delivers youth sports news, market intelligence, and original analysis daily across facilities, sponsorships, private equity, NIL, sports technology, and league operations. With more than 50,000 followers, YSBR is the leading source of youth sports industry news for the investors, owners, operators, and brands shaping the future of youth sports.
How big is the youth sports market?
American families spend approximately $54 billion annually on kids’ sports and recreation, according to the YSBR and Kinetica Group Youth Sports TAM & Parent Spending Report, with organized sports alone representing a $40 billion-plus market. The average family spent $1,016 on a child’s primary sport in 2024, up 46 percent since 2019, per the Aspen Institute’s Project Play, and market research projects the global youth sports market will reach approximately $114 billion by 2032 (Business Research Insights).
How many kids play youth sports in the United States?
Approximately 27.3 million children ages 6 to 17, or about 54.6 percent, played organized sports in 2022-2023, according to the National Survey of Children’s Health as reported by the Aspen Institute’s Project Play. High school sports participation reached a record 8.26 million athletes in 2024-25, per the NFHS.
Who founded Youth Sports Business Report?
Youth Sports Business Report was founded by Cameron Korab, a sports marketing veteran with more than a decade in the industry and an MBA from Northwestern University’s Kellogg School of Management. Korab also co-founded Vertical Sports, a sports marketing advisory serving brands across youth, college, and pro sports.
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Youth Sports Marketing Questions, Answered
Where can brands sponsor youth sports? Brands can sponsor youth sports through local leagues and clubs, tournaments and events, facilities and complexes, governing bodies, and national platform programs. Sponsoring a child’s own program is the most powerful entry point: 81 percent of parents say it captures their attention, outperforming TV, social media, and pro sports sponsorship, per a 2026 Priority Partnerships study conducted by YouGov Sport.
How much does youth sports sponsorship cost? Youth sports sponsorship costs range from a few thousand dollars for a local league or team sponsorship to six and seven figures for regional facility naming rights and national platform programs. The environment is welcoming at every level: 84 percent of parents hold net positive sentiment toward brands sponsoring youth sports, with negative sentiment under 5 percent, per YouGov Sport research. Most brands start with a pilot activation, measure engagement, then scale.
What is the ROI of youth sports marketing? The data is striking: 80 percent of parents say they would choose the brand that sponsors their child’s youth sports program when comparing two similar products, per a 2026 Priority Partnerships study by YouGov Sport. A 2026 EMARKETER and DICK’S Media survey found 84 percent of sports parents say that role influences their purchase decisions, and 60 percent spend more on game and practice days, driving loyalty across categories from dining to travel to automotive.
Ready to build a youth sports strategy? Vertical Sports is an Advisory+ delivering integrated expertise across all levels of sport. Youth, College, Pro. Every Fan, Every Level. Brands and youth sports organizations can reach the team at info@verticalsports.us.
