League One football club Bristol Rovers today ignited a new row over image rights at football games by banning national press photographers from their ground.
It is believed that some contingency for local press has been made – but that otherwise the club will allow only its own club photographer and one photographer from the visiting side.
According to the Newspapers Publishers Association: ‘No-one is pretending this is on a par with Premier clubs, but these kinds of reductions in editorial opportunities and freedoms to cover and choose image content will only get worse and more widespread unless they are resisted at all levels.”
The club informed the NPA of the move with the following statement: ‘This season the only photographers being allowed into Bristol Rovers home matches will be those representing the away club and those requesting attendance from our local media.
‘All other photographers/agencies should contact our club photographer Jeff Davies directly should they require images of Bristol Rovers matches.”
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