Marist University leveraging SkyCoach replay technology across multiple sports

Photo courtesy of Marist Athletics

At Marist University, replay technology isn’t limited to only the football team. What began as a football initiative has grown into a multi-sport advantage — one that’s enhancing officiating accuracy, streamlining operations and improving the overall game experience across campus.

When the conference first introduced officials replay for football, Marist’s Director of Multimedia, Nick Skidmore, saw potential far beyond the gridiron. “We started using SkyCoach for football, and it worked great,” Skidmore explained. “Then we thought, why not try it for lacrosse or soccer? We already had the infrastructure in place, and it just made sense to expand.”

Building a Smarter System

Marist’s athletic complex is uniquely connected in that the football, soccer and lacrosse teams all play at the same stadium, and every camera feed is routed through a centralized control room. That setup allowed Marist to integrate SkyCoach into multiple sports.

“We bring all of our broadcast cameras from the stadium to our control room across the street, then send them to one location,” Skidmore said. “That’s where we pull them into SkyCoach.”

With the auto-record function and four angles to look at — including ESPN+ program feeds, tight shots, and high end-zone views — officials now have instant access to the same professional-grade video used in televised broadcasts.

Changing the Game for Officials

Since expanding SkyCoach into lacrosse and soccer, the difference has been clear. Officials now review plays in real time, using the system to verify goals, check for crease violations, or confirm whether the ball crossed the line before the clock expired.

“The referees absolutely love working here because of it,” Skidmore said. “It’s essentially VAR on a smaller scale. They have confidence in their calls. They know that they have a good system that they can look back on and make sure that their calls are correct and there's not as much pressure on them any longer.”

A Conference Trendsetter

Marist’s success has also caught the attention of others in the conference. Several championship events now require replay capability for sports like soccer and lacrosse, and Marist is leading the way as a model for implementation.

“I think it's really starting to catch on. Some parts of our conference mandate that all championships have a replay spot for soccer and lacrosse. But for the regular season, it's still not a mandated thing. So, when we go to places, even within our own conference, that there is no officials replay for that. I think is a huge kind of step forward in our conference as a whole that we have it, and it helps us for hosting championship events, as well as just kind of being the trendsetter,” he said.

Simple Setup, Major Impact

Ease of use has been a constant theme for Marist’s staff. After more than a year with SkyCoach, setup is quick, reliable and repeatable.

“It’s super easy,” Skidmore said. “The amount of time it takes now is minimal. The system’s intuitive, and the amount that it can correct or confirm during a game is well worth it.”

The benefits extend beyond officiating. “It improves the overall quality of the game,” Skidmore added. “Not just for officials, but for everyone involved — the coaches, the fans, the players.”

The Takeaway

For Marist University, SkyCoach has evolved from a football replay solution into a multi-sport game-changer. The same features that make it the most trusted sideline system in football are now enhancing accuracy and experience across multiple sports — all with the same simplicity and reliability coaches and officials already know.

“I'm setting up SkyCoach and making sure it works for everybody and then making sure the officials are comfortable,” Skidmore said, “it's quick. The controls for it are very easy to use, no matter who you have on it working it.”