Saturday Night Games.

[mattitouk]

Just read that from the 2019/2020 season, the Premier league will begin a new fixture of a 19:45 kick off time on a Saturday night.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/42278119

My question is, if the EFL introduced this fixture also, would you be for or against it?

I would imagine it would work for some by freeing up their day and getting them out of the house when the usual Saturday night dross is on TV. Also Saturday evening kick off's seems to work well in the La Liga.

I for one, am a bit of traditionalist and like the routine of a 3pm start.

 

[rigsby]

No way. Attendances would be shocking for lower leagues. A lot of family men can get away with a Saturday afternoon but evenings would be a different matter. What about bringing young children etc to games.

Away days would be ruined as well

 

[Yorkshire Blue]

I like the idea of Saturday night games. Friday night matches under the lights are/were great but a Saturday would mean you don't have to rush back from work for it.

I've vague recollections of suggesting it on here before and being told that we use to have them when home games clashed with the carnival?

 

[ozzie]

maybe...but rather bring back friday night football at Roots Hall

 

[Mr Plow]

I've rarely watched Saturday night TV since A Team, Knightrider and Gladiators stopped being broadcast.

 

[AndyT]

We had one game back in the 70's in the FA Cup.

Torquay used to do it all the time, but I can't for the life of me remember why.

I'd probably be anti it, in truth, though could be swayed.

 

[mattitouk]

Like you Andy, I could warm to it perhaps, but only if it was a home game, or a local away game (Within say around 2 hours travel away) but only between August to September or April to May. (so in theory, teams like Gillingham, Charlton, Millwall, Colchester, Daggers, or Orient etc).

Given a choice though, I would rather have a 19:45 kick off on a Saturday night and have a lie in on a Sunday, then have a 19:45 kick off on a Tuesday night, and then get up early again the next day for work.

That being said, it would never work in reality, unless we have delayed fixtures, (when we are out of cup fixtures such as lately), Or the EFL would extend the season slightly.

Which personally I think they should do. But again unlikely to do. Reason being, lower league clubs don't have the money or infrastructure to have under soil heating on their pitches.

To be be fair, We can't even grow grass on our pitch in the warmth of summer time during a heatwave, let alone heat the bloody thing in Winter, so it normally ends up in a fixture congestion headache towards the end of the season in spring.

 

[Benfleet A1]

It would kill the away support.

 

[MK Shrimper]

Stupid idea.

 

[RobM]

It would kill the away support.

Indeed, especially for those that choose train.

 

[Yorkshire Blue]

Like you Andy, I could warm to it perhaps, but only if it was a home game, or a local away game (Within say around 2 hours travel away) but only between August to September or April to May. (so in theory, teams like Gillingham, Charlton, Millwall, Colchester, Daggers, or Orient etc).

Given a choice though, I would rather have a 19:45 kick off on a Saturday night and have a lie in on a Sunday, then have a 19:45 kick off on a Tuesday night, and then get up early again the next day for work.

That being said, it would never work in reality, unless we have delayed fixtures, (when we are out of cup fixtures such as lately), Or the EFL would extend the season slightly.

Which personally I think they should do. But again unlikely to do. Reason being, lower league clubs don't have the money or infrastructure to have under soil heating on their pitches.

To be be fair, We can't even grow grass on our pitch in the warmth of summer time during a heatwave, let alone heat the bloody thing in Winter, so it normally ends up in a fixture congestion headache towards the end of the season in spring.

It wouldn't have to be a 7:45pm kick-off. Maybe a 7pm kick-off would work better. Not too late for kids/away fans.

The other thing I think the Football League/club needs to do better is front and back-load the night games. I know the League Cup can complicate matters but nobody wants to be playing in Bury on a Tuesday night in February. If the season has to start so early, make better use of the summer evenings - that's your time for Friday night matches etc.

 

[mattitouk]

I was alluding to the original post with the link, that stated a 7:45 kick off in the premier league, the same as us in the EFL. However I agree, I don't know why it has to be a standard 7:45 kick off, especially if it was a derby game within close proximity of each other.

Also completely agree with your comments about maximizing the long warm summer evenings for evening kick off's, as a pose to having them between say late October to early March.

Even if it means adjusting the start and finish dates of the fixtures, granted it won't work for the Premiership or the Championship, due to international competitions etc, but shouldn't really have an effect on League One or especially League Two sides.

