{
  "id": 5580889,
  "title": "Dazn National League row: Club in ‘poodles’ rant as owner calls for end to broadcast deal",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/09/04/dazn-national-league-row-club-in-poodles-rant-as-owner-calls-for-end",
  "topic": "culture",
  "section": "Culture",
  "published": "2026-09-04T14:43:14.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "City AM",
    "slug": "city-am",
    "url": "https://www.cityam.com/dazn-national-league-row-club-in-poodles-rant-as-owner-calls-for-end-to-broadcast-deal/"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "Dazn, the sports streaming service, is facing criticism from Boreham Wood FC owner Danny Hunter after the club's owner urged fans to boycott the platform and called for an end to the broadcasting deal. Hunter expressed frustration over schedule changes that he deemed \"a complete joke\" and \"utter nonsense,\" which he claimed treated clubs and their players poorly. The controversy stems from a change in the kick-off time for Boreham Wood's home match against Carlisle United, shifting from 3pm to 5:30pm, which Hunter argued would negatively impact non-league teams. Hunter stated, \"Those fans are again being abused this evening, and it's now embarrassing that it's left to club owners like myself, with no backing whatsoever from the league, to constantly highlight this complete and utter nonsense.\"\n\nHunter claimed that Dazn's schedule changes were designed to boost stream purchases from away supporters, thereby reducing home attendances and creating a \"lose-lose\" situation for clubs. He urged supporters to end their subscriptions to Dazn and encouraged the league's board to find a way to terminate the deal with the streaming service. Hunter emphasized that the National League, a tier of English football, operates without significant financial backing and is being held \"over a barrel\" by Dazn, while supporters of larger clubs are being \"discriminated against almost weekly\" with late kick-offs. Hunter emphasized that he and his fellow club owners are not \"performing seals\" and received no additional compensation for the streaming company's broadcasts.",
  "summary": "Dazn is facing a major backlash after Boreham Wood FC’s owner urged fans to boycott the sports streamer and called on National League bosses to end their media rights deal. Danny Hunter blamed Dazn for schedule changes that he called “a complete joke” and “utter nonsense” which treated clubs and their players as “poodles” and [...]",
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 1,
    "also_reported_by": []
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}