Revamped athletic Web site features several updates, more on the way

February 25, 2008 —

Over the past four months, the SVSU athletic department has worked with IT to update its Web site, updates Interim Sports Information Director Matt Woodbury says are long overdue.

"The thing I've heard from day one is that our Web site is not a quality Division II Web site," Woodbury said. "When you looked at our site compared to other GLIAC schools, we were way behind the 8-ball in terms of what it looked like, and the content you could get from it. So, working with Tim Patterson, Ken Schindler, Brian Mudd, other members of IT, we've been trying since November to get our Web site updated."

The site upgrades account for several new features, including a full page dedicated to the 2008 football recruiting class with embedded video highlights of players and fully updated player profiles.

"My goal was between the middle of November and the first of the year to get all those player profiles done. The only ones we're waiting on now is the golf team," Woodbury said.

The addition of live stats at home games is one of the largest updates to the Web site. Through a link on team pages, up-to-the-second stats are viewable from anywhere in the country.

"When we're home, we like to put those live stats up there so Mike Zuiderveen's dad, who lives in Kalamazoo, and can't make it to every game can follow the game and see how many rebounds his son is pulling down, or Mario Mackey's dad, who lives in Colorado, can say 'Wow, I'm not going to make every game, but I can follow my son every Thursday and Saturday when they're at home.'"

Aside from the general usability and professionalism of the site, one of the major reasons for the upgrades was due to what Woodbury calls a lack of coverage in SVSU local media.

"One of the major complaints by our administration in the past is that we don't get good media coverage," Woodbury said. "There are a number of reasons why we feel this is. The first thing we wanted to do is build a relationship our media."I talked with Tim Patterson from IT and said we need to streamline the process. In a short, couple hour span, we came up with a faster way to get stats up onto the Web for the media."

The Web site's upgrades aren't finished, as Woodbury says there are more changes and updates in the works for the future.

"I really want to start integrating some media into our Web site, whether it is video or audio or a pod cast, something more than just lists of stats. My goal is to get our coaches into the studies and listen to them wrap up a trip, and then talk about their next two games. I just had about a 20-minute conversation with coach Walt Head for baseball, and one on Monday with Everett [Roper] for softball. Those will go on the Web with the season outlooks, so you can listen to coach Head and coach Roper talk about their seasons. So, not only can you read about their upcoming seasons, but you get to listen to them talk."

A coach's show is also in the works to bring more multi-faceted media to the site.

"One of the exciting things I have in the works is a coaches show," Woodbury said. "We're trying to find one of our local sports anchors or someone on campus to host a half hour show that will air during the week on closed circuit television here on campus, and maybe on some of the public broadcasting channels. And, to go along with that, we'll stream it on the Web, so you can watch it all week. Then, those will all date archived on a media page we're going to create."

Woodbury says the ultimate goal of the upgrades is to help build a rapport with the local media and provide better coverage in the future.

"The one thing that's good for us now is that the relationship the coaches and I have, we can work with members of the media to work around their schedule, and take the philosophy of if we don't get it the first time, lets work together to figure something out that will work for both of us."