Matthew SparkesOne Norwich pub has always prided itself on leading the way when it comes to showing the football.Matthew Sparkes

One Norwich pub has always prided itself on leading the way when it comes to showing the football.

In 1989 it was the first in the city to show live matches on Sky Sports, and three years ago it even introduced screens above the urinals in the toilets so that fans never missed a goal.

And now the Murderers is going one better and investing �5,000 in two state-of-the-art 3D televisions.

The TVs will show a selection of matches filmed with special cameras, but will only work as long as customers are wearing special glasses that will be provided.

According to landlord Phillip Cutter, the new screens will once again make the Murderers, on Timberhill, a 'Mecca' for football fans.

Although he is yet to see what the televisions actually look like, he hopes that they will help to repeat the success that Sky Sports originally brought the pub in 1989.

'A lot was said at the time about whether it would work. No one had ever heard of Sky and we took a punt then,' he said.

'Being the first, it made a big difference.'

'People love their sport in this country, especially football, and if you offer something that people can't get at home, then we're ahead.'

But Mr Cutter said the attraction of having Sky Sports in a pub had faded now that most people subscribed at home, forcing him to innovate.

'Hopefully this will pay dividends for us,' he said. 'It's nice to be the first.

'To be able to bring to life sporting events and have the proximity of people feeling as though their there at the game, will be magical,' he added.

'In days when people are not going down the pub as much as they used to, this gives people a reason to come in and see what we have to offer.'

Customers will still be able to watch sports for free on any one of the pub's 15 normal televisions, but will also be able to upgrade for �5 and go to the top bar, where the two 3D televisions will be installed.

The first match to be shown in 3D will be Manchester United against Chelsea on April 3, which will be a VIP launch for the Murderers.

Following from that there will be around one game per week for the last six weeks of the season and it is rumoured that some England games in the World Cup will also be filmed in 3D.

In time other sports will also be added to the list of broadcasts, with Sky promising that tennis, rugby and even golf are all on their agenda for the future.

The Evening News' Love Your Local Campaign aims to get people back into pubs struggling with the economic downturn.

To see previous stories from our campaign, log on to www.eveningnews24.co.uk/loveyourlocal.

Is your local going the extra mile to keep customers happy? Call reporter Matthew Sparkes on 01603 772439 or email matthew.sparkes@archant.co.uk.