Danville Area Community College Installs New Video Scoreboard from Watchfire Signs

Danville Area Community College (DACC) in Illinois has hosted the National Junior College Athletic Association (NJCAA) Division II men’s basketball tournament for 29 years. This year, athletes and fans were welcomed with a giant video scoreboard manufactured by Watchfire Signs.

“It was great to see the faces of players and coaches light up when they entered the gym and saw their logo displayed along with a welcome video,” said Brian Hensgen, assistant vice president of student services at DACC and the NJCAA tournament lead.

The award-winning school installed a full-color Watchfire S-Series videoboard measuring 17 feet wide by 9.5 feet high. The board is used to complement the gym’s other scoreboards and add to the fan experience.

Hensgen said that the videoboard was used at the NJCAA tournament to display hype videos, introduce players, and showcase player and team stats. Going forward, it will be used to further boost the fan experience through dance cams and competitions, and to advertise messages from sponsors.

“The videoboard created a lot of buzz at the tournament, and many college recruiters and coaches asked where we got it,” said Hensgen. “My recommendation to them was to contact Watchfire because it’s been a great addition to our gym and we couldn’t be happier.”

The DACC gym is home to the college’s men’s and women’s basketball teams and is used to host high school tournaments and camps throughout the year. The videoboard’s multi-sport software will allow DACC to host various additional events, such as regional wrestling tournaments.

DACC uses Watchfire's Ignite Sports software to create content and program the board. “The production crew has been very impressed with the ease of use and the ability to integrate our own content on the board. The visual quality is amazing,” said Hensgen.

Next up, the videoboard will be used at commencement this spring to highlight student achievements, and other clubs and activities will have access to the board throughout the year.