By Matt Cecil


Since its arrival in the summer of 2007, the big screen at Adams Park has earnt rave reviews from Wanderers fans, who have been hugely impressed by the use of action replays and the quality of the pre-match show 'Countdown To Kick-Off', and now we speak to the brains behind the operation - production manager Hannah Jemmett.

It was always going to be a big task to take on the challenge of operating the screen - one of the first in the country to be managed in-house, but in Hannah, the club have the perfect person for the job.

With a long-time affiliation with the club, and an excellent set of qualifications in broadcasting, the 23-year-old has settled into the job with ease, and says she couldn't imagine a better job for her at this time:

"I'm really enjoying the challenge," she said. "It's the sort of thing that I always wanted to do and to be working at the club that I've always followed is just a dream come true."

Based locally in High Wycombe, Hannah first attended a Wanderers match in 1995, when her older sister invited her along to Adams Park. Although Hannah doesn't remember much about the game itself, she can vividly recall her first experiences as a supporter:

"We were in the Valley Terrace and I remember feeling very small and scared - but I loved it. I was a season-ticker holder for the next five years and then thought I'd try and get myself a job at the club."

After enjoying a spell of work experience with the Community team - the first of four departments that Hannah has worked in at the club - she started out as an assistant in the club shop on matchdays at Adams Park, and soon began working in Wanderers In Town in High Wycombe whilst studying at Henley College.

She then took a year out of education to work full-time in the two club shops before beginning a course in Broadcast Studies at the Falmouth College of Arts. It was there that she met her boyfriend Tom Powell, who currently works in the Food and Beverage department at Adams Park and also doubles up as the cameraman on matchdays.

Upon completing her degree, Hannah returned to the club seeking experience in an office environment, and was given the role of Ticket Office Administrator in October 2006. Within six months, she had been promoted to the position of Ticket Office Team Leader, but admits that she was always keen to break into production:

"Working in the Ticket Office opened my eyes to some new challenges and I enjoyed the responsibilities given to me, but my heart was always in broadcasting. I'd been looking at setting up my own production company with some friends but as soon as the big screen was first mentioned at the club, I knew I wanted to be involved."

It soon became clear that, with her knowledge of production and of the club, Hannah was the ideal candidate for the job, and she set about the task of ensuring that everything was up and ready for the start of the season.

"The summer was a really busy period but we received fantastic support from a company called TSN, who have plenty of experience in similar projects and they worked with us for the first ten games of the season to produce the programmes and show us how everything worked."

Hannah's first match in full charge of the screen was the home match against Morecambe in December, but the takeover has been a seamless transition and she can now look at producing some more imaginative material for the screen:

"We've got the freedom to do all sorts now," she said. "Alan Parry's experience in the industry, along with Matt Cecil and Ross Jeavons' help and ideas, means that we're in the perfect position to expand on what we've done and really take it to another level."

But it's not as though Hannah devotes her time just to producing material on the screen for Wanderers' matches. A number of businesses have asked for her help to use the screen for conferences at Adams Park, while she also produces content for special projects such as the evening with Martin O'Neill, Conference Centre open days and community initiatives.

"It's all about making as many people aware of the great things which are done by the club, and trying to bring more supporters and businesses into Adams Park. Lots of people have said to me how much they've been enjoying the action replays and pre-match programme on the screen and if it helps improve people's matchday experience then all the hard work is worth it."

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Look out for the big screen at every Wycombe fixture at Adams Park.