NORFOLK, Va. (MEAC Communications) – The Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference (MEAC), an FCS conference, is about to join the ranks of eight FBS conferences when the league provides all of its members with sideline timeout countdown clocks for use at home football games during the 2021 season, at no cost to the institutions.
The timeout countdown clock, manufactured by Alabama-based Victory Game Clocks (VGC), is a first-of-its-kind clock used on sidelines of football games that allows coaches, game officials, players and game staffs to keep track of the exact time remaining before play resumes once timeouts are called. The countdown feature also benefits the media, public address announcers and fans.
The VGC Timeout Countdown Clock was developed in 2018 in conjunction with the Southeastern Conference (SEC). Its usage has become a norm on the FBS level, but no FCS conference has purchased the equipment for all of its membership – until now. According to Frank Hiett, National Sales Director for VGC, the MEAC has the distinction of being the first FCS conference to do so.
“Although many individual FCS teams have purchased a Timeout Countdown Clock from VGC, this year the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference became the first FCS conference to purchase Timeout Countdown Clocks from Victory Game Clocks for each of their member institutions,” said Hiett. “That’s a big deal.”
Provision of the Timeout Countdown Clocks to the MEAC universities is another in a line of firsts which have happened during Dr. Dennis E. Thomas’ 19-year stint as MEAC commissioner.
“The MEAC is elated to continue its long tradition of financially assisting our member institutions in staying ahead of the curve and in being creative in providing equipment and services which enhance the game experience for our teams and fans,” said Thomas, “just as we did years ago when our conference became the first FCS conference to have our football officials use the Vokkero Systems on-the-field wireless communications.”
