With over 134,000 subscribers to his YouTube channel, Andrew Forde offers a different style of rugby coverage compared to TV.
Whilst playing for local side Cardiff Saracens RFC and a season ticket holder with Cardiff Rugby, Forde explains his work on YouTube and recalls making his first video:
“I just do rugby compilations, so it can be anything from the best tries, the best tackles, best sidesteps and also focus on players aswell, so kind of finding their best stat and making a video on their best moment, even if it’s specific moments.
“I was always abit of a wizz on the laptops growing up, a long time ago I was making rugby videos when I was 10 or 11 but obviously wasn’t particularly going far.
“When I was 17, Alex Cuthbert was having a tough time from the Welsh rugby public and he was getting abuse saying he wasn’t good enough and I kinda thought he had been huge for Wales over the years and for Cardiff at that time.
“So I just did a video of his best bits and ended up posting it on YouTube and within 48 hours it had 2,000 views and an article had been made on WalesOnline.
“A few of my mates were encouraging me to carry it on because it took abit of time to do but not a ridiculous time out of my day to do and I was in sixth form at the time, it was flexibly to make videos and from there I just carried on with it and it grew and grew and I never really thought it would come to this.
“I think it was within the first 12 months, I managed to get a video that got 100,000 views and that was quite remarkable and 24 months in I managed to get a video that got a million views”.
Copyright is an often threat whenever anyone publishes any rugby footage, Forde has been fortunate to keep in touch with copyright holders:
“I haven’t had any impact with copyright strikes for a few years, a lot of my videos get copyright claims which is just apart of the process but I’m quite fortunate I’ve had dialog with copyright holders, the rights holders and a few of the leagues.
“A lot of them are just happy for me to crack on with it so I’m always grateful for that,” Forde said.
“A lot of people are trying to grow the game and I think certain bodies are very positive but some governing bodies are far too harsh on it.
“The World Cup is a perfect example of almost all eyes are on the sport and you see it with other sports with a lot of people watch that sport when it’s a World Cup. it was a perfect time to reach a wider audience and they missed a trick there”
Forde will hope that he and other content creators will be able to avoid copyright strikes throughout the remainder of the rugby season.
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