Mission Digital Supports Real-Time Post for Soccer Aid 2025

Bringing Big-Event Energy to Editorial with Instant Collaboration

When it comes to capturing the energy and emotion of a live charity event like Soccer Aid 2025, speed and precision are everything. This year, Mission Digital was entrusted with a pivotal role: enabling real-time editorial access to footage from 17 cameras shooting across a multi-day schedule, culminating in the live match.

We caught up with Christopher Blythe, one of Mission’s seasoned DIT’s, to hear how he’s helped deliver fast, seamless workflows for a production that’s anything but ordinary.

The Challenge: Multi-Cam Mayhem Meets Fast-Turnaround Editorial

Soccer Aid isn’t just a football match, it’s a hybrid entertainment event blending live sports, celebrity-driven activations, and branded segments from household names like Disney, and a national fundraising event, this year raising £15 million for UNICEF. 

With multiple teams capturing footage across training grounds and the stadium, the editorial department needed access to media almost as fast as it was being shot.

“There are about 17 cameras involved,” Christopher explained. “Everything has to be catalogued, downloaded, backed up and delivered to the right editor, and quickly. This isn’t the kind of job where you get hours or days to prepare the material for post. It's minutes.”

To meet the demands of this ultra-fast turnaround, Mission Digital deployed a high-performance NAS (Network Attached Storage) solution. This forms the beating heart of the set-up.

NAS Solution

“On match day, we were filming before, during, and after the game, so I was running mags from the pitch back to our system set-up across the street in Hotel Football. With thousands of spectators around and almost no turnaround time it was challenging.”

“My DIT station is connected to a NAS that acts as a file server,” said Christopher. “We’ve got ten editors working in the same room, all connected directly to the system. As soon as I offloaded and backed up the footage, I was able to assign folders to specific editors in real-time. It was seamless.”

This setup not only accelerated collaboration but eliminated delays typically caused by moving large media files around via shuttle drives or slower transfer protocols.

Match Day at Old Trafford

Extending the Workflow Beyond Set: LucidLink Integration

In addition to on-site collaboration, Mission Digital integrated LucidLink, a high-speed cloud service that syncs footage as it’s downloaded, giving offsite teams access to rushes and pre-graded clips almost immediately.

“LucidLink means editorial or producers working remotely can view the content as it lands. It keeps the whole production connected — whether they’re in the next room or back in London.”

The Bigger Picture: Activations, Edits, and Social Integration

With branded "activation" segments involving celebrities, footballers, and interactive elements from partners like Disney, the editorial team needed footage delivered and turned around within hours — sometimes even minutes — for integration into match-day packages or social media content.

“Most of the activations were shot at the training ground on Thursday and Friday,” said Christopher. “The idea is to showcase them during the match itself — either in the broadcast or live on socials.”

Soccer Aid Training Day

Real Impact, Real-Time Delivery

Mission’s involvement in Soccer Aid showcases the company’s ability to support live-event editorial at scale. With real-time delivery workflows, flexible infrastructure, and expert DITs on hand, the team ensures nothing delays the storytelling — whether it's for national broadcast or viral digital moments.

James Maden, Head of Social and Content for Soccer Aid Productions said: “Christopher took on the challenge of our complex requirements and the need for almost instant turnaround with composure and professionalism. Both Chris and the team were able to work in an agile fashion to ensure the best outcome and the quickest turnaround for our editing team.”

“With this live event,” Christopher reflected. “it’s been great to apply the discipline of film and advertising workflows to something with so much immediacy and audience reach.”

Christopher Blythe (centre back) and the Soccer Aid Editing Team

Interested in Real-Time Workflow Support for Your Production?

From studio shoots to live TV and music events, Mission Digital helps productions manage data, preserve creative intent, and accelerate editorial across the pipeline.

Let’s talk. Contact us or Email production@missiondigital.co.uk for more information.