Maybe I'm being purely selfish and looking at it from just a fans perspective, but I personally think the season break is to long anyway, and could be shortened by about 3 weeks. Those extra 3 weeks could ease fixture congestion for the "lucky teams" that actually make it through the 1st round of any cup! :smile: & as mentioned before, would make a much nicer away trip on a summers evening, rather than trudging up to Bury on a cold night in February.

Take for example the gap between the end of last season (30th April) and the beginning of this season (5th August) accumulates a rest 3 months and a week.

I wish I had that amount of an annual break in my work place (paid or un-paid). Especially considering the amount of money professional players are on. Mind you, it looks really hard work in comparison to the Formula One calendar.

 

[rigsby]

I was alluding to the original post with the link, that stated a 7:45 kick off in the premier league, the same as us in the EFL. However I agree, I don't know why it has to be a standard 7:45 kick off, especially if it was a derby game within close proximity of each other.

Also completely agree with your comments about maximizing the long warm summer evenings for evening kick off's, as a pose to having them between say late October to early March.

Even if it means adjusting the start and finish dates of the fixtures, granted it won't work for the Premiership or the Championship, due to international competitions etc, but shouldn't really have an effect on League One or especially League Two sides.

Maybe I'm being purely selfish and looking at it from just a fans perspective, but I personally think the season break is to long anyway, and could be shortened by about 3 weeks. Those extra 3 weeks could ease fixture congestion for the "lucky teams" that actually make it through the 1st round of any cup! :smile: & as mentioned before, would make a much nicer away trip on a summers evening, rather than trudging up to Bury on a cold night in February.

Take for example the gap between the end of last season (30th April) and the beginning of this season (5th August) accumulates a rest 3 months and a week.

I wish I had that amount of an annual break in my work place (paid or un-paid). Especially considering the amount of money professional players are on. Mind you, it looks really hard work in comparison to the Formula One calendar.

In fairness they do have to have the play-offs etc.

One idea was to give the lower leagues more TV money and have 5 divisions of 20 clubs. Which would eliminate the need for league midweek games. Our club does suffer more than others with lower crowds with evening KO's, as so many now work away from the town. So can't really see a return to Fridays.

 

[ozzie]

If you had 5 divisions,even 4,..you could then go to Regional leagues,so not having to travel so far.They have that here in Germany.
In saying that,i used to love traveling to places like Workington,Southport,Barrow.

 

[rigsby]

If you had 5 divisions,even 4,..you could then go to Regional leagues,so not having to travel so far.They have that here in Germany.
In saying that,i used to love traveling to places like Workington,Southport,Barrow.

That was part of the plan, Division 4 North and South. As we do have more fans travelling than when I first started, it would be abetter financial move for smaller clubs. Plus no overnight stays for teams etc.

 

[ozzie]

Maybe even making it a 4 division set up,maybe??
Say us in a London-S.e-Anglia set up,maybe with Kent.
Another say,Aldershot downwards
Midlands
Then Northern??
Bring in more teams maybe,like the "older" teams like Workingtom,Barrow,Southport,Darlington..even Torquay!!
I FIND it very sad that many teams in the "outskirts",like ive written are no longer with us.
Would also like to see a team,maybe Truro!! come in from Cornwall....good beer and cider !!

 

[Another Surrey Shrimper]

Any ground that you can't get back from via public transport is a no from me (though for Carlisle that is the case for a 3pm kick off!)

 

[GrumpyBlue]

Maybe even making it a 4 division set up,maybe??
Say us in a London-S.e-Anglia set up,maybe with Kent.
Another say,Aldershot downwards
Midlands
Then Northern??
Bring in more teams maybe,like the "older" teams like Workingtom,Barrow,Southport,Darlington..even Torquay!!
I FIND it very sad that many teams in the "outskirts",like ive written are no longer with us.
Would also like to see a team,maybe Truro!! come in from Cornwall....good beer and cider !!

You won`t be seeing those ****ers at Truro anytime soon - haven`t got a ground after this season :winking:

 

[Up the Shrimpers]

Maybe even making it a 4 division set up,maybe??
Say us in a London-S.e-Anglia set up!

Would never work very well. You would have teams on the borders of the areas potentially playing in a different area each season to make up the numbers.

I know it would mean more local games but there would also be many teams we would never ever play again and many teams that we would play every season.

I doubt very much that professional football in England/Wales will ever go back to being regional.

 

[AndyT]

Division 4 regional sounds like a decent idea to me, incorporating the conference, as well, so the 5 divisions, as 'Rigsby' and 'Ozzie' mentioned above.

The other night Gateshead travelled to Torquay. That can't be financially viable.